Customer Reviews

Justice League: The New Frontier

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

I admit, I'm a child of the Silver Age of DC Comics! I grew up on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, Adam Strange...and especially the Justice League of America. So I admit, "Justice League - The New Frontier (Two-Disc Special Edition)" brought a lump to my throat...it was like being a kid, again!

Based on Darwyn Cooke's remarkable, nostalgic reworking of the birth of the Silver Age heroes during the transitional 1950s, the animated film homages the characters I grew up, loving (especially test pilot/Green Lantern Hal Jordan, the Martian Manhunter, and police scientist/Flash Barry Allen), in the context of the era, a decade of Communist paranoia, McCarthy witch hunts, the birth of the Space Age, and struggle for racial equality. One element Cooke 'lifted' from Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" epic, that of the government ordering superheroes to 'stand down', fits this saga exceptionally well, with Superman as the only 'approved' hero, Batman refusing to, thus becoming a wanted fugitive, and the 'Golden Age' heroes forced into retirement (I was disappointed not seeing more of the JSA, other than in the opening credits, but there are a LOT of characters that DO appear!)

Of course, a new, unstoppable, super-powered villain (the primeval, immortal 'Centre') picks this time to eradicate the human race, quickly knocking Superman out of the battle, and requiring the new generation of heroes, teamed with Batman and Wonder Woman, to save the world.

There are SO many touches I loved! A reworking of Hal Jordan's origin as Green Lantern; the romances of Supes and Lois Lane, Jordan and Carol Ferris, and Barry Allen and Iris West; heroes I hadn't seen in years (the Challengers of the Unknown and the Blackhawks), fighting along side Adam Strange, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and even a pre-Atom Ray Palmer; the superhero 'Air Force', with Wonder Woman's invisible airplane, and the Bat-plane and Arrow-plane. Admittedly, many characters don't get much screen time, but with a cast this large, it is understandable (it would be a problem of the ever-growing JLA of the comics, as well).

I have to mention the voice talent involved, as the casting was dead-on! David (TV's 'Angel') Boreanaz as Jordan, Neil Patrick Harris ('Doogie Howser') as Allen, Kyle ('Twin Peaks') MacLachlan as Superman; Lucy ('Xena') Lawless, a PERFECT Wonder Woman, Kyra ('The Closer') Sedgwick as Lois, Brooke Shields as Carol, Vicki Lewis as Iris...this is truly an all-star affair! Two voice performers deserve special recognition; Miguel Ferrer is exceptional as the Martian Manhunter, combining an alien aloofness with compassion; and Jeremy Sisto has, arguably, the BEST voice for Batman I've ever heard...he really IS the Dark Knight!

While I admit Darwyn Cooke's original story far outshines the film (original stories nearly always do), as someone who only sporadically looks at comics, these days, "Justice League" is a fabulous 'blast from the past'.

Thank you, DC!

First of all, I will say this about this production...They cram a lot of DC comic history in less than 80 minutes of cartoon. The question is "Is it worth it?" I dont know

Second, I will say this has a big name cast to fill the boots of these Characters. Kyle Maclachlan bring a different to Superman. Neil Patrick Harris (who did the MTV version of Spiderman) is the Flash. Lucy Lawless (Xena) proves she is a vocal amazon as Wonder Woman. David Borenaz (Buffy's favorite vamp Angel) lifts the chracter of Hal Jordan to new heights. Miguel Ferrer and Kyra Sedgwick are wasted in the roles of the Martian Manhunter and Lois Lane. Law and Order Jeremy Sisco put a new spin on Batman.

They also have vocal stunt casting of great audio talent who have a throw away line or three. People like Joe Mantegna, Phillip Morris and Brooke Shields are part of this large cast, but are wasted with a few throw away lines.

The story is faithful to Darwyn Cooke's two part graphic novel. He also does one of the two audio commentary tracks. It still seems too rushed. Bruce Timm could have taken a bigger risk and done this as a three hour cartoon project, but I will take what I have

The production is a higher standard then most cartoons made for video, but when you push the envelope like Superman Doomsday (aka the Death of Superman), you need is push the time and the story past 80 minutes.

