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i love this dvd set !!! i love seeing these episodes again and even though the first season is not wide screen i still like it anyways. the bonus feature are ok but could be better, the packaging is awsome i really love the whole tin case with the added decals and the case holding the dvds is really nice and organized. this is my first complete dvd series set for a tv show and i really enjoy it, the bruce timm animated universe is by far my favorite since i was i kid and this set just make my timm series complete along with my B:TAS set Batman Beyond set and Superman set.
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I am someone who has come very late to the party, only seeing several Justice League stories a year or 2 ago. I have always been a huge fan of Batman the Animated Series, but not so much the Superman one.
That being said I must say that The Justice League Complete Collection was an exceptional watch, covering stories from the initial forming of the Justice League, to stories that involved time travel, and all the unique powers and skills each of the heroes bring to this well crafted cartoon.
Personally I enjoyed the original 2 seasons of Justice League over the Justice League Unlimited seasons as they have fewer heroes, making for more personal and involving stories. My favorite story was one involving The Justice Lords.
If you have ever enjoyed Batman or Superman Animated Series, Justice League Complete Collection is well worth it.
Thank you Bruce Timm & Co for yet again bringing another batch of great storytelling and action to a Saturday morning cartoon
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I think this is the greatest superhero show ever, even though it is animated, I feel the stories & charcterizations are bang-on for the characters used.
The program is centered on violence...but there are numerous occasions where the catalyst characters show plenty of compassion & compromise.
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I'd only actually seen one episode of the Justice League show before I bought this set, and it was one I'd downloaded online. I'd been a huge fan of the Batman Animated Series growing up, so this show intrigued me. I read all I could about it - reviews, quotes, stuff like that - to make sure it was for me, before I finally made the plunge and purchased this boxed set. It was SO WORTH IT. If you enjoyed Batman, or even the Superman Animated Series, this show will not disappoint.
The actual set comes in a metal box with two plastic DVD cases inside. The cases have "pages", with a DVD stuck on the front and the back. My only complaint about these "pages" is that the DVDs are a little tricky to get off, as they like to stick and it's hard to get them off without a significant amount of pulling and bending of the page itself. I worried about breaking them at first because the initial disks were really stubbornly attached. However, it just takes a little practice to find the right method, and then the rest of the disks pop right off. Don't let this dissuade you from a purchase.
The box arrived promptly, on Christmas Week no less, and not a disk was out of place. The only thing wrong was the Volume One and Volume Two covers and booklets were in the wrong books. It was a small matter to switch them around, and then everything was perfect.
I am VERY satisfied with this product.
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Before I start gushing about just how great this cartoon and, by connection, this set are, let's establish two things. First, for every good thing I have to say about the entire set I include a single footnote: this should be available in a Blu-ray release as well, the animation would be sharper and bolder, the audio would be stunning and the entire package would have had that much more relevance considering the current trends of digital media. Second, this is so much more than just a `cartoon'. As is said a few times in the extra features of the series, Justice League may be the greatest superhero animated series to have ever existed. So what does that imply about this complete series set? One of the best ever?
Bruce Timm, the animation giant who gave Warner Brothers Batman: The Animated Series, their first commercial animated success that didn't feature a Bugs Bunny off-shoot, has a reputation for animated greatness. DC Comics has a pantheon of heroes with an impassioned following and a classic sensibility. Combine the two and you get (so far) three compelling and top-shelf animated programs. Batman: The Animated Series and Superman were excellent unto themselves (the former eclipsing the latter), but they were both just paving the way for the coup de grace of animated series. Bringing an ensemble cast of seven superheroes to life, with some more well known than others, Bruce Timm and his talented cast and crew gave each persona a unique personality and a set of conflicts to exist within each pairing of the group. Again, some might call this a cartoon but it achieved more in its run than many "adult" series ever did.
