Rating:  -
The one piece of good news about this release is that WB is appearantly speeding up the production of its single disc releases, from 2/year to at least 3, and maybe even 4. The thing is, who really feels good about buying 3 seperate discs when most companies are releasing full seasons for a little over the cost of one and a half?
To add to that, the two story arcs on this disc again, highlight many strengths of the series that are unfortunately cancelled out by some blatant flaws. The first arc, Paradise Lost, focuses on the rather underused Wonder Woman as she returns home, only to find her mother and sisters frozen in stone. Wonder Woman then enlists the help of the rest of the League to combat the sorcerer Felix Faust and Lord Hades, who has been freed from Tartarus. Despite a stunning finale that truly represents the epic scope of the series (and voice work from the actors that've played Freddy Krueger and LotR's Gimli) and the emotional pathos it can accomplish, the first half suffers from a rather drawn out fight between Superman and Wonder Woman that seems to be a time filler. There are some plot holes, like why the best plan the League can think of is to give Faust the key to Hades' realm, then immediately try to get it back from him. And finally, Superman gets slapped down like a red-headed stepchild.
The other story arc, War World, is probably the worst arc of the season. Hyped as an episode meant to showcase Superman, the real star here is the slave warrior Draaga, who slips in out of nowhere to steal the spotlight off Superman.While this actually makes sense plotwise, it disappoints because Superman puts up a rather poor showing. Did he forget about super speed? Is his flight limited to hovering a few meters off the ground? Is he only allowed to use heat vision once before it has to recharge? The arc does, however, explore the interaction between Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, and also gives J'onn some rather funny moments.
By now everyone knows the "care" WB puts into these releases. Strong audio/video presentations aside (and that's only because JL is a recent show), expect limited extras and quickie featurettes. I'll give Timm credit though, he dishes out a lot of good information, and makes use of the limited time. If you bought the two previous DVDs, there's no reason not to buy this one, really. WB has confirmed that it won't do season sets, and the episodes here, overall, are about the same quality as the previous releases (even counting the disappointing War World). A JL set would be worth five stars. This single disc release is only worth two.
Rating:  -
In this DVD release you will find two seperate two-part episodes of the Cartoon Network animated series Justice League. As a quick heads-up for those not in the know, Justice League is the updated version of the Superfriends of years gone by. DC Comics superheroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Hawkgirl and others band together to help stop evil where ever it may be.
In the first episode "Paradise Lost" our own favorite Amazon, Wonder Woman, takes center stage. The dark sorcerer Felix Faust (voiced by Nightmare on Elm Street star Robert Englund) is in search of several mystic items to free his imprisoned mentor. One such mystic artifact is located on Wonder Woman's home of Themyscira. (Paradise Island) When Diana visits her homeland she discovers that all her Amazon sisters have been turned to stone and finds Felix Faust lying in wait. She discovers that the only way she can turn her people back to normal is by helping Faust gain the remaining artifacts scattered all across the globe. With the Justice League's help Diana finds the items and is shocked to discover exactly who Felix Faust's mentor really is. This has to be my absolute favorite episode of all the season one releases. Not only do we get to see more of Wonder Woman's background, but fans of the characters get to see something that rarely is ever shown: a knock-down drag-out fight between Superman and Wonder Woman. This episode alone is worth the price of purchase.
The second episode is the Superman centered "War World". Superman (voiced by actor George Newbern) is taken prisoner to a savage world where warriors are forced to battle in a gladiator-like spectical for the world's dictator Mongul (voiced by actor Eric Roberts). While there Superman battle's the hulking yet honorable warrior Draaga and makes a name for himself among the planet's people. While trapped there, fellow Justice Leaguers Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter try to save their captured comrade and stop Mongul from continuing his barbaric sport. One complaint fans of the series have had is that Superman tends to be the team's rag-doll, often taking the brunt of the attacks due to his strength and invulnerability. This is very much shown in this episode. That aside, this episode does highlight lots of character development. If your a fan of the comic characters, or simply a fan of good stories, I strongly suggest you purchase this fantastic DVD.
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