Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Here's the second comic book movie in a row that's better than its source material. Don't get me wrong; I loved Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier and appreciated its Watchmen-esque treatment of superheroes after Korea. But the six-issue miniseries was a little long, packed with references to comic books of the Silver Age that were lost on me.

Condensed down to a 75-minute animated adventure and retitled Justice League: The New Frontier, this entry in the line of DC Animated Universe Original Movies is considerably less heavy than its source material and also carries with it a delightful new "look" that blows recent DCAU projects out of the water.

Superman and Wonder Woman have won the Korean War, yet the real war hero is Hal Jordan, who returns home to a lucrative job as test pilot for Ferris Aircraft. Meanwhile, a scientist in Batman's hometown accidentally transports the Martian J'onn J'onzz to Earth, and J'onzz assumes the moniker of John Jones to serve man as a detective. Earth's heroes eventually band together to fight the mysterious entity known only as The Centre, forming the Justice League in the process.

Perhaps I'm a little biased, but I always like these continuity-shirking company-wide stories (a la Mark Waid's Kingdom Come, as beautifully and artfully illustrated by Alex Ross). Yet I've been perennially disappointed by DCAU projects after Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Recall my less than flattering review of Superman: Doomsday. Fortunately this new one is what a DCAU movie should be - fun, exciting, well-animated (with a style, that unlike The Batman on WB, doesn't make me want to take knitting needles to my eyes), and entertaining. Though the music is campy, the voice cast (predominantly comprised of less-than-A-listers like David Boreanaz as Green Lantern and Kyle McLachlan as Superman) does a great job of bringing these mythic heroes to life.

The villain is imposing but less thrilling than, say, a Lex Luthor/Joker team-up would be, especially in the context of a JLA origin story. And though the film doesn't give The Centre the attention that the miniseries did, that's okay. Because this isn't The Centre's story in the way that the source material could be. It's the story of how the Justice League came to be, with that elegant Silver Age-style animation and a relatively strong voice cast.

Another thing I loved about this is its use of the film noir style. Especially in the Gotham scenes, shadows are played to the hilt. The introduction of Martian Manhunter as a private detective is also a great touch, one that works well with his partnership with Batman. All in all, I can say I was pleasantly surprised with this movie, though I can't imagine a second viewing would be as enjoyable as the first - mostly due to expectation levels.