Movie Info
Movie Name: Justice League: The New Frontier
Studio: Warner Home Video
Genre(s): Animated/Comic Book/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): February 26, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The next generation of heroes!
The world is quickly changing. The World Wars are behind them and the Cold War is raging. Heroes are springing up everywhere. An alien from Mars has been rumored call Earth home and Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman patrol the streets. As a push for vigilantes to give up their masks is happening in the government, a danger called The Center is evolving. Despite society turning against them, the heroes of the world find they must band together to stop the worldwide threat of The Center and a new group of heroes may arise for the challenge.
Cultists vs. Batman…just surrender
Directed by Dave Bullock, Justice League: The New Frontier is an adaptation of Darwyn Cooke’s award winning series DC: The New Frontier which was released in 2004. The film was released to positive reviews and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or More).
I read DC: The New Frontier and loved it. Darwyn Cooke has a way of capturing the Silver Age of comics by both encapsulating what made comics great and paying homage to artists like Jack Kirby…and Justice League: The New Frontier for the most part captured these aspects of the comic.
Thanks Mr. President…can you introduce me to Marilyn?
The story for Justice League: The New Frontier like the comic takes second fiddle to the art. The Center is a pretty weak and generic “villain” and it might have been cool to see more character designs by Cooke of other super-villains (you do get some headshots in the ending scene). Smartly, the film incorporates a lot of heroes and they are sometimes a bit unusual (like the Challengers of the Unknown).
The movie does a good job of capturing the essence of the heroes. Superman is valiant, Wonder Woman is militant, Batman is mysterious, Flash is the chatty one, and Green Lantern is the hero. Though they are very basic traits, I feel that the movie really does boil down the characters to the root…something the comic book series also did. With the great characters is great voice work by David Boreanaz, Neil Patrick Harris, Lucy Lawless, Kyle MacLachlan, Kyra Sedgwick, Miguel Ferrer, Jeremy Sisto, Brooke Shields, and others.
I’d like to teach the world to scream!
As mentioned, the art is where this movie excels. It is a great looking and slick film and leaves you wanting more Darwyn Cooke style art. I love how Cooke illustrates the characters and the people who made this movie capturing his art.
Justice League: The New Frontier is a fun series based in United States history. No, it technically doesn’t fit in the DC Universe proper, but it is a great story of DC’s past. If you like classic heroes, classic battles, and seeing comics interacting in a “real” environment, check-out this fun film.
Related Links:
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
Justice League—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Justice League—Season 2 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Justice League Unlimited—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Justice League Unlimited—Season 2 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Justice League Unlimited—Season 3 Review and Complete Episode Guide
