Wonder Woman: Bloodlines
| Tag Line: | None |
| Release Date: | 2019 |
| Directors: | Justin Copeland, Sam Liu. |
| Producers: | James Krieg, Sam Liu, Matthew Mahoney, Amy McKenna, Sam Register and James Tucker. |
| Writers: | Drew Johnson, William Moulton Marston, Harry G. Peter, Greg Rucka and Mairghread Scott. |
| Cast: | Rosario Dawson, Jeffrey Donovan, Marie Avgeropoulos, Kimberly Brooks, Michael Dorn, Mozhan Marnò, Adrienne C. Moore, Cree Summer, Courtenay Taylor, Nia Vardalos and Constance Zimmer. |
| Running Time: | 1 hour and 23 minutes. |
After several delays and much anticipation Wonder Woman 84 is finally out and the wait just wasn’t worth it.
While the original had its flaws, it was one of the very best superhero movies ever made catapulting star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins into superstar status.
The bland sequel though has left many wanting more. It didn’t have enough action to satisfy many fans and neither did its make-a-wish plot torn from the pages of W. W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw. It was the worst thing a superhero film can possibly be: Boring.
Fans of the Amazonian princess looking forget about that disaster should check out Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. The 2019 direct-to-video animated film has everything the Wonder Woman sequel is lacking…and more.
Starring the voices of Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Jeffrey Donovan as Steve Trevor, Marie Avgeropoulos as Silver Swan, Kimberly Brooks as Cheetah and Constance Zimmer as Veronica Cale, Bloodlines is an updated retelling of the first appearance of Wonder Woman in All Star Comics #8. Steve Trevor’s jet crash lands near Themyscira, the hidden and mysterious island of the Amazon warriors. Trevor is rescued by Princess Diana who in doing so breaks all manner of Amazonian laws. Diana’s Mom, Queen Hippolyta, gets grumpy about it all.
After speaking to Trevor about how messed up the world can be at times, Diana feels compelled use her gifts to become a protector of the outside world, what the Amazons call “Man’s World”. Queen Hippolyta gets even grumpier hearing this.
Diana and Hippolyta resolve the delicate and sensitive family matter by having a brutal sword battle.
Talk about tough love.
Miffed but triumphant Wonder Mom gives Diana an ultimatum. If she leaves she can never return to Themyscira. She will be banished from the only world, home she has ever known. The rebellious Wonder Woman splits the scene with her beau Trevor in tow.
Things then get a bit cloudy for a bit going forward. Not sure why but Diana moves in with a historian and her daughter in Washington, DC, while she begins working for the government and integrating herself into “Man’s World” with the help of Trevor.
Wonder Woman runs afoul of Villainy, Inc., her version of the Injustice League. Cheetah, Giganta, the regrettably named Doctor Cyber and Doctor Poison join forces to invade Themyscira. The only flaw in their plan is they don’t know where it is to begin with and that’s where Wonder Woman comes in.
The often complicated relationship between daughters and their mothers is the cornerstone of Bloodlines and it is handled fairly well. The Reader’s Digest version of the Joy Luck Club never drags on the action and adds a nice human, real element that many viewers may be able to relate to.
Wonder Woman and Trevor are a great team, having each other’s back in battle while bantering back and forth like a veteran married couple. Their charming chitchat and ribbing is the best part of the film.
The movie is also refreshing because unlike so many female-centric films or TV shows these days, there isn’t any condescension, snide attitudes or political grandstanding by characters or the producers. Bloodlines is just a superhero story that just so happens to star a female hero, which is the way Alien was, the way Hanna was, the way Underworld and Resident Evil were. Modern filmmakers take note and turn down the volume, please.
Unlike the flat 84, Bloodlines weaves in some mythological elements which are a big part of her journey in the DC comics, the best part of which was when she became the God of War but sought to become the God of Peace instead. Included is an encounter with a minotaur and the medusa Perseus supposedly had slain eons ago. Apparently, dude didn’t get the job done right.
With so many villains out to dethrone the Princess of Themyscira Bloodlines is wall-to-wall action unlike its uneven and lifeless live-action cousin, even if the Silver Swan is just DC’s version of the X-Men’s much cooler Archangel.
Where 84 and Bloodlines are really different though is tone and mature content. Bloodlines is not for the wee ones. It features swearing, violence, a bit of nudity and some bloodletting. Like many of the more mature DC animated films it is rated PG-13.
Whether you enjoyed Wonder Woman 84 or not, Bloodlines is great way to complete, end your Wonder Woman bingefest and goes to prove that animated films can stand side by side with their live-action counterparts in every way.
Top Photo: Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman in ‘Wonder Woman: Bloodlines’.
| Gravestones |
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| Naughty Bits |  A character removes her robe and lays down on a table. We see her butt and boobs. |
| Memorable Dialogue |  Trevor: This looks like heaven and you are an angel.
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| Pints of Blood |  |
| Rating |  |
Pilot killed by Parademons.
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