Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Format: Available on DVD and for Digital Download
Home Video Release Date: May 23rd, 2017
Synopsis: Based on Charles Moulton's comic book character known to millions of fans throughout the world, Wonder Woman brings the strong and sexy goddess to life. Beautiful Amazon princess, Wonder Woman, played by Lynda Carter, travels to America and combats evil using her golden belt, which imbues her with astonishing strength, her bullet-deflecting bracelets, a golden lasso that dispels dishonesty and an invisible supersonic plane.
Bonus Content: Pilot with commentary by Lynda Carter and executive producer Douglas S. Cramer; new documentary retrospective; Bonus documentary: "Revolutionizing a Classic: From Comic Book to Television"; Audio commentary by Carter on "My Teenage Idol is Missing"; featurette: "Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Feminist Icon"
Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection DVD Review by James Harvey
Collecting all three seasons of the beloved 1970s series in one package, Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection features arguably the most iconic version of the DC Comics icon as she dives head first to take down Nazis, help the government and spread the message of peace and love. Campy, light-hearted, but full of heart and headlined by the unforgettable Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman a fun series that, while dated, remains just as enjoyable (and arguably important) today as it did 40 years ago.
Kicking off her adventures during World War II before landing in modern times (well, the 1970s), Wonder Woman fights her way through a wealth of incredible adventures. Whether it's stopping an enemy plot and rescuing Steve Trevor in the process, or coming to the aid of a 1970s teen idol, Wonder Woman is always there to save the day with her incredible Amazonian strength, her ideals and the Lasso of Truth. And yes, there may have been more than a few bizarre threats to quash along the way, but each season of Wonder Woman always found a way to put our hero to the test!
As one can expect from a comic book-based show from the 70s era, Wonder Woman was brimming with cheese and schlock. The effects were usually goofy and the acting at times fell a little flat but, somehow, it still worked. Part of the appeal was clearly Lynda Carter's take on Wonder Woman (we'll get to that in a moment), but there's so much more for viewers to latch on to. Whether it was the all-ages friendly storylines, the attractive leads, the guest actors, the action beats, there was something for just about everyone. And while the stories would sometimes be totally bonkers, the cast approached episode seriously and full embracing the premise, no matter how ludicrous. It was that approach, playing the series completely honest without a shred of irony, that makes everything click.
What helps to really sell this series is Lynda Carter's performance as Wonder Woman. There's something so honest about her take on the Amazon princess that you can't help but just believe in it. It doesn't seem like Carter is playing a character but, instead, embodying all the aspects of what Wonder Woman represents. When our hero tries to convince a misguided crook to change their ways, you believe in her sincerity. It's an utterly convincing portrayal. It's a rarity, but sometimes there's a perfect marriage of an actor and a role, but you had it here with Carter and Wonder Woman.
As with any series that survives for multiple seasons, there are some weaker episodes and a clear formula that persists overtime. While the first season starts off strong in it's World War II setting (and it's great to see Wonder Woman stand up to the Nazi scourge), the formula event starts to waiver a shade toward the end. When the show returned for its second season jumping from ABC to CBS, it found itself both a new title and a new setting. The show was brought into the modern era and re-titled The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, scrapping its international war-time setting for modern-day action. The second season, for the most part, is actually fairly strong, even though it seems to struggle to find itself as it goes along. However, the identity woes that nipped at Wonder Woman in season two definitely take a greater toll on its third and final season.
That said, Wonder Woman still amassed a fair amount of acclaim and a dedicated following during it's run (all completely justified), and churned out some really enjoyable episodes that finely balanced the action, the cheese and the soap opera drama with flair. There's something so enjoyable and watchable about this show, something indescribable that makes you overlook its shortcomings. Even the weakest episodes are still enjoyable, making it worthwhile to actually watch all three seasons in their entirety. The perfect casting of Wonder Woman, the zany, usually goofy stories, and just the fact that everyone puts their all into this series. Of course you can't overlook the series' importance to the feminist movement (even to this day), what it meant to women of all ages, the gay community, the downtrodden, so many other looking for representation and hope when it aired. Wonder Woman is a strong, positive female role model, and represents the greatness of the fairer sex, inclusiveness and so much more, and this show embodied that unblinkingly.