There is a trailer , on this DVD, for the next made for DVD animated feature, Batman Gotham Knight...It looks good! Dont forget to watch this!

On the Whole, it is worth giving this animated feature an airing

Bennet Pomerantz Audioworld

The New Frontier, Darwyn Cooke's loving homage to DC's Silver Age, gets the animated treatment in this highly anticipated DC animated movie, Justice League: The New Frontier. Taking place in the early-mid 1950's, at the height of McCarthy-ism and America's fear of communism, an evil force called The Centre (voiced by Keith David) is coming from the underground to wipe out all of humanity. In the middle of all this is jaded pilot Hal Jordan (voiced by David Boreanaz), who will soon discover his destiny as the Green Lantern; then there is Barry Allen (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris), known as The Flash, who finds himself being hunted by the government; and then there is the Martian Manhunter J'onn J'onzz (voiced by Miguel Ferrer), the last of his kind who feels The Centre approaching. All of whom soon enough stand united with Superman (voiced by Kyle MacLachlan), Batman (voiced by Jeremy Sisto), and Wonder Woman (voiced by Lucy "Xena" Lawless, which seems like a no-brainer) with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. For fans of Cooke's original New Frontier series, you'll be pleased to know that this animated take retains much of Cooke's visual art style and atmosphere. What really hurts Justice League: The New Frontier is that cramming all of Cooke's smart and intelligent take on the Silver Age into one 75 minute feature is really noticable. The feature just feels overly rushed after the first 40 minutes or so, and never really lives up to the potential that gets set early on. Also, other heroes like Adam Strange and Green Arrow pop up out of nowhere, although Aquaman's appearance ends up being surprisingly enjoyable. That being said though, there is still much to admire here for older comic fans and fans of Cooke's work as well, and there is a horde of voice talent including John Heard, Joe Mantegna, Kyra Sedgwick, and Brooke Shields in supporting roles. All in all, while not perfect, Justice League: The New Frontier is a more than solid take on Cooke's work, and the surprisingly good special features on this two-disc edition (two commentaries including one by Cooke, an insightful documentary ranging from the Golden Age to today, a handful of Justice League TV episodes) really make The New Frontier worth picking up.

The opening couple of minutes gave me a lot of hope, but nothing has time to resonate. A major moment will happen, and then a split second later something unrelated happens, and it deflates the importance of whatever had just occurred. The editing is really poor in this regard... with four or five stories occurring at the same time, everything seems chopped together and unfocused. Way too much is packed into 70-minutes.

That's not the only problem here, though.

In a lot of the other DC animated material (while more mature than most cartoons) the target audience is usually still very young. In something like Batman: The Animated Series there are flaws that can usually be forgiven because it is understood that the cartoons are intended for a younger audience. They often make things way to easy, fast, and simple considering the circumstances. But that show is not made for the mind of a 30-year old. Its made for a kid. And I go in understanding this... so my expectations are different. I can totally respect and thoroughly enjoy those shows.

THIS movie, though, is too violent and adult themed to be intended for children. The PG-13 rating they went for backs up that this was not intended for young children... yet the simple, easy, clunky stuff that I often forgive Batman: TAS for doing is still present. The producers should have made a decision... either the movie should have been geared towards a younger audience (but in a way that adults could still appreciate, like most of their shows), or the movie should have been consistently mature... meaning that if there is going to be , violence, coarse language, and decidedly adult situations the storytelling and editing should be respectful of that audience. Since this movie IS supposed to be intended for adults and young adults, they really insulted my intelligence by using the same easy methods that they do on children's programming.

I saw a comment that said "I loved the movie and fans of the DC: The New Frontier comics all seem to love it."... I think there's a reason for that. People who were fans of the comic were able to plug in all kinds of ideas that were missing from this sloppy production. Ideas are introduced, and never followed up, over and over again in this movie. Important moments never have time to breathe. Maybe it works on some sort of a "companion" level to those who are fans of the original work, but as a standalone movie it leaves a lot to be desired.

