![Justice League: The New Frontier Special Edition [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Rec4U9ALL._SL160_.jpg) | |
List Price: $29.99 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 5849
Released: February 26, 2008 |
| Our Price: $15.48 |
| Used Price: $13.25 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray |
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Editorial Review:
Inspired by the best-selling graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke and produced by the multiple Emmy® award winning animation legend, Bruce Timm, The New Frontier is the epic tale of the founding of the Justice League. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are all here of course, and so are Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Flash - whose incredible origins will be told for the very first time. Strangers at first, these very different heroes must overcome fear and suspicion to forge an alliance against a monster so formidable, even the mighty Superman can not stop it. If they fail, our entire planet will be "cleansed" of humanity.
Justice League: The New Frontier Special Edition [Blu-ray] Reviews:
They should've called it "The New Green Lantern & The Flash movie" NOT "Justice League" 
2008-08-16 - Big hype for nothing. I expected much more (specially after watching the well-done Superman:Doomsday movie).
This New Frontier movie is very focused more on a new Green Lantern. Flash is cool, he's got a big role. No background story. It's like you are expected to know what's happening already.
The rest of the league were very much cameos. They got a couple of lines here and there and that's it. The movie didn't need the total of 5 minutes where you see Superman & Batman (I guess they had to find a place for them because it is Justice League after all). I'm not even sure why supergirl is shown on the cover of this New Frontier (she's not in the movie!!).
Animation is NOT very good at all. A terrible script & a horrible story line. Come on, considering it's the first real animated Justice League movie, you really expect much much more.
Anyways, if you're a fan go ahead and rent it, or something. Just, don't pay more than 7 bucks for it. Oh, and By the way, you need to know that there is absolutely no action at all for the first 43 minutes of the movie (nothing worth mentioning, anyways).
Just awesome! 
2008-08-08 - 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!
It was probably good if you're a JLA fan 
2008-08-02 - I grew up reading Marvel. I was only interested in the main DC characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. And I think there's a reason why they're the three largest characters on the DVD cover while everybody else is just backdrop.
I enjoyed about 5min of this movie. The rest of it was SO BORING!!! And I think this movie is proof that a live action JLA movie wouldn't work. There are too many characters, too much jumping around, and most of the characters are so bland and pointless that you just don't care. There was not enough Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman in this movie to save it. I know the Green Lantern has a big following. Why, I don't know. The Flash seems cool but here he's just dull.
I also hated the artwork on the characters. The background artists did a great job. But the character art director did a terrible job. All of the characters have zero detail. They're all blocky with square fingers. It's the same as what you get on Cartoon Network.
I wasn't a fan of JLA before this movie and I'm certainly not one now. I think movies of the individual characters might be better though. Still waiting on the Wonder Woman movie.
in poor taste 
2008-07-30 - As a child of the 1970's, I watched innumerable episodes of the Justice League. I was hoping to share this experience with my own children - I had hoped that they would love it and the superheros as did I when I was young. I found that only 2 minutes or less into the film - this animated cartoon - supposedly geared toward children, was really only a form of Grand Theft Auto or Mortal Combat set in superhero facade. It became graphically violent in mere seconds. Not for children by any stretch of the imagination. It does not even represent the true nature of the original episodes. I do not appreciate when cartoonists make movies based on loved characters that are twisted into a version of the new ultra-violent society we live in. If you are a parent - read this - do not let your children see this movie! Anyone who wonders why society has gotten so out-of-control anti-desentizied to violence need only to watch this "cartoon" to see where our society is headed.
EPIC AND THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING 
2008-07-26 - I never read the graphic novel this was based on but I've heard great things about it. This film, done by Bruce Timm is a monumental achievement of storytelling and art.
So many of us know that comic book heroes are mythic and their stories often have dark and tragic origins. On this level, "Frontier" does not disappoint a true fan. The story-lines are complex intersections of pride, glory and loss and the villain, voiced by the incomparable Keith David, is a menace like none other.
Against the backdrop of the post WWII cold war, Timm and company suppose the creation of the Justice League as an answer to fear, cynicism and lost hope. They succeed on all levels.
I don't know why the studios don't rely more on animation writers for comic book films. BTAS, JLU and Superman clearly show animation writers understand and love these characters and would never disservice them or their fans. The excellent "Frontier" is evidence of this fact.