Wonder Woman (2009) (PG-13, 2009)

common sense media says

Animated superheroine tale earns PG-13 rating.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that though this cartoon derives from a vintage comic-book character, the script is pretty up-to-date with the violence, including beatings, stabbings, decapitations, and blood flowing from a human sacrifice. Sexually suggestive lines include references to prostitution, seduction, and Wonder Woman's "rack" (wonder-rack?). Some Amazon women are shown skimpily clad or bathing, and Wonder Woman proves to have super-powers of alcohol consumption. "Crap" is uttered (and treated) like an obscenity. Viewers with little knowledge of Greek mythology might be confused about fine details; ultra-religious household might be put off by the trappings of pre-Christian pagan worship.

Positive messages: Wonder Woman herself has been an icon of brave, strong, heroic girlhood for generations, and nothing here contradicts that. Steve, Wonder Woman's love interest, is introduced as a sort of womanizing rascal, but he turns out okay, even as he introduces swearing to the Amazons. One Amazon who favors reading and intellect instead of prowess in battle provides key information that saves the tribe. On the other hand, a different Amazon betrays the group in the name of love, with dialogue indicating that it was a girl thing.
Violence: Frequent "cartoon violence," taken to more-severe-than-usual levels by actual deaths, blood flowing, and (silhouetted) decapitations. Combat of all sorts, from fist-fighting and body-slamming wrestling and smashing, to gunfire, warplane dogfights with missiles, hails of arrows, lightning bolts, swordplay, etc. An onslaught by zombies, some in gruesome stages of decay. Fatalities include an occult human sacrifice.
Sex: Some cleavage-baring and skimpy superheroine outfits. A brief scene of Amazons bathing topless (long, flowing hair covers the super-busts). Fleeting, jokey references to prostitution and pick-up lines. Wonder Woman is complimented on her "nice rack."
Language: "Crap" used (and defined) as a swear word. The Amazons scorn such vulgarity, but Wonder Woman ultimately adopts it.
Consumerism: Hard to ignore the DC Comics family of magazines, graphic novels, cartoons, and TV series of which this is a part.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Drinking in a bar. Attempt to get Diana/Wonder Woman drunk ends with a declaration that her mighty all-female tribe are also champion drinkers.

More on Wonder Woman (2009)

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about the popularity of Wonder Woman, a character practically as iconic as another DC Comics mainstay, Superman. Ask kids if they think superheroines with idealized bodies and skimpy clothing help the cause of women or set it back. What other female costumed heroes are hot right now, and why (besides the idealized bodies/skimpy clothing)?

What's the story?

What's the story?

A Herculean helping of Greek mythology explains the origin of the 20th-century comic-book heroine Wonder Woman. Her mother, Hyppolite, fought a ruinous conflict against Aries, the war god. Mighty Zeus decrees that the Amazons be given an invisible island on which to dwell unmolested, with Aries, deprived of his powers, as their prisoner. On this timeless island Hyppolite "conceives" (literally molding from sand, without a father) a daughter, Diana, who grows up to become a foremost Amazon warrior. When a macho, modern-day USAF fighter-pilot, Steve, crash-lands on the island, the outraged-but-intrigued Amazons assign Diana to take him back to his world (New York City, it so happens). But Aries simultaneously escapes, and to prevent an apocalypse Diana -- with Steve as a guide -- goes into the modern world with an emblematic breastplate, magic lariat, and tiara as Wonder Woman.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

A Wonder Woman blockbuster had been on Hollywood's drawing-boards for quite a while, but this action-crammed Warner Brothers/DC Comics cartoon feature reached the home-video marketplace first. Like the Amazon archers who come to the rescue at the end (who called them anyway? Oh, never mind) it hits it targets more often than not, despite the familiarly basic TV-level animation (some sequences, like a jet dogfight, are truly kinetic and exciting), and the script puts modern wit, battle-of-the-sexes dialogue, and feminism into a lively cauldron with the ancient Greek myth -- well, DC Comics' selective notion of it anyway.

Setting Wonder Woman against a basically all-powerful god is bit of a stretch, even by the wobbly logic of superhero antics, and Aries is a one-dimensional baddie. But chauvinist Steve gets a zinger with his line that a nice-guy god would probably never even have a girlfriend, as Aries does. A sub-theme proposes that the self-reliant Amazon women go wrong by aspiring to remain chaste and aloof from romantic love; interestingly, the novelization (but not the movie) of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith claims the Jedi Knights make the same mistake.

Movie themes & details

Themes
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Home Video
Director: Lauren Montgomery
Cast: Alfred Molina, Keri Russell, Marg Helgenberger, Oliver Platt, Rosario Dawson
Genre: Fantasy
Run time: 75 minutes
Theatrical release: February 27, 2009
DVD release: February 27, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: violence throughout and some suggestive material

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 
 

Review It

 

Review Wonder Woman (2009)





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

fran.santosrdz ...
kid, 10 years old
 

annhan09
teen, 16 years old
 
ok for some teens. but if you are scared, you don't have to see it!
i think it's ok( even i did not see it!!!!

Mattmchugh
parent of 8 and 10 year old
 
A good take on the Wonder Woman story, but not for little ones
As an aging comic book geek, I quite enjoyed this. It's a good rendering of the current comic arc of the Wonder Woman character, which does away with whole secret identity thing and depicts her as kind of aloof and dismissive of male-dominated society, having come from a female one she considers superior. That's actually a pretty radical feminist concept, and this movie treats it seriously, but with a healthy dose of humor. It's interesting to have a female character so powerful and confident that frat-boy sexism is simply inconsequential to her. The story invokes a Saturday-matinee view of Greek mythology with combat and violence that's a bit more intense than you might expect in a cartoon. That, combined with a subtle but frequent references to sexuality (an evil child is referred to as a "product of unholy union") make this one a definite PG-13 -- but teens and above of both genders will find this a smart and snappy superhero adventure.

pete_in_ca
parent of 11 year old
 
Designed for adults, NOT kid friendly
If you are watching with the kids, be forewarned that this is very similar to last year's Justice League also released by Warner Animation. This is also in the genre of darker, grown-up cartoons for the adults who remembered Superfriends and the Wonder Woman animated series and wanted a little more. The quips are grown up and in my opinion not for impressionable minds. The movie is great for adults, but the dialogue and violence prevents me from letting my child see it.

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you see Wonder Woman (2009)?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors


About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age