4/5 A Worthy Homage to a Worthy Homage
  by ONENEO (Buffalo, NY)
A strange thing, my ever-growing respect for Justice League: The New Frontier. It was a title I actually preordered before its release in great anticipation. I tore into and viewed it moments after it was released and came away with a shrug. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it well enough but having just completed the final season of The Justice League Unlimited, I fear I went into New Frontier with expectations higher than even Superman's capable of flying.

Now here it is a year and a half after the fact and I'm returning to the film once more. Why the resurgence in interest you ask? Well both Wonder Woman and Green Lantern First Flight contained a commentary featurette about the translation of New Frontier from graphic novel (2004) into animated film (2008). So well assembled was this DVD extra that I actually decided to dig out my Two-Disc Edition set of New Frontier to absorb every little detail once more. Conclusion: this is a far better story than I initially realized. Almost like good cheese or fine wine, it has aged with a certain charm.

The error in my ways the first time through was to enter the film with expectations of an animated feature film of Bruce Timm and company's Justice League. The uniqueness of The New Frontier is found right in Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel on which the film is based in his homage to DC Comics' Silver Age. Yes the characters look different than what we're collectively used to but the beauty contained within runs much deeper than the superficial.

Taking place in the early-mid 1950s, The New Frontier drops its viewer into the Korean War through the eyes of fighter pilot, Hal Jordan. At this point in time, the Justice Society has already been disbanded while the United States itself not only fears but actually fights to contain the spread of communism. Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash are already fighting crime individually (so their back stories are completely omitted in this film save for a bit of retrospective decision making on Wonder Woman's home island).

The backbone of this tale centers on a primordial life form known only as The Center, which is Cook's ingeniously clever way of integrating DC comics' oft-referenced Dinosaur Island. This ancient being is so vast that it acts as a self-contained ecosystem covered with extinct life forms on which to feed. Monitoring the rise of mankind, The Center finally decides that we have become both violent and intelligent-enough (upon discovering nuclear energy) to pose a threat to its existence. Like most beings on our planet struggling for survival, it decides to annihilate the threat of humanity and begins portraying its cryptic plan by possessing the minds of the weak and evil. Indeed some of these scenes are downright creepy both in the novel and in the film.

While the viewer is technically being carried along the meteoric rise of Hal Jordan's transformation into the Green Lantern, the arrival and foundation of J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter) is also a critical part of the story's development. Interestingly, many of the film's supporting cast actually consists of classic DC comic characters in various phases of their lives.

It appears the most common complaint to the animated incarnation is its pacing and indeed the final quarter of the film really does feel rushed. It is obvious that the show's creative team struggled to compress such an epic story into a 75-minute production. Make no mistake, the flow of the story arc and the details presented are 100% complete, it's just that several Leaguers (Green Arrow, Adam Strange, Aqua-man, etc.) appear but do little more than that. It's sad really that such tight time restrictions were placed upon this first-class production as it simply baffles the imagination to envision what this work could have been. It probably could have been an ongoing series the likes of which could compete with the DCAU's Justice League and JL Unlimited.

Casting is, for the most part, stellar as expected from Andrea Romano. Miguel Ferrer as Martian Manhunter, David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan, Neil Patrick Harris as Allen, Kyle MacLachlan as Superman, Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman, Kyra Sedgwick as Lois Lane, Brooke Shields as Carol Ferris, Vicki Lewis as Iris. I know I'm in the minority on this one, but believe it or not I found Jeremy Sisto's vocal work as Batman to be a bit too deep (picture Vin Diesel with a cold) but serviceable. Perhaps I'm just a bit partial to Kevin Conroy's years of beautiful vocal work in the DCAU in my assessment.

The animation is very similar to past and recent DC Animated Universe efforts, which is to say beautifully done with special consideration to separate the vintage Silver Era uniforms from the contemporary outfits. It takes a little time to get used to the look but (and especially if you compare it to the pages of the graphic novel) this is a first class effort all the way.

For a Warner release, this set comes stacked with special features. Disc 1 breaks down with an excellent documentary called Super Heroes United!: The Complete Justice League History, full audio commentary (2 separate tracks) with the show's creative team and the graphic novel's writer Darwyn Cooke. There's also an interesting look at DC's feature film release: Batman Gotham Knight (which was to follow).

The second disc contains an equal-but-opposite documentary entitled The Legion of Doom: The Pathology of the Super Villain, which in my opinion the two documentaries make the set worth the price of admission by themselves. Additionally, the second disc contains a fun featurette that compares the film directly to the comic book and 3 episodes of the contemporary Justice League (Dark Heart, To Another Shore, and Task Force X).

All in all, this is a very solid interpretation of a spectacular graphic novel. My only complaint is the time restriction that 1 hour & 15 minutes places on the writer's ability to establish the full backstory of the League. The attention to detail is second to none (after all, Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano were involved).

An appreciation for Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel of the same name is helpful but not a prerequisite. I've actually gone about discovering the work backward (film first, graphic novel after) and found many of the themes and grand story arcs to be incredibly brilliant. In going back to take a look at his own personal favorite DC Comics era, Cooke managed to put together a story that ties real world events with the superhero mythos nearly flawlessly. The inspiration that drove him into attempting such an ambitious project is apparent in nearly every panel on every page.

The animated version is a must for any DCAU fan, individuals who enjoyed the excellent graphic novel on which the material is based, and just about anyone who appreciates smart story telling in the animated medium.

5/5 A New Type of DC Story
  by Joseph L. Soler II (Philadelphia, PA USA)
The New Frontier is DC new take on their classic characters. Embedded in the real world, these DC heroes deal with paranoia, fear and realities of the Cold War. This cartoon is not for young children because of its reality however older children can appreciate the themes and ideas expressed through DC Comic's iconic super heroes and the formation of the Justice League. The "silver age" stylings of the animation are quite exceptional and provide a retro feel with high quality, thoroughly modern, animation. This DVD is a great addition to any fans collection and even Marvel Comics fans will find much to like in this offering from the "Distinguished Competitor." Along with the main feature is an excellent documentary about the Justice League in comic book history.

3/5 Not Your Dad's Superfriends
  by M. Pickford (Perth, WA)
Well animated, pretty well scripted, but with a fairly random bad guy (or bad entity - whatever), Justice League: The New Frontier basically bridges the gap between the Golden Age Justice Society and the Silver Age Justice League. You'll appreciate some of the finer plot- and character-points of this movie if you have a in depth knowledge of the DC universe, but otherwise a lot of the detail in this movie may go over your head.

Too violent for kids (in my opinion), and too esoteric for casual fans of DC, this one is perfect for DC die-hards.

4/5 Fantastic
  by R. White (London, UK)
Great adaptation and story, a must for all DC/Comic book fans. The animation may put some off but it suits the time period of this film.

4/5 New Frontier marks a new era for the animated films
  by picardfan007 (USA)
If only all the animated releases from DC were like this! This was not intended for kids. It's for an adult audience and I was surprised it wasn't mentioned on the packaging. For all intents and purposes this was a great introduction to the current Justice League. It's from a 60's era and all the great pop culture themes are represented from that time. I'd like to see a sequel to this profoundly good film of the super hero genre.

If you are looking for Super-Friends, your not going to find it here. This film was a great adaptation of the graphic novel, New Frontier. The characters are all drawn in a Kirby-esque style. It's as if Jack Kirby drew for DC all those years,instead of Marvel. If there are any sequels,don't stop with the Kirby style. It's a very effective portrayal for this era of comics.