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Releases - Blu-ray - Justice League: Season Two

Packaging



 
Announce Date: 4/8/11
Order Date: 6/21/11
Street Date: 7/26/11
MSRP: $39.99
Packaging Type: Double BD Case
Subformat: Multi Disc
Media Quantity: 2
Run Time: 593
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Aspect Ratio: 16 X 9
Sound Quality: Dolby Surround Stereo - English



Episodes:
Twilight Part 1, Twilight Part 2, Tabula Rasa Part 1, Tabula Rasa Part 2, Only a Dream Part 1, Only a Dream Part 2, Maid of Honor Part 1, Maid of Honor Part 2, Hearts and Minds Part 1, Hearts and Minds Part 2, A Better World Part 1, A Better World Part 2, Eclipsed Part 1, Eclipsed Part 2, The Terror Beyond Part 1, The Terror Beyond Part 2, Secret Society Part 1, Secret Society Part 2, Hereafter Part 1, Hereafter Part 2, Comfort and Joy, Wild Card Part 1, Wild Card Part 2, Starcrossed Part 1, Starcrossed Part 2, Starcrossed Part 3,

Special Features
- Additional Scenes: 'Justice League Declassified' - Phil LaMarr (The Voice of Green Lantern) Takes You Behind the Scenes with the Show's Creative Team.
- Commentary: Audio Commentaries on 3 select episodes with the creators and directors of the series.
- Easter Eggs: Easter Egg Not to Savage, A Never Seen Before Deleted Scene with an Introduction by Producer Bruce Timm

Official Synopsis: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl - they have all used their unique powers to fight evil across the galaxy. These 7 super heroes unite to become the Justice League. Dangers across the galaxy threaten Deep-rooted feelings of mistrust and insecurity surface and plauge the Justice League, causing internal strife and leaving them vulnerable to attacks from their enemies. But when one of their own commits the ultimate betrayal, it could be the end of the Justice League and Earth forever. Don't' miss one second of suspense or one iota of excitement with this 26 episode collection.

Review:
After a long wait, the second season of Justice League has finally arrived on Blu-ray, nearly three (!) years after the release of the Justice League: Season One Blu-ray. And, as the cliche goes, this was worth the wait. Justice League has never looked better than it does right here.

The very first thing I did when I received this two-disc collection was go right to "Starcrossed, Part Three." Arguably the best episode of Justice League, watching it in proper high-definition was a sight to behold. Everything looked just stunning from start to finish. The colors were bold and deep, everything was crystal clear and nearly flawless, and the sound could easily make the walls shake if you jacked up the volume high enough. No matter how many times you've watched these episodes, I guarantee each one will feel fresh when revisiting them on Blu-ray.

With season two of Justice League, the crew behind the show decided to go bigger, bolder and even deeper into the characters that make up the principle cast of the show. As a result, we get a massive season opener in “Twilight”, deeper character relationships in “Hearts and Minds” and the rousing finale in “Starcrossed” which culminates in fights of epic proportions that center around Hawkgirl’s betrayal. With such a shaky start in season one, season two has easily surpassed its younger self and even eclipsed seasons of the other shows in the DC animated universe. It rivals Justice League Unlimited in bringing some of the biggest tales in the DC Animated Universe to life. But this review is about the Blu-ray set itself, so let's see what we have inside (under the nice cardboard slipcase and standard Blu-ray Elite casing)...

The bonus features are, for the most part, ported over from the original DVD release of Justice League: Season Two. The three commentaries - for "Twilight, Part Two," "A Better World, Part Two," and "Starcrossed, Part Three" - are all entertaining and provide genuinely interesting facts and discussions on all three episodes. "Justice League: Declassified," from the previous DVD release of Justice League: Season Two, is a round table affair with Bruce Timm, James Tucker, Butch Lukic and Dwayne McDuffie, moderated by Jason Hillhouse (you're missed around these parts, Jason!). Running eight minutes, it covers some interesting aspects to the show in a nice amount of time, never dragging. Another port-over, “Voices of Justice,” is a fascinating featurette with the voice talent behind Justice League discussing their experiences on the show. The feature runs just under eleven minutes, but packs plenty of neat anecdotes, recording session video, and much more, to please the fans. Note that the "Deleted Scene" easter egg can be viewed by clicking on the "JL" icon in the Special Features menu on the second disc.

Also oddly ported over is the "Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman" documentary excerpt. Seems very, very outdated now.

Outside of a few new trailers, the only real new bonus content is a featurette dubbed "Infinite Realities: The Justice Lords and Beyond," which provide a genuinely interesting look at alternative realities and the characters found within. The basis for the featurette is centered around the Justice Lords and the "A Better World" episode, but it quickly spins out to include recent DTVs and other cartoon shows, while also exploring the truth behind the alternative reality theory. All in all, at 17 minutes, it's an interesting featurette that never bores.

Moving on to the audio and video aspect of this release, well, fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Not only does this collection sound absolutely amazing, but it has the nearly perfect visuals to match. Remember the non-anamorphic widescreen image from the Justice League: Season Two DVD? Well, you have nothing like that to worry about here. Here, we get Justice League in beautiful 16:9 widescreen, filling up every inch of the screen with crisp, clear visuals. And how clear is the video? Well, it's nearly flawless. There is some color banding, but that seems to be the fault of the actual animation and not of the video quality.

The sound is surprisingly boisterous, the DTS 5.1 Master Audio bringing Justice League to life like never before. The show has never sounded this good, the dialogue never inaudible nor the big action sequences never overbearing. Despite the audio being mostly centered, all the speakers do get a fair workout. Battle scenes sound as epic as they should, sometimes very aggressive, and poignant moments are never lost. Very well done.

Admittedly, the only real complaint I have is the poor usage of art on the Blu-ray menu screens. Just like the previous DVD releases for Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, it seems as though those responsible for putting this release together...have no idea about the show's actual content. The menu art consists of a mix of clip art from the first season of Justice League mixed in with Justice League Unlimited clip art (why are Green Arrow, Supergirl and Red Tornado featured on the main menu?), and an obviously out-of-place screengrab of the Flash (looking like he's about to comically run off the top of a building as Wonder, Batman and the Justice League season one design of Superman stand and stare off heroically). By no means is it a deal breaker, but it just looks shoddy.

Overall, this is a Must Buy for fans of DC Animation! Warner Home Video has put together a fine high-definition release for Justice League: Season Two, one that really shows off the series in all its glory. Even if you already own the Justice League DVD collections, I highly recommend giving this Blu-ray release a spin. No matter how many times you've watched this show, each episode feels remarkably fresh in stunning high-definition. We can only hope that more DCAU Blu-ray releases are in the works...


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