Justice League: Doom

La Liga de la Justicia: Legión del Mal es una de esas películas animadas del universo DC que sorprende por su tono maduro, su narrativa bien construida y sus impresionantes secuencias de acción. La historia se centra en lo que pasaría si la información más confidencial de Batman cayera en manos equivocadas… y el resultado es tan emocionante como preocupante.Los personajes están muy bien desarrollados, con un enfoque más profundo en sus vulnerabilidades, especialmente en cómo cada miembro de la Liga enfrenta su peor temor. La animación es sólida, con un estilo oscuro que combina perfectamente con la trama.Destaco también el trabajo de voz (en inglés), que le da mucha fuerza emocional a cada escena. No es una película para niños pequeños, ya que tiene un tono más serio y reflexivo, pero para los fans de DC y las historias bien contadas, es totalmente imperdible.

It's that time again. It's a new year and DC and Warner Premier are releasing their 13th home release with "Justice League: Doom." A new adventure for the Justice League feels like the return of old friends with the cast of the "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited" animated shows back. This was also the last script done by the late, great Dwayne McDuffie and as always he knocked it out of the park."Doom" is loosely based on the "Tower of Babel" story arc from the "JLA" comics in the early 2000s. Though it takes cues from that story, it's definitely its own animal. McDuffie took the major parts of the arc, Batman had created secret files to use against the League if they ever went rogue, or something and they were stolen by one of their enemies. This is all just a very elaborate way to get the league out of the way for the real plan. Destroy half the world and rebuild as the villain sees fit. In the comics it was Ra's Al Ghul, here it is Vandal Savage; swapping one immortal villain for another works for me. What McDuffie added was a personal slant to it. Savage contacts a villain that has a personal stake or vendetta against a member of the League, and hence the Legion of Doom is born. I won't spoil anything but I will say the action is fast and well choreographed, starting with a pretty cool confrontation with the Royal Flush Gang. Things only escalate from there and the film follows a three act structure that works perfectly. They set things up in the first act, the second act is the confrontation between the Legion and the League and the results of that lead directly into the third act which is the resolution of the adventure.Kudos to Phil Bourassa for some very cool designs for the Legion as well as in general. Bane's mask design resembling a skull was sweet, and Mirror Master's almost transparent design was just brilliant. Vandal Savage looks suitably superior, and I love the semi-Victorian/militaristic look they gave him. He truly does look like someone who has lived for centuries, and him keeping the tooth/claw necklace from his Neanderthal days is a nice touch. Bourassa was the character designer for "Young Justice" as well as the previous JL film, "Crisis on Two Earths." There's the same Watchtower design, Wonder Woman's Invisible jet is the same, and most of the character designs are the same. So in a lot of ways it feels like a pseudo sequel to that movie, and it can very well be taken that way much like "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse" was a sequel to "Public Enemies" even though the art was different.The big draw here though is the voice cast. Throughout the releases we've had a few people return for voices, but never this many at once. Though George Newburn voiced Superman in "JL" it was Tim Daly that originated the voice in "Superman: The Animated Series" but couldn't return for JL when it first started. He has returned to the role a few times since then to much fanfare, and here he returns again joining the cast he should've been with originally. Also returning are Kevin Conroy (Batman, duh like you didn't know that), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash, but the Barry Allen version), and Carl Lumbly (Martian Manhunter), with fan favorite Nathan Fillion playing Hal Jordan (Green Lantern). Also reprising roles from the show are Phil Morris as Vandal Savage and Olivia D'Abo as Star Saphire. New to the cast are Claudia Black playing Cheetah and Bumper Robinson coming on as Cyborg. Even with changes like the Flash being less of a jokester, the voice cast still felt like an old friend you haven't seen in a while and missed. Everyone falls into their places without so much as a hitch and the banter between the team in the beginning gives us a feeling that they've been doing this together for a bit. It's all the more meaningful when things start to fall apart later.The film is in my opinion one of the best of the bunch. I've yet to truly be disappointed with these though I could use a bit more variety in subject matter (only so many Batman and Superman stories can be told before we start losing fans here DC), this one provides that with all the different characters. Everyone gets a moment to shine, and no one feels glossed over. Some have felt things were tied up a little too quickly, for the tension that was brought to the team, but this is a movie and we need to get to the climax of the story. In the comics this arc was a set up for the next arc so they had time to really explore what the fallout was like, but I think the movie did a fine job with it, especially with Batman's decision at the end. If you've been a fan of these, or are just looking for some good superhero action pick this up. Also there is a scene in which Alfred shows he's the only person that can make Batman look like a petulant child! That scene alone is worth it.

