Story rating: 3 discs (out of 4)
Story review: The critically acclaimed, visually striking and kid-friendly Justice League series pilot, a one-hour movie entitled Secret Origins, is a triumph. Several superheroes of the DC Comics universe–Superman, Batman, Green Lantern (who’s revamped), Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawkgirl and The Martian Manhunter–must learn to act as a cohesive unit to save the Earth from an alien invasion. Secret Origins opens with an ill-fated U.S. mission to Mars, which awakens a long dormant alien species that obliterated all life on the Red Planet, save The Martian Manhunter, of course. As cosmic meteors, the weapons of choice for the alien invaders, begin obliterating the world’s most powerful cities the aforementioned superheroes team up to repel the invasion force. Secret Origins is an excellent introduction to the series, which proves to be as entertaining for kids as it is for more mature animation and superhero fans.
Features rating: 3 discs (out of 4)
Features review: Ideally, the Justice League DVD would have included a 16:9 wide screen presentation, in addition to the 4:3 full screen version. Still the video transfer is spectacular, with a sharp and very colorful image. The single layer DVD doesn’t display any noticeable traces of digital compression artifacts.
There are a few extras on the DVD, which is surprising for an animated TV cartoon. Short biographies for the superheroes have been provided, as well as a cast and crew listing. Trailers for Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker, Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero and The Batman Superman Movie are included on the DVD, along with Scooby-Doo DVD promos.
Bottom line: Superhero enthusiasts (or parents) can’t go wrong with this DVD. The highly entertaining episode has action, adventure and strikes a wonderful balance between campy and sincere.
Special features list:
• Superhero biographies
• Cast and crew
• Theatrical trailers
