Thursday, February 17, 2011

On DVD: Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Based on the acclaimed DC Comics miniseries written & illustrated by Darwyn Cooke, "Justice League: The New Frontier" takes a different look at just how our favorite heroes came together against a common threat. Wonderalan uploaded the trailer to YouTube:



The casting is, to be succinct, eclectic. There is the predictable, such as Lucy Lawless, who will be forever remembered for her star-making role as Xena, Warrior Princess, as the voice of Wonder Woman. You then have Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as the Flash, David Boreanaz (Bones) as Green Lantern, and Kyle MacLachlan (ex-Twin Peaks) as Superman. Where they made a mistake was in using Jeremy Sisto (ex-Law & Order) as Batman. It was not a perfect fit. On the other hand, Miguel Ferrer (ex-Crossing Jordan) was cast as J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, and was a better fit in that role than Carl Lumbly was on Justice League & Justice League Unlimited .

The story moves at a rapid pace, clocking in at a mere 75 minutes, which meant that Cooke's story had to be compressed when it really shouldn't have. A more thorough, complete, made-for-cable miniseries, to match the books themselves, which I've read, would've made more sense. There are special features attached, including a timeline history of the Justice League and its comics forebears, the Justice Society, which is worth watching.

Rating: B.

No comments: