Justice League Unlimited – Season Two
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B Episodes: A-
A sad,
sad day has finally come; the end of the Justice
League. Justice League Unlimited - Season Two has now arrived on DVD in its
last fight of glory. From creator Bruce
Tim, this new Justice League has
been breaking ground and all the rules since its premiere. Though Justice
League had a rough start it was always much better than the campy Super Friends series or the fluffy Spiderman, Fantastic Four cartoons of the early 90s. Justice
League managed to combine the DC universe in such a serene way that it is
disgusting that the series did not last longer.
For those new to the series, here is a brief synopsis. Justice
League only technically lasted two seasons before supposedly being
canceled, but shortly after JL was
cancelled it was announced that a new series would be debuting entitled Justice League Unlimited. *Critic
Rolls Eyes*
Well,
what was the difference? There is no
true difference at heart but on the surface it seems much different. In the original series there was only the
seven, original, founding, Justice
League members; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern,
Hawk Girl, and The Martian Manhunter. In
Justice League Unlimited, however,
over fifty new superheroes were added to the lineup. This made the Justice League universe much more expansive and detailed. Also the theme song and opening changed for Justice League Unlimited, but was
nothing special. Overall, most fans will
say that Justice League and Justice League Unlimited are the same
series, but one just has more characters.
In this
final Justice League season, we get
another huge story arch from the creators that brought the world the
unforgettable universes of Batman - The
Animated Series and Superman - The
Animated Series. This time around
the writers focus on something they never used extensively previously, the
dastardly evil Legion of Doom. Lex
Luthor fresh out of prison and missing his once mentally fused counterpart,
Brainiac, decides to join forces with a group of devious super villains who act
as the flip-side of the Justice League, using each other to carryout their evil
deeds. The show has always demonstrated
an incomprehensible amount of continuity, but with the addition of over 100
characters it is simply a stunning animation experience to partake in. Justice
League (Unlimited) is one of the best and most true to the Superhero
Universe series that has ever been created and will be hard to top. The voice acting is amazing. The art direction is stupendous. The characters make you never want to stop
watching. If there was one series that
comic book/superhero fans have to see, this is it.
The
technical features on this flashy, super set are great. The picture is presented in a nice 1.66 X 1
Widescreen that makes the series look like a work of art (Try putting it is
freeze frame, AMAZING!). The colors are
bright, there is no debris, no light/dark issues, and just overall is a great
presentation. The sound is also adequate
in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo format, but this reviewer could have used more
‘umph’ behind some of the scenes that was just not there. The extras are surprisingly well done, and
can be watched again and again. Extras
include a featurette entitled ‘Cadmus
Exposed’ hosted by Mark Hamill (freakin' Luke Skywalker!) as the writing
team discusses certain story arches, Justice
League Chronicles with the series writers and directors discussing their
favorite moments, and a music only audio track that is splendidly done. Overall, a nicely displayed 2-disc, 300
minute set.
EVERYONE,
must see this series. To be more
accurate everyone MUST see this entire series.
This reviewer recommends that viewers should start from Justice League - Season One to get the
full experience, but it never hurts to start on this last season either (Seeing
as they are all wonderful). Justice
League was one of the best television series to grace the airwaves, now that it
is gone there seems to be a large superhero void in all our hearts. Where are you Justice League….Please come
back?!
- Michael P Dougherty II