A major component of the show's first level of awesome (of which there are three) is the voice acting. Not only did it maintain the top voices of the preceding two series, Justice League attracted a bevy of terrific talent that filled out the roles in ways that never detract from the story at hand but also make the attentive ear perk up and say, "Wait, is...is that J.K. Simmons?" Yes it is. Name dropping is shameless - when you do it for yourself. But since we're trying to give you some scope as to the titans the series attracted to its supporting cast here's a list of names: Clancy Brown, Jennifer Hale, Corey Burton, Mark Hamill, Powers Boothe, CCH Pounder, Dana Delany, Olivia d'Abo, Ted Levine, Rene Auberjonois, Gina Torres, Oded Fehr, Ron Perlman, James Remar, Michael Ironside, Virginia Madsen, John C. McGinley, Adam Baldwin, Lauren Tom, Eric Roberts, Robert Englund, Dennis Haysbert, Patrick Duffy, Jeremy Piven, Lisa Edelstein, Kurtwood Smith and Neil Patrick Harris. That list is pretty ridiculous right? That's not even all of them. But before we move on to point two, we have to acknowledge the stellar performances of the main seven including Carl Lumbly, Phil LaMarr, George Newbern, Kevin Conroy, Maria Canals-Barrera, Michael Rosenbaum and Susan Eisenberg.
The second and third successes of the film are closely linked: the stories told and how they're portrayed. The writers for the show took out all the stops and adopted many of the popular Justice League storylines. In order to update them certain alterations were made but from what I can remember from the comics, the changes aren't ever so drastic that they disappoint. At times the changes even work better thanks in large part to the team dynamics established in the first two seasons. However, any comic book fan can tell you that the most extensive and best comic book plots would take more than 20 minutes to tell and Bruce Timm and co. knew it. Occasionally you'll find a standalone episode in the first few seasons, but by the time you reach Justice League Unlimited they're almost nonexistent. Some of the more impressive arcs stretch on for four to five episodes with the longest reaching a stunning eight (there's even a great extra feature about it). The added bonus of getting to see some of the more obscure characters (like the Question - who is fantastically hilarious) interact in the Justice League Unlimited episodes makes for a refreshing effect on the concept as a whole. The first two Justice League seasons were phenomenal, but adding a huge supporting cast only opened up the potential, it never limited it. Justice League fans couldn't have asked for a better incarnation of the series and, unfortunately, this will cast a huge shadow over any live action movie they attempt.
DVD Bonus Features
Here's the major downside of the set. While the specially made tin case makes a much more formidable impression sitting on your shelf as opposed to the four cardboard case sets that are currently offered, you can't help but feel like you're getting gypped in the extra features department. With only one new extra feature complementing those already existing for the older releases, it comes as an even bigger disappointment when you realize that the new extra feels like a rehash or summary of some of the better and longer older ones. Many of the same sentiments from the "Cadmus Exposed" round table (including Bruce Timm, Mark Hamill (moderator), and producers) and "Justice League Chronicles" are spliced into smaller pieces but in the form of newly filmed interviews to discuss the topic of character interactions.. It says nothing new and really does nothing to further complement the set.
But, if you have never bought the sets before, we've compiled the extra features list for each season right here.
Justice League: Season One:
Featurettes include a set of storyboards, character designs, audio commentaries for three episodes, a promotional spot and a round table panel with the show's creators.
Justice League: Season Two:
Included are audio commentaries on three episodes; "Voices of Justice" - a featurette where cast members answer questions posed by fans and a look into a recording session; "Look, Up in the Sky!" - an excerpt from the quite entertaining and worthwhile documentary about Superman produced by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns; and "Justice League Declassified" a behind the scenes look at the show.
Justice League Unlimited: Season One:
Included are audio commentaries on two episodes; "And Justice for All" - a featurette about changing the direction of the series by adding a huge roster of heroes to the cast; "Themes of Justice" - a Justice League jukebox.
Justice League Unlimited: Season Two:
Included are the aforementioned featurettes "Cadmus Exposed" and "Justice League Chronicles", a retrospective clip show of the favorite moments from the series by the show's creators and a music only track of the series' final episode.
The real benefit of this metallic behemoth is having all the seasons of one of the greatest animated series ever cobbled into one smashing looking package. So if you already own them all, it's a toss-up for you: sell off your old copies for the shiny new package or just stare wistfully and maintain your pride in having the "original" releases.
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