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Justice League: The New Frontier - Blu-ray Review

4 stars**Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the new Commemorative Edition of this Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.  The opinions I share are my own.

The DC Comics & Warner Bros. Animation co-production venture is already a very successful enterprise and, with Gotham by Gaslight coming soon, they continue to be of interest.  Comic book fans have a lot of animated features to celebrate over the years.  They were already killing it with animated series versions of Batman and Superman but, with their move toward serious-minded animated features of some of their more legendary material, they seriously paved the way for future animated ventures that Marvel Studios has yet to really traverse. 

First, there was the now-classic treatment of Superman Doomsday, which, truthfully, only whetted the appetites of producer Bruce Timm’s followers.  That was a decade ago, my friends, and the feature-length treatments of some comic book classics were only just beginning.  But, for my money, it was the feature-length treatment of Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier that really sealed the deal on this joint venture.  It is a release that, thanks to a strong debut on Cartoon Network in 2008, never really left our consciousness. 

And the Cold War adventure is now celebrating its Blu-ray debut with a commemorative release of this fan favorite.

Justice League: The New Frontier tackles the “Red Scare” in a manner few comic books ever had done before or, hell, since.  And its scope was impressive.  The film might downsize that magnificent scope to get the story – complete with THREE different plotlines – into less than 80-mins but the narrative still feels epic.  Written by Stan Berkowitz and directed by Dave Bullock, the film merges traditional cel animation techniques with the elements of its graphic novel for a cinematic look that is engaging and rich.

We have a convergence of heroes – Hal Jordan AKA Green Lantern (voiced by David Boreanaz), J'onn J'onzz AKA Martian Manhunter (Miguel Ferrer), Superman (Kyle McLachlan), Wonder Woman (Lucy Lawless), Barry Allen, AKA The Flash (Neil Patrick Harris), Batman (Jeremy Sisto), Robin, and Green Arrow – all in the 1950s going toe-to-toe with an alien presence known as The Centre who has decided that mankind is a plague that must be eradicated.  We even get cameos from Gorilla Grodd, Lex Luthor, The Joker, Two Face, and more.  Even actresses Brooke Shields and Kyra Sedgwick provide their voices for a few characters.

The Commemorative Edition features a limited edition SteelBook release, new art, and a bevvy of special features.  If revisiting such classic teams such as the Challengers of the Unknown, Metal Men, Doom Patrol & the birth of the Justice League is your idea of fun, then this animated release is definitely of interest to you.

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Justice League: The New Frontier - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime:
75 mins
Director
: Dave Bullock
Writer:
Stan Berkowitz, Darwyn Cooke
Cast:
David Boreanaz, Miguel Ferrer, Neil Patrick Harris
Genre
: Family | Action
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote: "As a matter of fact, I do. Let's just say I set out to scare criminals, not children."
Theatrical Distributor:

Official Site: Warner Bros.
Release Date:
February 26, 2008
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Own it now on digital, Blu-ray October 3, 2017
Synopsis: In the 1950s, a new generation of superheroes must join forces with the community's active veterans and a hostile US government to fight a menace to Earth.

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Justice League: The New Frontier - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray
- October 3, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:

Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set, UV digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The aesthetics of the movie are served well with this release from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.  Colors are bold and unwavering.  Black levels are strong throughout and the colors, while defined, are unflinching, preserving the notoriously breathtaking looks and shades of the graphic novel the film is based on.  The 1080p/VC-1 release amps up the resolution and provides viewers with a very detailed look at the animation. The newly minted version supports the original16×9 aspect ratio (1.78:1) of the film’s broadcast and will include a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix as well as a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix.  Limited-edition SteelBook Packaging is also included.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There are two commentaries included with the release.  The first one features Bruce Timm, Michael Goguen, David Bullock, Stan Berkowitz, Andrea Romano and Gregory Noveck.  The second one is from the comic’s creator and main artist Darwyn Cooke.

Special Features:

We get four featurettes covering the making of the movie and the comic book itself, as well as a sneak peek at the forthcoming Gotham by Gaslight release.  A DVD and digital copy of the film is also provided.

  • Retro Action Cool: The Story of Darwyn Cooke
  • Super Heroes United! The Complete Justice League History
  • The Legion of Doom: The Pathology of the DC Super Villain
  • Comic Book Commentary: Homage to the New Frontier
  • Gotham by Gaslight Sneak Peek

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Justice League: The New Frontier - Blu-ray Review

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