The performances are generally fine, with the exception of Jeremy Sisto, who may be the worst incarnation of Batman I've ever heard (the only one I'm not familiar with is the THE BATMAN interpretation). His voice just does not have the tonal qualities I'd like in a portrayal of the Dark Knight.

Go in without your hopes too high. There are individual sequences that have their merit (such as when Batman makes a threat towards Superman that long-time comic fans will appreciate, or the scene where Wonder Woman returns after a long absence), and for many it will be worth watching for those good sequences... but as a whole it doesn't work.

Since I was a child, I have always been a big fan of the "Justice League" comic book series. I actually grew up reading Justice League, Justice Society and Legion of Super Heroes comic books from the 70's and 80's and even up to the 90's.

For me, it was the comic to get because all the major DC Super Heroes were featured. You had Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Green Arrow and many others. So, when you bought these comic books, it was a bang for your .25 or .65 cents (depending when you started reading comic books) unlike the several dollar per issue cost that they are now.

As for "Justice League: The New Frontier", this animated film is based on Darwyn Cooke's award-winning graphic novel featuring the Justice League during the Cold War. The heroes under government suspicion, the end of the Korean war and the heroes created with a look that looked unique for that era (despite it being created in several years ago).

This animated film continues DC's continued work to feature our heroes but not cookie cutter as in Saturday's morning cartoons. From the Justice League Unlimited series that was on the Cartoon Network to the last DVD release of "Superman Doomsday", "Justice League: The New Frontier" continues animation for adults.

The film centers around the super heroes as Superman is loyal to the government (despite the government not trusting the heroes); Wonder Woman as the Amazon blood thirsty fighter; Batman as the dark knight that is labeled as an anti-hero, thus being a good guy, is looked at as an enemy due to media portrayal. The Flash as the latest new Hero with super speed who is just emerging onto the scene and the series introduces Hal Jordan (aka the Green Lantern) and how he becomes the one of Earth's heroes and Martian Manhunter, brought to this world but disliked because he is an alien.

Needless to say that each hero has their storyline tied together but the main heroes focused on are Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and the Flash. Hal Jordan as the risk taker, Martian Manhunter aka Jon Jonzz trying to assimilate into American culture via trying too be human and the Flash who feels his power of super speed is not so important.

You do also see a few cameos by other heroes such as the Blackhawks, Adam Strange, John Henry and more.

But all unite together to take on the toughest enemy Earth has ever faced but can the heroes work together despite their differences and will the US government work with them.

All in all, "Justice League: The New Frontier" is a refreshing animated film, something different, that DC fans will just enjoy. It's unique and something that many people familiar to original comic book series may not be accustomed to but moreso, to watch something that is for mature audiences. For example, Hal Jordan having to fight for his life and having to kill and have the blood of the enemy splatter all over him after shooting him with a gun. Again, this is not for the kiddies.

As for the DVD, the special features are simply awesome.

For one, the featurette on "Super Heroes United! The Complete Justice League History" is probably a documentary that I would have bought the DVD just for it. Interviews with past and present DC Justice League writers and history on each heroes and overall, pretty cool featurette on the Justice League. Simply awesome.

The exclusive sneak peak to "Batman Gothic Knight" left me giddy as DC chose to work with Japanese anime creators to create the upcoming Batman animated release.

I have listened to Darwyn Cooke's audio commentary as he talked about the film, the differences between the film and the graphic novel. Actually pretty cool to hear the original creator of the graphic novel chime in on the animated series.

As for the animation, I felt that the animation in correlation with the era this animated film takes place worked quite well. The voice acting is superb with voice acting by well known actors and actresses David Boreanaz ("Bones", "Angel"), Brooke Shields, Lucy Lawless, Kyra Sedgwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Jeremy Sisto and Kyle Maclachlan. Just awesome!

