Legion of Super-Heroes

Director - Jeff Wamester (Green Lantern: Beware My Power, Guardians of the Galaxy)

Starring - Meg Donnelly (The Winchesters, Z-O-M-B-I-E-S), Harry Shum Jr. (Greek, Mortal Kombat: Legacy), and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, My Blood Valentine)

Release Date - 2023

Genre - Sci-Fi/Action

Tagline - "The future of justice"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I’ve been watching the DC animated films for a few years now and most of the time they do not disappoint. I haven’t watched a lot of the older animated films but the ones from around 2016 or so on are mostly phenomenal films. A few weeks back I received the press release for Legion of the Super-Heroes. This particular group of heroes from DC are ones I’m not too familiar with but I was still open-minded about checking it out. Not long after that press release, I received a copy of the film on UHD for review. I was very interested in it to begin with but after receiving it for review I was even more intrigued after looking over the images on the back of the cover. After watching the disappointing crime thriller Mindcage I decided to take a step away from my beloved genre and check out this animated feature. 

      The film follows Kara, aka Supergirl, who arrived on Earth several months ago and is still struggling to live with the loss of her home planet Krypton. Her little cousin, Kal-El, was just a baby when his planet was destroyed and was able to grow up not knowing who he was while Kara was already a young woman who was lost in space before finally arriving on Earth. Kal-El notices her struggling to adapt and offers her an alternative. He sends her to the 31st century to train at a superhero academy. Unbeknownst to her, there is an evil organization known as the Dark Circle is scheming through both timelines and it’s up to her and a group of other super students to stop them before they can take over. 

      I will be completely up front and honest about Legion of Super-Heroes. It’s the weakest DC animated film I’ve seen to date but it’s not unwatchable. In fact, it was alright for a first time watch but I will not be throwing this one on again any time soon. It’s a cast of characters most people will not care for in a story that is pretty fucking lazy even for an animated film. It has its moments, but you really have to stick with it to find them. The voice acting in this one is probably the highlight of the film. No one really stands out, but the performances are very consistent. Honestly, I was expecting a little more out of the voice cast but what we do get is still great. I was just hoping they would have a little more personality and intensity at times. I’m more accused to the previous DC films and shows but not everything can be Teen Titans. The story for this one is an interesting premise but it’s a stretch at how we get there and then we have some questionable moments that doesn’t fully make sense. I had to continue reminding myself that I’m not really the intended audience for this one. The first big eye roll moment is how Superman just pulls a time traveling grenade out of his underwear and casually takes her into the future. Then, 1000 years apart, the Dark Circle is up to no good. It leaves you with more questions than answers but if you are a kid you may not think of these things. Finally, I really liked the animation in this one. It’s leagues above the previous DC animated film I reviewed. It’s more of a traditional style that I think fits the film much better than Battle of the Super Sons. Overall, Legion of Super-Heroes is not like the previous DC animated films that I had previously reviewed. The story takes big leaps without explain itself and the characters are not that likable but it’s something different and alright for a first time watch. DC fans will want to check it out but casual viewers may want to skip over it.