Wonder Woman

After two contractual obligations and a misfire, the DC Universe animation imprint brings us Wonder Woman. Although part of DC's holy trinity, Wonder Woman has never come close to matching her compatriots Superman and Batman for big screen interest. Instead Princess Diana's made do with a supporting role in sundry animated series, and a high-camp TV serial starring the pneumatic Lynda Carter. Created by woman worshipping psychologist William Moulton Marston to be a female might ideal, Wonder Woman has always danced a fine line between feminist-ish icon, and light bondage fantasy figure. It is to director Lauren Montgomery's credit that neither portrayal is outright ignored.

Moulded out of clay by the scorned Queen Hippolyta, Keri Russell's Amazonian Princess longs to ditch her plush paradise island and explore the world of men. An opportunity arises when letchy American super-pilot Steve Trevor drops out of the sky and custom demands he be returned. Male lead Trevor, voiced by the drawling Nathan Fillion, is cast as a flirty foil to Diana. His attempts at wooing withering under a harsh, Amazonian glare. He's as much a plucky side-kick as he is a love interest. Initially curious, Diana's sojourn into man's world eventually inspires disgust. She is revolted by how fey non-Amazonian women allow themselves to be; brief solace found teaching a little girl how to pulverise her male playmates at stick-fighting. It's not all gender clash comedy though, Alfred Molina's softly spoken war-God Ares is on the loose, eager to bring about the downfall of man.

The most exciting quality of Wonder Woman: The Movie is it never forgets it's riffing on Greek myth-making. The arbitrary rules and petty cruelty of the uncaring Olympian pantheon pulses undercurrent to events, requiring heroes to commit infanticide and returning passed loved ones to hateful, hyper-mobile un-life. Most spiteful of all is Ares' pleading encounter with the revoltingly corpulent Hades. The War God grovelling for his freedom as Pluto heaps on unmentionable affronts. Four films in and the DC direct-to-DVD animation conveyor belt has finally delivered a piece that withstands comparison to the admittedly mighty Justice League Unlimited TV series. Wonder Woman is snappy, playful, and often alarmingly harsh. Next up for an animated origin yarn is Hal Jordan in Green Lantern: First Flight, again courtesy of Montgomery. Can't wait.