I’ll be the first to admit that outside of Batman, DC has always ranked as a bunch of second-rate superheroes in my book. Superman was no fun because his only weakness was Kryptonite. Wonder Woman was no fun simply because her story was so flippin’ ridiculous. The Green Lantern? Hated his origin story. You get the picture. But today that’s changed; Justice League: The New Frontier presents the greatest team of superheroes to ever walk the planet in a new approach that really caught my eye. The story dispenses with cheap kiddy tricks and pulls out the stops.
Martian Manhunter (a character whose story I knew virtually nothing about) comes to Earth on a mission to seek out and destroy the one who calls himself the Center. Sporting a typical green-skinned alien physique he quickly realizes the necessity of changing his appearance to fit within the comfortable norms of his human compatriots. On his quest to track down the all-seeing foe his path intertwines with everyone’s favorite caped crusader of the night.
Meanwhile, Hal Jordan finds himself in the middle of a top-secret government mission. Years after his combat duty behind the lines Hal begins training for a space program with an unspecified destination.
The stories of the separated Justice League begin to intertwine placing the heroes together in the middle of a conflict despite their increasingly polarized viewpoints on heroism in the United States. Superman. Batman. The Green Lantern. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Martian Manhunter. Everyone has a part to play despite the aforementioned two receiving a majority of the focus.
For those coming from an entirely outside and uninformed perspective Justice League: The New Frontier creates the perfect mix of quick introductory explanations of each hero’s philosophy while at the same time diving deep into some of the key values of the Justice League series. For the long-time fans of Justice League, I think The New Frontier will satisfy the thirst for a Justice League movie that all reports indicate is being pushed further and further into the realm of woulda-coulda-world. The concentration on Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern truly was a stroke of genius. Anyone not living in a cave for the last 30 years at least knows who the main members of the Justice League are. I mean heck, each of them either had their own TV show, movie or both. For me The New Frontier encapsulates the best of both worlds.
Animation-wise I thought the approach was very interesting. While maintaining the well-known style of the Justice League cartoon, The New Frontier’s look is slightly more angular and bold giving it a fresh feel. Certainly a wise choice.
Now, let’s talk about the sheer volume of stars attached to this project. Lucy Lawless, David Boreanaz, Neil Patrick Harris, Jeremy Sisto, Kyra Sedgwick and Brooke Shields are one goddamn hell of an ensemble. While I’ve always thought Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious, I didn’t even realize he was the Flash’s voice until the credits rolled. While I was surprised when I found out it made so much sense considering how funny he was. The oddest choice in this ensemble was the casting of Miguel Ferrer as Martian Manhunter. Now if you were to Google Miguel you’d undoubtedly recognize him from countless films where he played a sniveling weasel of a man. Truly, an odd choice.
If Justice League: The New Frontier is any indication of what this team can put together for a full-length live feature – then I am truly more excited for a live-action JL movie than I’ve ever been before. The characters here were spot on in the conflicts between their differing viewpoints.
Justice League: The New Frontier is for the new and old fans alike. With enough JL 101 material to hook the rookies the plot offers enough play between the darker themes of the team to keep the diehard fans attached without a chance of boredom.
Overall worth the view.
"Justice League: The New Frontier" is on sale February 26, 2008 and is rated PG13. Action, Adventure, Animation, Comic Book. Directed by Dave Bullock. Written by Stan Berkowitz, Darwyn Cooke. Starring Brooke Shields, David Boreanaz, Jeremy Sisto, Lucy Lawless, Miguel Ferrer, Neil Patrick Harris.
