Based on the award-winning comic book miniseries DC: The New Frontier, the latest Justice League movie tackles the greatest threat the world has ever know – McCarthyism (and Dinosaur Island aka the Centre)!
Set in the 1950s, the Cold War is just heating up and the United States is seeing enemies everywhere, particularly those with secret identities. With half the world’s superheroes on the run and the other half questioning their allegiances who will stop the ancient evil known as the Centre a living island – THAT SPITS OUT DINOSAURS!
A quick caveat: Justice League – The New Frontier is by far the most violent (mainstream) cartoon ever and earns its PG-13 rating and then some. In the the first 15 minutes alone 4 people die (2 murders, 1 suicide, & 1 heart-attack) and Wonder Woman recounts to Superman how she freed a group of women being used as sex slaves and then stood by as they murdered their former captors. Definitely not for the impressionable kiddies.
Coming in at just over one hour long, the story’s extremely fast-paced. In a recent interview with Newsarama, producer Bruce Timm described it as being “structured like a Robert Altman movie. It’s got all these different stories happening at the same time. It’s only towards the end of the movie that you realize it’s dovetailing into the origins of the Justice League.” Throw in the origins of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Martian Manhunter and you’ve got more story than you can shake a batarang at.
The voice acting is a little off-putting, sounding different than what you’d expect/use to, but the dialogue on the other hand is great fun (i.e. campy) or as Hal’s love interest puts it “sometimes you gotta go through Hell to get Heaven.” And any story where Martian Manhunter transforms into Bugs Bunny (even if it is just for a moment) is super as far as I’m concerned. Don’t walk, run to your local video store and buy it! [technically it’s not sale till 2/26 but that’s no excuse just use the Speed Force]