Justice League: The New Frontier

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Just watched this, as Andy put it on the DVDs along with TF Animated and Star Fleet.

I'm afraid this one left me cold, as superheroes acting 'serious' usually tends to do. The absence of humour in a cartoon about square-jawed spandex-clad superpowered heroes is a big no-no with me. Also, the plot seemed fairly unimaginative, particularly towards the end, where they get Superman out of the way because with his powers he could probably defeat the enemy single-handedly... and then have other heroes use equivalent powers (Flash, Green Lantern) do what Superman would have done had he been there. It seemed to be resolved by powers rather than characters, and everyone was unflinchingly heroic and patriotic, which made it rather dull. And then Aquaman shows up at the end just to show Superman is still alive.

Well put together, though.

Oh, and the Bugs Bunny bit was superb.

Martin

[Hero]

What's this? A new Justice League?

[legios]

hero said:

What's this? A new Justice League?

It's an adaption of the comics series "Justice League: The New Frontier" from a few years ago. Set in the silver age timeframe where a lot of the characters hail from (hence the patriotism stuff - a lot of the closing issues of the comics series was trying to evoke the spirit of the age and the sense of a burdgeoning America renewal.) I haven't seen the animated adaption as yet. Not sure how much of the early issues they got in there (the comic series starts during the era of McCarthy and stuff and then runs through towards more hopeful times).

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I'll pass the disc on to you if you e-mail or PM me your postal address, Ken.

The disc also has the Japanese TF soundtracks on it. I can also send you the Star Fleet DVDs too if you like, now that I've made multiple copies of them.

Martin

[Hero]

Is this like a simular production to Superman: Doomsday?

[The Doctor]

Part of the same line of DC-straight-to-DVD-animated-feature line.

I thought this was fantastic right up until the last 15 minutes when characterisation went out the window and the plot degenerated into a big fight, and I wanted to throw things at the screen when the awesomely spooky threat of 'the centre' just turned out to be...a big flying island. Did not compute. A more interesting revelation that actually fit what had come before and a longer running time to let the plot breath could have turned this from something that was good to something great.

Still worth a watch though.

Not as yet read the comic series. I have the trades on loan in my 'to read' pile.

-Ralph

[kayevcee]

Not really. The characters are very much the product of their times- the Batman frightens children, Green Lantern is still a pilot test-flying the first jet fighters, and everyone in government is twitchy over Reds under the Bed. It's fairly gritty stuff- in what I think is the opening scene, Wonder Woman saves a group of recently widowed Chinese women from a Japanese prison camp (circa 1945), hands them all the guns she took off the guards and invites them to do what they like. What they like is, needless to say, a well earned massacre but it all happens off-screen. It doesn't shy away from the brutality of the times, but neither does it descend into gore-streaked gratuity.

It's actually really good. The only criticism I can level at it is it ends too soon! I could go for a whole series in this style, but they'd never be able to sell it. Or would they?

-Nick

[The Doctor]

kayevcee said:

The only criticism I can level at it is it ends too soon!

-Nick

DC seem locked into a 75-minute running time for these DVD's, for some reason. I shudder to think how The Dark Knight Returns will be condensed.

-Ralph

[legios]

kayevcee said:

t's fairly gritty stuff- in what I think is the opening scene, Wonder Woman saves a group of recently widowed Chinese women from a Japanese prison camp (circa 1945),

-Nick

I'm surprised that made it in to be honest. I would have expected them to quietly excise that. (Mind you, I seem to remember it being a North Korean POW camp in the origina source materiall - but I could be confused there, it has been a while since I read it)

thedoctor said:

DC seem locked into a 75-minute running time for these DVD's, for some reason. I shudder to think how The Dark Knight Returns will be condensed.

-Ralph

They are planning to do "The Dark Knigth Returns" in seventy-five minutes? I cannot imagine how that can possibly work.

Karl

[The Doctor]

Andu told me so.

-Ralph

[kayevcee]

The memory cheats. I have a feeling it was North Korea, now that you mention it.

-Nick

[Andy Turnbull]

Wonder Woman is next then The Teen Titans:Judas Contract (though there appears to be some snafu with it) but the next one they said that they wanted to tackle was DKR. Who knows if it will happen, it all depends on sales I guess.

Andy