Supergirl is in the spotlight this time around in the DC Animated Universe film Legion Of Super-Heroes. The DCAU movies over the past couple of years have been full of action, violence, and some great rated-R material. This particular film has chosen to stay out of the gritty underbelly of that area and has a lighter PG-13 feel. It acts as an origin story of the supergroup and has a ton of DC characters show up as the team learns to work together while fighting a mysterious and villainous club called the Dark Circle.
In a Futurama kind of way, Supergirl hits up the 31st Century to attend the Legion Academy in order to perfect her training, hone her skills, and make new friends, and even some diabolical enemies that are close to her. Brainiac 5, Dawnstar, Phantom Girl, Bouncing Boy, Time World, Mon-El, and Arm Fall Off Boy are all in attendance - not to mention Superman and Batman himself (Jensen Ackles). As Supergirl is learning the ropes and adjusting to their new life after the destruction of Krypton, a sinister group known as the Dark Circle enters the ring and the young ones must put aside their differences and team up.
The Legion of Super-Heroes basically took over the Justice League and Green Lantern Corps and is led by Super Girl in this story. While Super Girl is all the rage now, these little animated films are like a bland baked potato with no toppings rather than something fun and energetic. The storylines are rote and simple with no big twists or turns, even though the writers desperately wanted those elements in play. The modern animation looks sleek but lacks a sense of visual depth, which a ton of these other DCAU movies have.
Still, there are some decent action sequences and some wonderful voice performances from all the actors that turn in their ever-evolving skills into these characters. It's sad that the film itself feels like a one-off that doesn't quite stick the landing like the previous outings inside the DCAU have done. It's onwards and upwards from here because the characters are a blast to watch, plus a little Star Trek reference always warms the heart.
Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Legion of Super-Heroes battles its way to 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Code via Warner Bros. The discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork has a shiny illustrated mural of the main heroes flying in the sky, and it looks amazing. There is an insert for a digital code.
Legion of Super-Heroes comes with a 2160p 4K UHD transfer with HDR10. Those familiar with the DCAU franchise of movies will know that the 4K is the best option, even though there isn't too big a difference between this and the 1080p HD version. The color palette is a bit brighter in the film itself than in the other movies, so the HDR gives a good uptick in those primary colors, along with neon greens, purples, and other supernatural effects. The black levels are inkier and richer with the HDR 4K image and the white levels in bright explosions look more balanced than they do on the Blu-ray copy.
The animation lines and simplistic nature of the drawings still look good and smooth, but again, these DCAUs don't offer a ton of depth as Disney animated films deliver. Still, there are some details in the buildings and backgrounds that are better than normal, and with the new more modern visual style, everything feels a little more polished, which may or may not be the best thing based on personal choices. Still, this is a great-looking picture and the 4K with HDR is certainly the way to go.
This release comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track that does its job well for being a DCAU movie. Sound effects are ripe with a low end of the bass, especially during supernatural sequences, explosions, vehicles driving by, and when the music score crescendos. The ambient noises come through the surround speakers often and with clarity. The quieter moments in big spaces offer up the necessary atmospherics with good reverb too. The dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow. This is a solid audio track that falls in line with the rest of these films.
Finally, more than a few minutes of extras that focus on the actual film at hand. Included are the same four cast and crew members that talk about the characters, tone, story, origins, and more of the movie. There are even a couple of episodes of Superman: Animated Series here as well.
Legion of Super-Heroes is fun enough but acts as kind of a side story to the more meaty and stable storylines inside the DCAU. The new modern animation style looks crisp in its 4K with HDR and the DTS-HD 5.1 mix sounds great. The bonus features are better than average as well. Recommended!
