Wednesday, May 21, 2014

JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time Reviewed

This one snuck up on us...like some...sneaky DVD release that, for some mysterious reason, no one wanted you to question!! Yeaa...we'll go with that. Was this the beginning of a "Super Friends Power Hour" for a new generation??!! Was this to be the start of a series of direct to DVD releases aimed at a younger audience while we still enjoy our ridiculously (often) morose tales of the DC Universe??!! Welp, I've not done the googling, and I can't recall anyone uncovering the truth behind the stealth release of JLA: Trapped in Time but I'm here to say...they are onto something.

The story begins with the Legion of Doom attempting to grow the polar ice caps resulting in the Earth's water levels lowering, thus creating new land masses owned by Lex Luthor in a stunt that would make the creators of the original Superman movie blush with pride. Without revealing too much, the Justice League shows up to unleash righteous hell upon the Legion (on the ground and in space), causing random chaos that leaves Lex entombed in ice. Flash forward to an odd future where people keep dangerous objects on display for all to poke at....because we are civilized now, god damnit. Long story short, Lex is freed by some rambunctious, would be Legion of Super Heroes members, steals a time portal device, along with it's super creepy captive, and heads for the past where he will rid the world of Superman ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!



Leave your brains at the door, folks! No amount of Godzilla-like exploration is warranted or needed for this title...as your article title would be "300 plot holes and problems with general science logic". This one is for the kiddies and those of us that fondly remember the bygone era of The Super Friends, whole-heartedly wishing this DVD release is the start of a new series with all that cornball humor (bad puns please!!), goofy antics and inexplicable turbo gear for characters that never wanted nor needed such things. And also geek stoners. This one's for you. Of course, the phrase "goofy antics" has caught your eye and now you are begging for more info. How does a chase scene where the Legion of Doom are attempting to kidnap baby Superman from the Kents grab you?! Do they just blow up the family truck and kill them outright to prevent them from picking up the little super strong alien? Nope. Do they simply lay out tacks in the road to cause a flat tire, thus preventing them from ever seeing the ship go down? Nope. Let's just say, the answer involves disguises....bad disguises...and fake voices. Oh man. So damn silly it's brilliant.


From the oddball themed vehicles of the Legion of Doom to the snappy, dimwitted patter of it's members and, on a more artistic note, the fantastic animation across the board, JLA: Trapped in Time is a joy to watch....right up to the moment where they suck all joy from the film, stop using the Legion of Doom and go waaaay dark with the whole plot line...a secondary one that makes little sense and comes out of nowhere. It's the kind of thing where you imagine the first half was written by the children of Bruce Timm and the second half handed off to the allstar Warner Bros intern staff who made sure to peek up from their cubicle and yell "This is still super heroey....yea??" I'll also argue that 90% of the funny is given to the Legion of Doom and Robin, which is to say there are many, many missed opportunities to rekindle that old Justice League magic.



Silly antics abound, favorite characters aplenty and a fair sprinkling of easter eggs make this title a must have for older DC fans... especially those of you with kids who don't feel the need to overthink the content. Switch off that hater brain and enjoy!

JLA Adventures: Trapped in time is on sale NOW. Click HERE to order it with the least effort possible..and for 35% off!

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