Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Blu-ray Review

"You are a Wonder Woman!"

by Casimir Harlow
Movies & TV Shows Review

10

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Blu-ray Review
MSRP: £13.00

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Review

As we wait for Wonder Woman 1984, this new adventure makes for a decent addition to the DC animated catalogue.

The Justice League itself may be floundering - attempting a pre-emptive home-run on the MCU's Endgame money, and face-planting embarrassingly - but DC hasn't given up by a long shot, showing more success not only with their solo efforts (Aquaman) but with their more comic outings (DC's superhero 'Big', Shazam), and even, now, a veritable shot at Oscar glory (Joker). Sure, Disney appears to be dominating the Box Office, holding the top five biggest earners of the year (three of which were Marvel entries) but - against all odds - Warner/DC is still just about managing to hold on to a spot in the Top 10.

On the small screen front, notwithstanding the imminent Disney+ launch, DC is absolutely nailing their TV series, with a hugely expansive "Arrowverse" catering to the many with its Arrow, Flash, Legends, Supergirl, and now Batgirl shows, as well as Black Lightning pulled into the fold, and a number of unrelated outings, including the tremendous - and surprisingly dark - Titans series, already with its own spin-off Doom Patrol. And that's even before their animated universe, which, at now 36 titles, absolutely kills the Marvel equivalent (if it ever really had one). They may not appeal to the same multiplex crowd, but the animated entries allow some classic tales to be done justice in a way that the movie universe doesn't always make room for, with the likes of Batman's Year One and Gotham by Gaslight, as well as the Death of Superman (and the upcoming Red Son), and of course all the Justice League tales (Flashpoint!), being brought to life in a way that comic book fans may have otherwise thought was not possible.

 Bloodlines ticks all the boxes as a solo outing

Bloodlines is the latest entry in the massive series of animated productions, the 36th from the larger DC Universe Animated Original Movies series, and the 14th in the more recent DC Animated Movie Universe subset, revisiting the character of Wonder Woman for only her second solo effort, a decade after the original 2009 Wonder Woman animated outing.

Although it wastes a modicum of time retreading her origins (which would be better served by an Incredible Hulk-like montage over the credits), it's designed to establish Diana's US-bound adoptive family, and sort-of sister, who becomes pivotal to the tale of wayward siblings, and a group of villains who are determined to not only take down Wonder Woman, but the entire civilisation that she came from: Themyscira.

Violent and action-packed, but suitably character-focussed and, once again, superbly voiced by Rosario Dawson as Princess Diana herself, Bloodlines ticks all the boxes as a solo outing, telling a compelling story, and - somewhat miraculously - pitting Wonder Woman against a foe who actually poses a genuine challenge. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but the new animation style is welcome, the brutal fighting refreshing, and the story reasonably cohesive, culminating in a final battle that - for once - has a little weight.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Blu-ray Picture

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines

Warner brings Wonder Woman: Bloodlines to Region Free UK Blu-ray, affording it a strong 1080p/AVC-encoded High Definition video presentation framed in the movie's original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. It continues the style adopted in these later productions - part of the DC Animated Universe subset - which, in recent outings, has favoured more classically Japanese anime-style animation (see also Batman: Hush), and it very much suits the characters and action.

 A strong presentation

Bloodlines
 enjoys colourful visuals from the outset, and clearly appears primed for 4K (despite 4K releases being relatively elusive in the UK - there's only a box-set of 5 features available with a fairly hefty price tag) in that there are lots of vibrant tones that are geared up and ready for some HDR magic, looking pretty special even in plain old SDR. Sparks fly, whilst we get pink and green neon hues emphasising the magic in Themyscira, and the costume changes across the course also allow for plenty of rich primary-backed intensity. Black levels are deep, rounding out a suitably impressive - at least insofar as these DC animated outings go - presentation.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Blu-ray Sound

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines

The accompanying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a punchy affair, delivering some decent early act mayhem, and tearing the house down across the course as it builds to the epic finale.

 A punchy affair

Dialogue remains a key component, whilst a suitably thematic score underpins the production and lends it a modicum of weight as needed. It's the effects that really stand out, however, with every one of the thunderous punches landing with some veritable impact, gunshots rattling out percussively, and the booming thump of some of the very literally larger than life villains carrying a suitable amount of LFE weighting.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Blu-ray Extras

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines

 
A great little DC Showcase Short Film, Death, based on Neil Gaiman's Sandman, as well as a Featurette and Sneak Peek at Superman: Red Son

Conclusion

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Blu-ray Review

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines

 A superior addition to the DC Animated roster

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines is a solid addition to the DC Animated roster, topping their original 2009 animated Wonder Woman outing and affording a nice little stop gap until next year's Wonder Woman 1984. Warner's Blu-ray release delivers strong video and audio, as well as a great Sandman short film, leaving it a decent purchase for fans.


Scores

Movie

.
.
.
7

Picture Quality

.
.
8

Sound Quality

.
9

Extras

.
.
.
7

Overall

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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