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The World's Finest Presents
Wonder Woman: The Complete Series

Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Blu-ray Release Date: July 28, 2020
Also available on DVD and Digital

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; a "Beauty, Brawn and Bulletproof Bracelets: A Wonder Woman Retrospective" retrospective featuette; a "Revolutionizing a Classic: From Comic Book to Television" documentary; another audio commentary with Carter on "My Teenage Idol is Missing"; and the "Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Feminist Icon" featurette.

Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Review
by James Harvey

Bringing together all three seasons of the beloved 1970s live-action series, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection Blu-ray release features arguably the most iconic version of the popular DC Comics character, and she's never looked better! Newly remastered and presented in its original aspect ratio, and looking pretty fantastic in high-definition, this is easily the best presentation to date of the fan-beloved show. Campy and light-heartedly goofy, but still full of heart and headlined by the unforgettable Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman is a fun series that, while dated, remains just as enjoyable (and as arguably important) today as it did 40 years ago.

To quickly cover the series, Wonder Woman initially finds the Princess of Power helping fend off the Nazi scourge during the chaotic times of World War II before shuffling her off to modern times (well, the '70s) to deal with more current threats starting in the show's second season. And despite the changes, a result of the series' creative and production challenges, you could always depend on Wonder Woman to deliver the goods. Whether it's stopping an enemy war plot and rescuing Steve Trevor in the process, or coming to the aid of a 1970s teen idol, the Amazon from Paradise Island always came out on top with her incredible strength, her ideals and her trusty 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 some interesting ways to put our hero to the test.

As one can expect from a comic book-based show from the 1970s, Wonder Woman was brimming with cheese and schlock. The effects were usually goofy and the acting at times fell a little flat but it still worked. Part of the appeal was clearly Lynda Carter's take on Wonder Woman (more on that in a moment), but there's also so much more for viewers to latch on to. Whether it was upbeat and positive tone (even the darkest episodes felt safe and appropriate for all viewers), its subversive feminism, the appealing cast, the big-name guest actors, the action beats - Wonder Woman made admirable efforts to appeal to viewers of all stripes and generally succeeded. And while the stories would sometimes be totally bonkers, the cast approached each episode head-on, no matter how ludicrous (especially in the third season), without a shred of irony and absolutely sold it. Sure, the show was eventually cancelled, but it still amassed a fierce and loyal fanbase over the years, and for good reason. 

It's safe to say that, even with the enormous effort of the cast and crew, what really sold this series was Lynda Carter's performance as Wonder Woman. There's something so honest about her take on the Amazon princess, so truthful and joyful, 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 traits of what Wonder Woman represents. When our hero tries to convince a misguided crook to change his way, you believe in her sincerity. It's just an utterly convincing portrayal. It's rare to see such a strong marriage between an actor and a role, but there is no one else who could've pulled off Wonder Woman for this show. Perfect casting, and deservedly so. When you boil it down, Wonder Woman is just so dang charming. 

As with any series that survives for multiple seasons, there are some weaker episodes and a clear formula that becomes increasingly apparent. 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 Nazi scum), the formula starts to waiver as the series progresses. When the show returned for its second season, jumping from ABC to CBS, it was brought into the modern era and re-titled The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, scrapping its international war-time setting for modern-day procedural-type action. The second season, for the most part, is actually fairly strong, even though it seems to struggle to define itself with the new setting, nor can it recreate the highs of season one. And sadly, the identity woes that nipped at Wonder Woman in season two take a greater toll during the third and final season, despite clear efforts to breathe new life into the series.

That said, Wonder Woman amassed a fair amount of acclaim and a dedicated following during its run (all justifiably so), and churned out some really enjoyable episodes that finely balanced the action, the cheese and the soap opera drama with plenty of flair. There's something so enjoyable and watchable about this show, something indescribable that makes you overlook its shortcomings. Even the weakest episodes tend to be amusing, making it worthwhile to actually watch all three seasons. The perfect casting of Wonder Woman, the zany and usually goofy stories, and just the fact that the cast and crew really put their all into this series - it pulls you in. Of course you can't overlook the series' importance to the feminist movement (even to this day), and what it meant to women of all ages, the queer community, the downtrodden, and so many others looking for representation and hope when it aired (and, again, even to this day). That show mattered then, and it matters now. Wonder Woman is a strong, positive role model who represents the greatness of the fairer sex, inclusiveness and so much more, and this show embodied that unblinkingly. What a wonder, indeed.

Moving to the actual collection, and as stated above, Wonder Woman has never looked or sounded better than here in Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Blu-ray edition. The video features the show in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, remastered and presented in a nice looking 1080p transfer. The colors are vibrant and bright, though there are some scenes where colors appear altered or highly saturated, likely due to the remastering process. Details levels are good, though scenes here and there appear soft, but overall the show has never looked better in any other home media presentation. It's a noticeable step up from the previous DVD releases and the widescreen-formatted digital editions. The sound, coming from a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track, is definitely a bit disappointing but by no means a deal-breaker. The show sounds nice and clear, and no dialogue is ever drowned out by loud scenes or the show's score, but it does lack that oomph to really punch up the action beats. And HD-master mix would have been greatly appreciated.  

The bonus content here collects all the material from the series' previous DVD releases, with no new additional content. Special features 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.

All this content is housed in a nice slipcase-covered chunky Blu-ray case. The package design, nearly identical to the previous Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection DVD edition, features a nice mix of imagery from both the show and the four-color source material.

Overall, Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection is a solid package for the fan-favorite 1970s TV series, though not perfect. The entire series is included, and it's easily the show's best presentation to date (even with some shortcomings), plus there's a healthy amount of bonus content to dig into. For fans of the series, this collection is a no-brainer, and it's a safe gamble for new viewers interested in checking why this series remains a pop culture fixture all these decades later. Wonder Woman is definitely a product of its time, but it has an endearing quality that even today, and as dated and wobbly as it may seem, it's still an enjoyable and even endearing watch. Whether you're checking out Wonder Woman for the first time, or just want to finally own it in the best available format possible, then this Blu-ray collection is unquestionably the best way to go. Recommended.

To quickly mention another piece of Wonder Woman-related media, La-La Land Records' Wonder Woman: Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series CD release is a must-own for fans of the iconic '70s series. It's just a fantastic compilation of some of the best music from all three seasons of the show. The music is upbeat with that distinct tone/sound from the 70s - it's quirky, a little jazzy with a beat you can snap to. And that iconic theme song - like when it kicks in when she's about to right some wrongs? Or even the groovy, light take on the theme as she investigates? So cool! - has never sounded better.

The quality of the audio is also legitimately impressive. This is the best presentation ever for this material, no doubt. It's just never sounded as good as it does right here. Also, 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 not only a fantastic companion to this The Complete Series collection, but it's also a stellar collection in its own right. 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.


Additional Media:

Watch the opening credits here!

Also Available from DC Comics:
"Wonder Woman '77", based on the classic live-action series,
is available in digital, single issue and collected edition format.

Bonus Videos:


Homages to "Wonder Woman"


Discuss the classic Wonder Woman series right here!

Wonder Woman: The Complete Series is now available to own on Blu-ray, as well as DVD and Digital Download, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Wonder Woman: Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series is currently available to own from La-La Land Records.

Related Review:
Batman: The Complete Classic Television Series


 

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