Categories: Movie Reviews

LEGO Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom! – Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

Lex Luthor and his secret ally Darkseid decide to form a Legion of Doom to bring the greatest criminals together in an effort to take over Earth and rid it of the Justice League. Their first caper is to attack the government’s secret Area 52 to kidnap a powerful shape-shifting alien. After luring the Justice League to the site of an impending nuclear reactor meltdown, our heroes are framed and banished from the planet. Just when it seems that they will be lost in space forever, help comes from an unexpected place and the showdown to save Earth begins.

Specifications

Warner Brothers
2015, Color, Not rated, 1 Hr 17 mins
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Dee Bradley Baker, Troy Baker, John DiMaggio
Directed by Rick Morales

Rating

Entertainment:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Violence: Cartoon, OK for kids
Sex: No
Language: No

Commentary

Animated films like this are a great way to introduce kids to classic comic book heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and several other newcomers. The fact that they are in LEGO form adds to an already fun presentation. The whole package has a Saturday-morning cartoon feel even down to the full orchestra playing in the background. I was reminded of the original cartoon version of The Justice League that was on TV during the Seventies.

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Of course the backdrop and the humor has been updated with nods to many new things familiar to kids of today. There’s a great video-game sequence in the Hall of Doom that that had me checking to see if my PlayStation was on. And there are plenty of positive messages sprinkled throughout the dialog. I think any kid over six years old will enjoy the story, the action and the presentation. If you’re a sci-fi buff, listen carefully for the voiceovers from Tony Todd and Mark Hamill. One warning: if you watch the commercial for LEGO Dimensions that plays before the film, you’ll want one!

Technical

The CGI image is pretty much perfect in every way; not surprising since it’s never been passed through a lens. The only flaw is occasional banding in areas with subtle color gradation. It looked to me like a compression artifact. Kudos go to the animators who created a cool orange-peel texture on all the LEGO characters. During close-up shots you can really see it. It reinforces the fact that everything you’re seeing is made of plastic.

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Even though this is essentially a kid’s cartoon, no effort was spared on the sound design quality. The DTS-HD Master Audio encode is a tour-de-force from beginning to end. Action scenes have great slam and impact and the dialog has great depth and clarity. The music is balanced just right as well.

Extras

The only bonus features are a 20-minute documentary on the film’s sound design and a trailer.

Chris Eberle

Chris' passion for audio began when he took up playing the bassoon at age 12. During his third year at the New England Conservatory of Music, he won a position with the West Point Band where he served for 26 years as principal bassoonist. He retired from the Army in 2013 and is now writing full time and performing as a freelance musician in Central Florida. As an avid movie lover, Chris was unable to turn away the 50-inch Samsung DLP TV that arrived at his door one day, thus launching him irrevocably into an obsession with home theater. Dissatisfied with the image quality of his new acquisition, Chris trained with the Imaging Science Foundation in 2006 and became a professional display calibrator. His ultimate theater desires were realized when he completed construction of a dedicated cinema/listening room in his home. Chris is extremely fortunate that his need for quality audio and video is shared and supported by his wife of over 25 years. In his spare time he enjoys riding his recumbent trike at least 100 miles per week, trying out new restaurants, going to theme parks and spending as much time as possible watching movies and listening to music. Chris enjoys bringing his observations and discoveries about every kind of home theater product to as many curious and well-informed readers as possible. He is proud to be a part of the Team and hopes to help everyone enjoy their AV experiences to the fullest.