To swerve off-topic (sorta) for a month, La-La Land Records recently released Wonder Woman: Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series, a fantastic compilation of music from all three seasons of the show. And, to no surprise, the label’s release is utterly fantastic. The music is update with that distinct musical sound from the 70s - it's quirky, a little jazzy with a beat you can tap your hand to. Listening to this soundtrack, it becomes very apparent just how crucial the music was to the success of this series. Just the theme song alone is iconic, but the music showcased here adds a bit of life, a bit of zip, that's undeniable. And when Wonder Woman's theme kicks in when she's about to right some wrongs? Or even the groovy, light take on the theme as she investigates? Goosebumps.
The quality of the audio is just jaw-dropping at times, too. Seriously, watch an episode and then select a track, and the difference in quality is staggering. In addition to the quality found on the discs, the soundtrack collection itself is definitely one that deserves notice. The included booklet offers some great insight into the production of the series and the music itself, and is well worth reading. The soundtrack release is both a fantastic companion to this DVD collection, but a stellar release on its own, as well. Wonder Woman: Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series is an amazing release that includes some of the best music the series has to offer, and serves as a testament to how invaluable labels like La-La Land Records are for music lovers.
To bring it back to the Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection DVD collection, all three separate season DVD titles are collected here in a cardboard slipcase. It's a simple repackage, which means all the content on the original season DVD releases are included. The audio/video transfers, the bonus content, all of it is the same. Everything just now happens to be packaged together. The only difference is that the packaging has been changed from cardboard cases to traditional amaray cases, the DC Comics logo is updated and the discs have been repressed. They are no longer two-sided flipper discs, but separate discs. Basically, it means that the content found on one flipper discs is now on two, each each side of the original flipper disc now occupying its own DVD. It's a nice streamlined package that takes up less shelf space and looks a little sharper.
The audio and video is what one might expect for a DVD release of an older series. The full frame video looks great, though clearly aged. There's some grain and video noise, and some episodes do look better than others, but that's expected. It does look considerably better than any television presentation. Audio is a simple mono transfer, understandable given the age. Everything is kind of cobbled together, so things can sound a little jumbled at times as dialogue, background music and special effects all fight for dominance. There's the odd pop or snap, but things do sound clean for the most part.
Bonus content includes a couple enjoyable commentaries, a featurette and a couple great retrospective documentaries, all of which are worth checking out. The commentaries are fun, especially Lynda Carter recalling her time on the series with co-commentator Douglas Cramer, a producer on Wonder Woman, to the best of their abilities. The standout extra is the lengthy "Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Feminist Icon" featurette, wherein Carter and a host of other female creators from across the industry discuss the importance of the character. The "Revolutionizing a Classic: From Comic Book to Television" featurette is also noteworthy, especially as the featured comic book creators discuss the series and its subsequent influence on them and their careers.
Overall, Wonder Woman: The Complete Classic TV Series Collection is a solid packaging of the fan-favorite 1970s TV series. The entire series is included, there's a healthy amount of bonus content and the packaging is slick. For fans of the series, who don't already own the previous releases of Wonder Woman - be it in single season form or the previous complete series collection - then this collection is a no-brainer. For new viewers interested in checking it out, perhaps wanting to check out more of the Amazon princess after catching the new Wonder Woman theatrical feature, it's a worthwhile gamble. Wonder Woman is definitely a product of its time, but it has an endearing quality that even today, and as dated as it may seem, it's still an enjoyable watch and worth the investment. Whether you're looking to watch this series for the first time, or just want to finally own it, then this collection comes Recommended.
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Wonder Woman: The Complete Series is now available to own on DVD and Digital Download from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Wonder Woman: Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series is now available to own from La-La Land Records.