This is single handedly the best animated short movie in ages. It's gritty, holds no punches, lacks the weak dialogue that normally plagues the classic super heroes and has a clean style.

Keep in mind this is NOT for a younger audience. There is mild language, and a good amount of blood. This is meant for an older audience, and it benefits from it. Instead of wasting time overly explaining things it just jumps in and expects you to follow. It sucks you in and doesn't let you out.

It's so quick at getting you information, and so efficient that by the end you are amazed how much information you received in an hour and seventeen minutes.

The visual style is superb, looking like a modern cartoon with a lot of classic styles to them. Namely Superman who looks straight out of the original comics. This film is a great origins story for multiple characters and won't let any fan down.

Ontop of all of this you have a stellar voice cast all of who match perfectly to their characters. This is worth purchasing and watching for any Justice League fan, or any fan of the animated series, or super hero films in general.

Generally excellent animated film about the formation of DC comics' premier superhero team, the Justice League of America. Two elements make this movie rather unique: 1) The origin of the League is actually an incidental element in a story that's really about paranoia, prejudice, and a country losing its way, and 2) the story is set in the 1950's. On that second point, the choice of timeframe isn't as strange as it sounds, because the initial Justice League comic book stories were set in that same period.

Here, however, subject matter such as McCarthyism and the other serious elements mentioned above are liberally included when they were nowhere to be found in the original comics. What's interesting is that everything combines fine: the more serious themes aren't at all at odds with the superhero action, which actually becomes more dramatic knowing that dark government mechanisms and motivations are possibly influencing our heroes' obstensibly heroic actions.

My single-disc version of "Justice League: The New Frontier" includes the 75-minute film; two commentary tracks; an excellent 41-minute documentary about the various comic book and television versions of the Justice League that have appeared over the years; and a generous preview of the upcoming direct-to-DVD animated "Batman" film now in the works. I understand that the two-disc version of this film includes an additional documentary about the artistic choices made in adapting the original "DC: The New Frontier" comic book mini-series (yes, the original work had a slightly different title) into the animated film; three episodes of the "Justice League" animated TV show (which is not set in the same 1950's time frame/continuity as the film); and one or two other small things. The one-disc version was generous enough for my tastes.

"Justice League: The New Frontier" is perhaps not blazingly original. Superhero stories have grown up over the years and story elements such as the government wanting to register and control all superheroes, superheroes having to deal with relevant social issues, etc. are things that are now seen fairly often in comics and movies. Still, seeing these elements employed with DC's usually upbeat and optimistic heroes, in a bright, stylish 1950's setting, no less, is very interesting. And the action, music, and voice characterizations are top notch, too.

If you're a fan of comic books or superhero stories, you'll enjoy this DVD. If you're a fan of both of those things, you'll really enjoy it.

Comics scripter and artist, Darwyn Cooke, created quite a splash when he wrote the mini-series, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER. Those issues have been gathered into a graphic novel.

When I first read the issues, I have to admit to being a little put off. The story seemed to meander a little and took too long to develop in some ways. But it was really interesting seeing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash during the paranoid times of McCarthyism. The art seemed a little too unfinished for my taste for the first couple issues, but it was the first time I'd ever seen any of Cooke's work. His writing and his art grew on me. By the third issue, I was won over by the storyline and the different look of the characters.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER is the second of DC Comics' and Warner's direct-to-DVD efforts. The first was SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY. Hopefully there will be a lot more to come. The special editions have the trailer for the Batman animated feature that will be coming out soon.

The movie strikes the same tone as the graphic novel. The mid-1950s to 1960 are represented in a number of ways. The suspicion of anyone from outside the country - including of Superman - is well-defined. Hal Jordan (voiced by David Boreanaz, ANGEL, BONES) as a Korean Air Force fighter pilot is well done and sets up his eventual recruitment by the Green Lanterns.

