First Impressions: "Wonder Woman" + "Green Lantern: First Flight" (2009)

   Today's subject is two DC Animated Universe movies that I decided I'd waited long enough to watch.

   Firstly, Wonder Woman.
   When fighter pilot Steve Trevor crash-lands on the peaceful island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons, Princess Diana is tasked with bringing him home again. But a second purpose is soon added to her mission when Ares, god of war, escapes from his prison and sets out to regain his power.
   I have to admit, I'm having trouble structuring my thoughts on this movie. But in short, I really liked it.
   I don't read comic books, but I still understand the essence of the Wonder Woman character, and this movie seems to stay pretty true to it. Besides, it's right up my street anyway, since I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology. :)
   It's a dark enough movie that I really wouldn't recommend it for young children – in fact, right off the bat, it starts with a surprisingly brutal battle scene – but it's not completely mean-spirited. There's a brilliant dry sense of humour to the whole thing. I especially love the scene where Steve is speaking his mind completely honestly, then realises it's because his foot's in the Lasso of Truth! :D
   Speaking of comedy, as soon as Diana and Steve arrived in New York, I was expecting a lot of painfully awkward attempts on Diana's part to interact with the real world. But, to my huge relief, that didn't happen! :)
   So on the whole, I'd definitely recommend this to non-comic readers as an introduction to the character. It's equal parts funny and intense; it takes itself seriously, but not too seriously.
   My rating: 80%.

   And secondly, Green Lantern: First Flight.
   Test pilot Hal Jordan gets a power ring handed down to him by Abin Sur, a dying Green Lantern who's crash-landed on Earth, and is recruited to the Green Lantern Corps. He is taken under the wing of senior officer Sinestro, and they set out to find the truth of Abin Sur's death.
   This is more what the 2011 live-action Green Lantern should have been like. It doesn't try to cram three films' worth of material into one; it picks one plot and sticks to it. This allows for much more manageable pacing, meaning the film as a whole is a lot more fleshed out and so much more entertaining.
   The story itself is nothing really special, but it's still a terrifically fun adventure; every scene fits perfectly into place. Plus, Sinestro is one of the best villains ever: his motivation does almost get you on his side.
   There's really only one problem with the movie, and sadly it is kind of a big one: Hal Jordan himself is so depressingly bland. What especially bothered me was how, at the beginning, he just takes an alien encounter completely in stride; nothing about it fazes him! I think the movie really could have used some build-up where he gradually gets used to the ring.
   To sum it up, this isn't a great movie, but I didn't really expect it to be. I just wanted something better than the live-action movie, and I most certainly got that! :)
   My rating: 75%.