Top-quality voice narration, great Blu-Ray picture quality, a good story, decent features - there's not much to dislike in this latest addition to the JUSTICE LEAGUE series. The storyline is good, there is plenty of action, and you don't need to be a JL fanatic to appreciate or understand the storyline and characters. And in one of the best improvements - maybe the folks at DC or Warner actually read their e-mails ?? - the Bruce Timm-selected cartoon episodes were upconverted so the picture quality is light-years improved from previous offerings on earlier Blu-Ray releases. The cartoons fill a Hi-Def TV screen naturally and are almost as rich in detail as the movie.If you are like me and a fan of the old "Legion Of Doom" episodes from the 1970's and 1980's, or even the recent incarnation from JUSTICE LEAGUE, then "DOOM" remains faithful to the original: a group of super criminals collaborate together to take down the Justice League and wreak havoc on Earth. That said, you have Vandal Savage and not Lex Luthor leading the group, and the super villains here are mostly 2nd or 3rd level super criminals (I did not know who "Vandar Aag" was since he never appeared in earlier cartoon series). Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, and Michael Rosenbaum all reprise their characters from the JUSTICE LEAGUE series (not sure why Flash is Barry Allen and not Wally West, though I was glad they kept Rosenbaum for a slightly different DC timeline). Bumper Robinson does a good job voicing Cyborg; I wouldn't mind seeing more of him in future movies. The only storyline that was a bit confusing was the relationship between Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire and Green Lantern; this was never covered in the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE series so unless you read GL comic books you might be a bit confused over those scenes, small as they are.That said, there are a few annoyances with the way the disk is outlined. First, I am getting tired of having useless promos and advertisements load before I can get to the Main Menu. Second, don't give me promos about other TV or cartoon series coming out on DVD or Blu-Ray -- if they want to entice people to buy them, put a free episode on the disk, maybe even Part 1 of a 2-part episode. Most people buying the disks are already fans of the other cartoon series so we have either seen the shows or purchased the DVD's/Blu-Ray's. Third, while there is a 2-part JUSTICE LEAGUE episode ("Wild Cards") included, there is plenty of space on the 2-disks to include more episodes from that series or from some of the newer series.A few minor quibbles: If you are going to create a movie called "DOOM", I bet some of the older buyers wouldn't mind seeing the old cartoons from the 1970's or 1980's included, which featured The Legion Of Doom. If there are future movies playing on older cartoon themes, then include those cartoons for nostalgic fans. The artwork is out of the current YOUNG JUSTIC format; I still prefer the art style from the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE series on Cartoon Network. Phil Morris (aka "Jackie Chiles" from SEINFELD) does good work voicing Vandal Savage but considering he actually played the Martian Manhunter on SMALLVILLE I would not have minded him voicing the same character here. Claudia Black ("Vala" from STARGATE: ATLANTIS) does good work here as Cheetah.Pros: Action-packed movie with good story, decent bonus features, DVD disc basically `free' with the Blu-Ray purchase, digital comic included, nice Dwayne McDuffie tribute, upconverted JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoon episodes.Cons: Could have more cartoon freebies, annoying disk interface leading to previews and purchases, ultra-violet feature of little use to anybody but tech geeks, very drab Main Menu interfaceOverall, a quality addition to the DC Comics/JUSTICE LEAGUE universe, and the improvements outweight my personal dislikes which will not be shared by all JUSTICE LEAGUE and DC Comics fans. You definitely get your money's worth with this purchase, and the decade of continuity from Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano and the other folks behind the scenes is most appreciated. And yes....LOVE those upconverted JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoons - keep `em coming !