Justice League: New Frontier Commemorative Edition (DVD)

A strange thing, my ever-growing respect for Justice League: The New Frontier. It was a title I actually preordered before its release in great anticipation. I tore into and viewed it moments after it was released and came away with a shrug. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it well enough but having just completed the final season of The Justice League Unlimited, I fear I went into New Frontier with expectations higher than even Superman's capable of flying.Now here it is a year and a half after the fact and I'm returning to the film once more. Why the resurgence in interest you ask? Well both Wonder Woman and Green Lantern First Flight contained a commentary featurette about the translation of New Frontier from graphic novel (2004) into animated film (2008). So well assembled was this DVD extra that I actually decided to dig out my Two-Disc Edition set of New Frontier to absorb every little detail once more. Conclusion: this is a far better story than I initially realized. Almost like good cheese or fine wine, it has aged with a certain charm.The error in my ways the first time through was to enter the film with expectations of an animated feature film of Bruce Timm and company's Justice League. The uniqueness of The New Frontier is found right in Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel on which the film is based in his homage to DC Comics' Silver Age. Yes the characters look different than what we're collectively used to but the beauty contained within runs much deeper than the superficial.Taking place in the early-mid 1950s, The New Frontier drops its viewer into the Korean War through the eyes of fighter pilot, Hal Jordan. At this point in time, the Justice Society has already been disbanded while the United States itself not only fears but actually fights to contain the spread of communism. Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash are already fighting crime individually (so their back stories are completely omitted in this film save for a bit of retrospective decision making on Wonder Woman's home island).The backbone of this tale centers on a primordial life form known only as The Center, which is Cook's ingeniously clever way of integrating DC comics' oft-referenced Dinosaur Island. This ancient being is so vast that it acts as a self-contained ecosystem covered with extinct life forms on which to feed. Monitoring the rise of mankind, The Center finally decides that we have become both violent and intelligent-enough (upon discovering nuclear energy) to pose a threat to its existence. Like most beings on our planet struggling for survival, it decides to annihilate the threat of humanity and begins portraying its cryptic plan by possessing the minds of the weak and evil. Indeed some of these scenes are downright creepy both in the novel and in the film.While the viewer is technically being carried along the meteoric rise of Hal Jordan's transformation into the Green Lantern, the arrival and foundation of J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter) is also a critical part of the story's development. Interestingly, many of the film's supporting cast actually consists of classic DC comic characters in various phases of their lives.It appears the most common complaint to the animated incarnation is its pacing and indeed the final quarter of the film really does feel rushed. It is obvious that the show's creative team struggled to compress such an epic story into a 75-minute production. Make no mistake, the flow of the story arc and the details presented are 100% complete, it's just that several Leaguers (Green Arrow, Adam Strange, Aqua-man, etc.) appear but do little more than that. It's sad really that such tight time restrictions were placed upon this first-class production as it simply baffles the imagination to envision what this work could have been. It probably could have been an ongoing series the likes of which could compete with the DCAU's Justice League and JL Unlimited.Casting is, for the most part, stellar as expected from Andrea Romano. Miguel Ferrer as Martian Manhunter, David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan, Neil Patrick Harris as Allen, Kyle MacLachlan as Superman, Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman, Kyra Sedgwick as Lois Lane, Brooke Shields as Carol Ferris, Vicki Lewis as Iris. I know I'm in the minority on this one, but believe it or not I found Jeremy Sisto's vocal work as Batman to be a bit too deep (picture Vin Diesel with a cold) but serviceable. Perhaps I'm just a bit partial to Kevin Conroy's years of beautiful vocal work in the DCAU in my assessment.The animation is very similar to past and recent DC Animated Universe efforts, which is to say beautifully done with special consideration to separate the vintage Silver Era uniforms from the contemporary outfits. It takes a little time to get used to the look but (and especially if you compare it to the pages of the graphic novel) this is a first class effort all the way.For a Warner release, this set comes stacked with special features. Disc 1 breaks down with an excellent documentary called Super Heroes United!: The Complete Justice League History, full audio commentary (2 separate tracks) with the show's creative team and the graphic novel's writer Darwyn Cooke. There's also an interesting look at DC's feature film release: Batman Gotham Knight (which was to follow).The second disc contains an equal-but-opposite documentary entitled The Legion of Doom: The Pathology of the Super Villain, which in my opinion the two documentaries make the set worth the price of admission by themselves. Additionally, the second disc contains a fun featurette that compares the film directly to the comic book and 3 episodes of the contemporary Justice League (Dark Heart, To Another Shore, and Task Force X).All in all, this is a very solid interpretation of a spectacular graphic novel. My only complaint is the time restriction that 1 hour & 15 minutes places on the writer's ability to establish the full backstory of the League. The attention to detail is second to none (after all, Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano were involved).An appreciation for Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel of the same name is helpful but not a prerequisite. I've actually gone about discovering the work backward (film first, graphic novel after) and found many of the themes and grand story arcs to be incredibly brilliant. In going back to take a look at his own personal favorite DC Comics era, Cooke managed to put together a story that ties real world events with the superhero mythos nearly flawlessly. The inspiration that drove him into attempting such an ambitious project is apparent in nearly every panel on every page.The animated version is a must for any DCAU fan, individuals who enjoyed the excellent graphic novel on which the material is based, and just about anyone who appreciates smart story telling in the animated medium.

