Full Review of Justice League: New Frontier
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“The pioneers gave their comfort, their safety and sometimes their lives to build our new west. They were determined to make the new world strong and free, an example to the world. Some would say that these struggles are all over, that all the horizons have been explored, that all the battles have been won. That there is no longer, an American frontier, we stand today, on the edge on a new frontier, the frontier of unknown opportunity and peril. Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, untargeted providences of ignorance and hatred. I’m asking each of you, to be pioneers towards that new frontier. My call is to the young of heart, regardless of age, can we carry through into an age, where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction, but also a new mastery of the sky and the rain, the far side of space and the insides of men’s lives. The whole world watches to see what we will do, we cannot fail their trust, and we shall not fail to try!”
Human and Superhuman, working together for a better future.
What can I say; the art work was amazing, perfect for the style of the story that spoke of hope, trials and of human endeavor. For those of you out there who have not read this amazing book yet, I highly recommend hunting it down, it is one of the land mark moments in comic history, just as I believe this movie will be a land mark moment for DC’s animated universe.
The acting was superb, the voices perfect for the characters and the inflections so amazingly built into the artwork that you just became lost in the story. All through the movie there were simply nods to the future of DC comics, like the young child sitting by his father’s grave, reading a comic, never dreaming that he would grow up to be John Henry Irons, Steel and good friend to Superman.
John Henry Irons... living for a new hope, living for a new frontier.
The story was amazingly told, bringing together elements from Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and more. I was amazed at the fact that they didn’t ‘dumb down’ the storyline or the characters to allow for a wider audience to understand the characters they had grown up with when watching the Justice League Animated TV show, no, here we have the true heroes, Barry Allan and Hal Jordan, Dick Grayson backing up Batman, Oliver Queen as Green Arrow and even guest appearances from Ray Palmer, Adam Strange, Ted Kord and more, the more you look out for these 'nods' to the characters of yesteryear, the more you realize how much love and knowledge of the characters has been poured into this production.
Heroes, all of us.
Even Superman has returned to a darker, more human version of his character. Where as in the Justice League and Superman Animated TV shows, Superman is shown to be a complete pacifist who bottles up his anger at the world and the things he can’t change, this version of Superman allows his anger at the world, sometimes at his friends, to show, sometimes with violent effects. This, I feel, adds a more human touch to the character, and shows the man of steel in a new light, hopefully bringing the character out for a new world to see and appreciate.
We are also treated to the histories of Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern, through both speech, memories and sometimes seeing their ‘year one’ unfold before us and their origins brought out in full colour as we remember them from the comic books of our youth.
Anger at prejudice and igorance
In all honesty, the voices that the actors led to these characters were superb, with David Boreanaz portraying Hal Jordan in such a way that I now cannot imagine anyone else playing that character. Lucy Lawless provided a stirring, emotional Wonder Woman who was unsure of her new place in the world and Kyle MacLachlan brought a Superman to life in a way I have never before seen in an animated show, the emotion and tone of their voices bringing the characters out of the screen and truly to life. Half of the time I could quite happily forget I was watching a cartoon and just enjoy the movie for a truly amazing story.
The origins of Hal Jordan.
One thing that did not only surprise me, but actually amaze me, and I recommend doing this for yourself, check the comic when watching the movie, some of the scenes from the comic and practically transferred directly to the screen, you can literally see how the action unfolded from panel to panel, with the movie bringing in such a true transformation from the comic book. Over all I cannot express how amazed I was at this, nothing was altered from the comic, ever little detail was there and it was done with such amazing style and love for the characters that I actually felt hope towards seeing some new Justice League movies come from the same people behind this one.
Flash speeds to the rescue of Iris
I don’t really want to ruin the story for those of you who are anxiously waiting the movies public release date, but to say that I was blown away by the entire production would be an understatement. You all know how I felt about Superman: Doomsday, this movie easily trumps it. The originality of the way they have brought the movie to life, the characters that are there throughout the entire production, without explanation or needing to give them a full back history, just as a nod to the characters of the DC universe that we all know and love.
A new hope for tomorrow.
One aspect of the movie actually spoke truer that any speech or poster could ever do, the strong sub plot about the ignorance and hatred, the prejudice and anger of people towards those that are different from themselves. Not only is this highlighted several times in the movie by the main characters during the world war setting, but is also highlighted by the actions of not just the humans, but the Superhuman’s fighting to protect them, who are now unwillingly being turned into vigilantes by the very people they are trying to protect. This aspect of the movie is probably shown best from the outside view point of the Martian Manhunter, whose unique perspective on the world is actually balanced by Superman’s perspective of hope, where as people welcome Superman with open arms, the first time Martian Manhunter appeared to someone in his true form they died of fright.
Again this sub plot is brought to the front when the government targets Barry Allen in an attempt to understand his superspeed and use it to train soldiers to use. When finally targeted by the government, Barry is forced to hang up the suit for good and actually retire as the Flash, only to be brought back at the final moment by a glimmer of hope from his love Iris.
We work together, Superhuman and human, working together for a common goal of peace.
An amazing movie and so true to the comic that you can just forget the world around you and be sucked into the fantasy world that is so rich and true to the characters that you can just enjoy the movie for what it is, a new glimpse into the DC universe from an old story, a new hope for the younger generation to enjoy the stories and characters of yesteryear, brought back for a triumphant return once again.
”Titans Together
The end of the movie actually shows hope for a new generation, a sneak glimpse into the future where the Teen Titans fight to protect the world alongside the greats of the Justice League of America. We see small hints of Supergirl, Wally West, Black Canary and Tempest in the background.
The movie, in its entirety, I believe works amazingly well as a sort of ‘year one’ for a new generation of people to understand and be brought into the DC universe. We can hope that after this production, the people behind it will set their sights on working on the formation of the new Justice League and look towards telling some tales of their own, after contributing such an amazing piece of animation towards the DC Universe, I will be truly looking out for anything else that this crew work on, they have the heart and the knowledge to actually achieve great things on the DC side, not to mention a love for the characters that is felt through the animation as the characters are the truest to the comics that I have ever witnessed.
JLA, year one!
Hal Jordan, the true Green Lantern
Over all I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars, 100%, whatever you want to call it.
It was an amazing piece of work, one that I am actually looking forward to watching again, the music score and the general atmosphere of the movie made it so welcoming and so true that I feel this movie will be well worth the asking price on DVD for the special edition, and will be a movie that will be treasured by the even truest of fans because the characters are so true to the comic book versions.
This will be a movie that I watch over and over, and i highly recommend you do the same :D
M
Post Edited:2008-01-17 03:09:14
Post Edited:2008-01-17 03:09:50
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