DVD : Justice League - The New Frontier (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- good but nothing new
first off i really liked this movie, it is a really solid telling of the justice league begining. however, if you are familiar with the justice league, have seen justice league the animated show, or are an avid comic book fan, chances are you're familiar with the characters and the stories. it's inspirational towards the end with some good leadership speeches, but again, been there. i'd say it's very much worth watching but i wouldn't buy it.

Rating:

- Best DC animated film along with Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Let me start off by saying this film is PURE JOY for silver age comic fans. It's not hard to get excited while watching your favorite DC heroes with all their classic retro glory featured in a mature/intelligent/emotionally gripping story. It makes an excellent companion piece to the award winning graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke. (who was also actively involved in this production)

Even though it was necessary to excise much of the story because of time constraints, Bruce Timm and co. still manage to capture the essence of the piece in a limited running time. In fact, the length is my only real complaint. There's no reason why Warner should not approve a larger budget for these fine DC Universe titles. A lengthier running time than 70 minutes should be common sense when adapting an epic yarn such as The New Frontier. Still, the animators make great use of what they have and the running time is only a minor complaint. Here's hoping for an eventual "director's cut" with added material.

As I've said, I do enjoy nearly everything about this film. First off, the animation is very rich and picturesque. Definitely well above your Saturday morning quality. The retro/Golden Age/Silver Age character designs are breathtaking. Seeing Superman look as if he could be the same Superman from the Fleischer cartoons and Batman appearing as if he leaped from the pages of Bob Kane's original comics is just beyond cool. I prefer these designs to those in the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited cartoons. As for the voice acting, the surprising choice of actors do a very inspired job. You have to remember that they're voicing the Golden/Silver Age versions of these characters, and they absolutely NAIL it. Kyle MacLachlan is perfect as this era's Superman. Jeremy Sisto also puts in a first-rate performance as Bob Kane's Batman, it's a complete 180 from Kevin Conroy and that's exactly what this version of the character needs. Lucy Lawless, Neil Patrick Harris, Miguel Ferrer, Brooke Shields, David Boreanaz, etc. also do exceptional work in bringing their characters to life.

No offense to Kyle Rayner or John Stewart, but as we all know Hal Jordan is THE Green Lantern. The New Frontier is one of the best depictions of this character in all of comics and likewise with the film adaptation. It's great to finally see Hal Jordan given some animated justice as a deep, compelling character. This film succeeds in impacting the viewer on an emotional level, there's more than a few tear jerking moments for DC comics fans in this personal/engaging story. It's all complimented by an uplifting, sweeping score that fits the source material like a brightly colored glove.

And just like the graphic novel on which it's based, this IS intended for older audiences so don't start whining if you buy this DVD for little 5 year old Timmy. Looking at some of the 1 star "reviews" on this page, I see far too many pathetic morons/incompetent parents who bought this film for their 5 year olds without looking at the PG-13 rating and descriptors. I wonder if these automatons somehow think that the film would be appropriate for their small child just because it has Batman, Superman and other heroes on the cover? Do these idiots also buy Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Superman: Red Son, Marvel Knights, The Ultimates and other mature comics for their children and then complain how inappropriate they are? Do they let their children watch HBO's Spawn animated series or CN's Adult Swim and then endlessly bitch about how explicit the programs are for their kids? Or maybe these are the very same ignorant wastes of flesh who took their children to see The Dark Knight (best film of the year) and then proceeded to moan and bellow about how dark and gritty the film is and call Heath's Joker "Satanic". LMFAO! So of course just disregard any negative rating that uses the PG-13 content as a basis for their opinion, Amazon's overall rating for this movie would definitely be higher.

In conclusion, this is a superb film and excellent adaptation of Darwyn Cooke's modern classic. The 2 disc DVD also includes some very worthwhile extras such as featurettes on the Justice League's history, the Legion of Doom, and commentary by the filmmakers and Darwyn Cooke. Do yourself and every other comics fan a favor by supporting quality productions such as this. 2008 is definitely the year of the comic book film. I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I do.

Rating:

- Not appropriate for small children
I grew up watching cartoons like batman, superman, wonder woman, etc. So when my three year old son begged me to buy the video, I did. Things must have changed since I grew up. I thought the target audience of these cartoons were kids. I was shocked when I heard my son say "mommy the lady say 'Son of a bitch'". I watched the video and couldn't believe that type of language would be in a superhero cartoon. Well now I am trying to remove this new word from my child's vocabulary.

Rating:

- Justice for The New Frontier
Justice League: The New Frontier is a good representation of the original Cooke story, but I think it could have benefited from a longer running time and less emphasis on Hal Jordan.

Rating:

- Not really the Justice League, more like Hal Jordan fan service
As others have mentioned if you go in expecting a Justice League experience like JLU or the JL animated series you are going to be very disappointed. This is more of a retelling of silver age Hal Jordan.

Putting Bat/Supes and WW on the front cover is pure bait and switch, as a die hard fan of JL animated and JLU I feel a bit insulted by this move by DC.

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