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.

Lo unico que no me gustó es que la pelícla viene solo en Inglés y en la descripción del producto decía, subtitulos en español, por lo demás está bien

envoi rapide et soigné et conforme a la description sur le site , aurait aimé avoir les sous titres mais il nexiste ke cette edition partout dans le monde .

世界大戦が終わり、赤狩りによってヒーロー達の立場が危うくなった1950年代スーパーマンはアメリカの象徴として政府の下で活動を続け、ワンダーウーマンは戦争によって荒れたアメリカや世界に失望し、バットマンやフラッシュは独自で活動を続けていた時代設定的にはアース２の世界観だが、どうやら現在はまた別の平行世界として扱われている様子戦争を背景としたＤＣアメコミ作品といえば「ダークナイトリターンズ」や「ウォッチメン」が有名で、本作もそれに近い世界観ですが、終盤はまさかの政府とヒーロー達が結束して未知なる怪物達と戦うという王道展開が繰り広げられますタイトルが「ジャスティスリーグ」なのでそれにしてはスーパーマンやバットマン達の描写が少ないように感じましたが、実はこれ「ジャスティスリーグ」ならぬ「グリーンランタン誕生編」でした厳密には地球に来たばかりの火星人マーシャンマンハンターと、アビンサーと出会う前のハルジョーダンの二つの視点を中心に描いた作品ですそれを理解した上で観れば、中々悪くないですまた登場するキャラ達やヒーロー達のデザインがあからさまに古い容姿なので味があったり、バットマンもまだ初期のダサくて耳が長いコスチュームを着ていたりと、現在のヒーロー達の姿を知っていると面白いやはり問題点は日本語版が無い事ですね自分は最初は英語字幕で観た後に某サイトで一般の方が作った日本語字幕版を観て理解を深めましたが、英語だけではやはりついていきにくいです特に終盤のセンター戦直前のスーパーマンの演説やラストのケネディ演説の台詞などは、内容を理解するのとしないのとでは大分作品に対する面白味も変わりますＤＣコミックスのＯＶＡシリーズも最近はようやく日本語発売が当たり前となりつつあるようですが、出来れば過去の作品も日本語発売してほしいですねアメコミ本は読みづらさや高値な所がネックなので、個人的にはもっと日本語化してほしいです※追記「ジャスティスリーグ ニューフロンティア」というタイトルで日本語版が正式発売されたので、これから観る方にはそちらをお勧めします

La pelicula llegó un poco antes de lo establecido, en excelentes condiciones, el arte del steelbook esta padrisimo, valió mucho la pena, cuenta con audio y subtítulos en español latino, así como extras muy interesantes sobre la película.

Ou comment voir des épisodes de la justice league en DA en dehors des 5 DVD existants en France sur les moyens métrages.