6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
An evil woman makes a good living by kidnapping famous athletes, chopping them up and selling their remaining viable parts to the elderly rich until an insurance detective catches on and saves the day.
Starring: Nancy Kwan, Ross Hagen, Maria De Aragon, Roberta Collins, Sid HaigHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
‘70s cinema doesn’t get more ‘70s than “Wonder Women.” It’s an ego-stroke production from 1973, with co-writer/director Robert Vincent O’Neill assembling a bizarre thriller that’s steeped in weird science, loaded with scantily clad women, set in Manila, scored to thumpy funk jams, and delivers stunts where actual safety standards were set aside to capture the intensity of recklessness. Perhaps it’s not the first movie that comes to mind when discussing the thickness of era-specific influence, but O’Neill initially tries to make something exciting, coming out the other end with a true curiosity that muddies empowerment displays and sexuality, but is frequently willing to endanger lives to provide some cheap thrills. “Wonder Women” is pretty much everything exploitation should be, with the production maintaining focus on sellable mayhem, not dramatic consistency.
"Wonder Women" makes a strong impression for its HD debut, with Vinegar Syndrome issuing a fresh scan from a 35mm negative to power the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. The results are very nice, leading with bright primaries to secure the movie's semi-sci-fi look, with deeper reds and greens emerging in laboratory scenes, while period costuming is lively. Manila storefronts and street activity also shares bolder hues, and greenery is striking at times. Skintones are natural. Detail is healthy, surveying set decoration and makeup effects, while close-ups delivers sharper facial particulars. Distances retain depth, and costumes maintain silkiness and sheerness. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and filmic. Source has a few rough reel changes and blotches.
The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't supported with sharpness, with age dulling the track to a certain degree, but the essentials of performance are there to enjoy, finding dialogue exchanges adequate, delivering necessary dramatic information. Scoring is a bit heavier, with a funky rhythm to go along with chases and brawls. Sound effects are loud, offering snappy gunfire and car crashes.
"Wonder Women" does well with minimal complications, keeping Mike on the case, working his way into Dr. Tsu's compound to see what's going on inside the madhouse. Trouble comes with the finale, with a definite conclusion soon steamrolled by a bizarre postscript that has nothing to do with the action that precedes it, adding confusion to a movie that can't carry the load. It's a lengthy bit of padding that's takes some of the wind out of O'Neill's sails, but it doesn't extinguish the primal viewing experience of "Wonder Women," which remains exciting enough to pass. At the very least, there's some remarkable abuse of Manila streets and (occasionally) citizens who get in the way, keeping the decade's film production wildness intact, helping to support a reasonably weirdo mad scientist story.
1970
La tarantola dal ventre nero
1971
Collector's Edition
2013
2009
Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride
1973
2014
1978
Raw Meat
1972
Special Edition
1977
2018
High Rise
1978
Unrated Version
1993
1975
2024
1976
2023
Hellraiser VII
2005
Unrated Director's Cut
2009
2006
Unrated Edition
2020