The Martian Manhunter (voice by Miguel Ferrer, CROSSING JORDAN, THE BIONIC WOMAN) seizes a big part of the story as both an alien newly arrived to our planet, a detective, and an outsider viewing the strange and politically suspicious world of the 1950s. One of the best parts of the movie for my son and I was watching the Martian Manhunter change into various characters while he watched television. When he unexpectedly changed into Bugs Bunny, we both lost it.

I really missed the opening segments of the comic book where the Losers comics heroes took on the dinosaurs of Dinosaur Island. I didn't like the ending the Losers experienced, but I really noticed them absent from the continuity.

Like the comic series, you have to watch the movie closely to figure out everything that's going on. The original Justice League origin story featured an alien menace to the world. The retelling of that origin, in the Justice League series recently on television, features a threat from Mars. And this movie also features an otherworldly menace, although it takes a while to build to that threat.

I loved seeing so many of the lesser known heroes of the DC universe in action: the Challengers of the Unknown, the Blackhawks, the Metal Men, Adam Strange, and others. When Darwyn Cooke wrote the original comics, I knew that he loved the characters and was paying homage to so much of their roots. That same kind of care and consideration is evident in this DVD production.

The Blu-ray video was fantastic. The colors were bright and varied. King Faraday's gray eyes were arctic and really distinguished him. The audio was just as impressive.

As for special features, the disc comes fully loaded. There are two different commentaries and several features regarding the making of the film. One of the best pieces was the preview of Batman: Gotham Knight that's supposed to come out in July. The anime style artwork looks breathtaking. There are also three of director Bruce W. Timm's favorite JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED episodes on the disc.

Although JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER is a cartoon and is about characters familiar to kids, parents need to know that the violence is at times very graphic and the language can be occasionally coarse. All in all, though, this is a great movie to own, especially in the high-def versions.

If you have your heart set on purchasing this original DC Comics film do yourself a favor and purchase the single disc to save yourself a little bit of money. The single disc includes the movie and all of the bonus features that interested me, including a short docu on the comic book history of the Justice League, audio commentary and a preview of the upcoming Batman animated feature: Gotham Knight.

After DC's middle of the road Superman: Doomsday DVD, we get this fantastic addition to our DVD library. Justice League: the New Frontier, based on the Graphic Novel Absolute DC: The New Frontier, is a "What if?" Story asking "What if the DC's Superheroes existed during the Cold War?" But it also tells the origin of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. And it all builds up to a climax that could only be described as "biblical."

You can tell a meticulous amount of love went into the production of this animated feature. The animation is very close to the art of the source material, and the voice cast is very strong. To me, David Boreanaz IS the voice of Hal Jordan. And they squeezed every detail they could from the Graphic Novel into the movie. It's not perfect enough to replace the original story, but the material that was dropped doesn't hamper the movie. What was cut: the Suicide Squad, the Challenger of the Unknown, the Viking Prince, most of the JSA and John Henry story.

What makes this DVD a perfect five is they extras on the Two-Disk version. We get two commentary track, one with the filmmakers, and another one with Darwyn Cooke, the original writer/artist from the graphic novel. Two entertaining documentaries, "The History of the Justice League," and "The Legion of Doom: Pathology of the Super Villain," as a comic book fan, I really enjoy these and I've watched them over and over. Plus, a featurette "Comic Book Commentary: Homage to the New Frontier," which is the creator, Darwyn Cooke, detailing what was cut during the adaptation from the Graphic Novel to Film.

Finally, on this 2-Disk Special Edition, three episodes for Justice League Unlimited. "Dark Heart," where an unidentified alien menace threatens the earth, which is a nice parallel for the movie. "To Another Shore," which features the Viking Prince. And "Task Force X" which a group of villains calling themselves Task Force X, AKA the Suicide Squad, infiltrate the JLA headquarters.


This is a perfect 5 out of 5. Maybe, not so good for young kids, because it takes place during the Cold War, so they might not "get it." But, for us older types, this is a great movie with awesome extras. I can't recommend it enough, and if you like this, maybe take the plunge and look up the source material.