"Wondaaaaa Womannnnn! Wondaaaaa Womannnnn!" Oh man, I thought I'd forgotten that refrain accompanying every kick and punch in the Amazon princess's fight for truth, justice, and the American way, but one chorus of it and I'm back on the elementary school playground, spinning that Wonder Woman spin and off to save the world. Any thirtysomething American woman who says she didn't secretly dream about being Wonder Woman as an eight-year-old is lying, I tell you, lying. But oh, what a tremendous hoot this series is today: produced in the mid '70s and set during World War II, the hilariously pulpy Wonder Woman, based on the DC Comics classic, is doubly retro, sort of "Springtime for Hitler" meets Gloria Steinem, if you will. Campy and colorful, these 13 episodes (plus the 90-minute pilot movie) throw in everything from bungling Nazis attempting diabolic plots against Uncle Sam, to goofy secret American spy missions behind enemy lines, to an alien visitor contemplating destroying the entire planet. And that's before you even get to Wonder Woman's (former Miss USA Lynda Carter) invisible plane, her golden lasso of truth, or the fact that her lunkheaded Ken doll of a boss at the War Department, Major Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner), has no clue that his secretary, Yeoman Diana Prince, is secretly Wonder Woman. Most mysterious of all, perhaps, is why Prince--who hails from the monarchy of "Paradise Island"--would fight for the "old red, white, and blue" when she's a scion of privileged royals. Oh well. Wondaaaaa Womannnnn! DVD extras include commentary by Carter and executive producer Douglas S. Cramer on the pilot movie, and the original documentary "Beauty, Brawn and Bulletproof Bracelets: A Wonder Woman Retrospective." Recommended. (M. Johanson)
Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season
Warner, 3 discs, 725 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 September 20, 2004
Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: