(While I am not a comic otaku, I will strive to reflect on the links this film has to whatever comic it attempts to adapt. This is to pay respect to Linkara, a true comic otaku; he’s not dead btw)
This will be the second Justice League film I’ve reviewed and may be the last titled as such. This one resonates much more with fans of the old DC comics, mostly because it’s called the Justice Society initially. Many would be confused about that state of affairs, not to mention the whole issue with the 50s themes reflected in the context of the film. Anyway, onto synopsis.
We are told a story by an entity that has lived in the center of the earth (somehow) and evolved beyond human comprehension. As it observed humans evolve into more destructive and terrible beings (in its own view), it concludes that humans must be destroyed. The person illustrating the book as it is being communicated to them proceeds to shoot themselves with a revolver. Even the introductory sequence of credits tells a bit of backstory, where the government has begun to regard the masked superheroes as enemies of the state or communist spies. This only further supports the setting of this particular film in the aftermath of the World wars and the Korean War as well. Technically this isn’t a backstory as much as a reference to the original comic this connects to, The New Frontier. Hourman, a somewhat unknown hero in DC is killed and the Justice League starts separating a bit. The next scene introduces one Hal Jordan and Ace Morgan, pilots flying over North Korea and being told by Lois Lane on the radio that a ceasefire has been declared. Unfortunately Hal is shot down, managing to survive, but being attacked by a Korean soldier. He is forced in the heat of the moment to kill the soldier, even after trying to tell him the war was over. Elsewhere, a scientist has had a heart attack from unknowingly teleporting the Martian Manhunter to Earth. J’onn J’onzz then hides the body and takes over his role for a time. We shift to Superman meeting Wonder Woman who has “liberated” a group of Indo-Chinese (?) women, who subsequently killed the men who had enslaved them for sexual purposes. Superman and Wonder Woman argue about the principles they’re fighting for and if this is really helping with superheroes performing vigilante justice. With Batman a fugitive, the Justice Society disbanded and a member dead (Hourman), Superman is concerned that Wonder Woman might be taking her beliefs too far and violating the loyalty oaths they signed. Meanwhile, the Martian Manhunter has integrated into society more and watches TV as any other person would in the evening. Superman talks with Lois about Wonder Woman and Batman’s unwillingness to sacrifice their beliefs for friends, Lois responding that Superman and the others need to stand for what America really is and lead the people. The scene shifts to Vegas where Hal Jordan and Ace are gambling and apparently wasting their time before Ace reveals a surprise for Hal. Meanwhile cartoon Don Knotts (not really) is flirting with what is revealed to be The Flash’s (Barry Allen version) girlfriend (or fiancée), Iris. The nightclub she’s at gets attacked by Captain Cold, whom Flash thwarts after getting the cryogenic bombs that he set around the city. But Captain Cold is taken over by a mysterious presence sounding much like the entity called the Center in the beginning. Flash stops him by having messed with his freeze gun and causing it to temporarily snow in Vegas (thanks to Captain Cold’s bombs). Hal Jordan drives with Ace to a secret military facility where he is told that he is being offered a job to be a test pilot, just like he wanted before he had the incident in Korea. The Martian Manhunter goes out on another mission, taking on the guise of a television detective. Hal meets the daughter of his boss, reflecting that he came out better after his incident in Korea, recovering in a VA hospital, and that he’s ready to start his job in earnest. J’onn and his friend run into Batman stopping a cult trying to sacrifice a child and J’onn is paralyzed by the fire that starts (part of his Martian heritage). Batman stops the cultists and they separate, recognizing that there’s a pattern involving the entity referenced as the Center, even in the cult. Hal continues his training under General Flagg, who reveals to Carol (Hal’s obvious romantic interest) that Hal is training for something very important, though we don’t know what he means quite yet. One guy involved with the testing shows the Center’s influence on people, making them behave erratically and delusional. We shift to Carol driving Hal to a secret base where they reveal that he has been trained to be a pilot to Mars. King Farraday, special agent for the government, is involved in the project, paranoid of what might be on Mars and what has already come to earth. The Martian Manhunter and Batman talk about the cult’s spread and its connection to the Center, Batman willing to trust J’onn but noting that he knows his weakness, just as he knows Superman’s. In Central City (or close to it) Gorilla Grodd rampages and Flash stops him, though it is revealed the ape is a robot decoy. The government tries to kidnap Barry and he manages to narrowly escape. J’onn talks to a scientist in the government who tells him more about the Center’s plans to eliminate all human life as well as the top secret Mars mission the government is keeping tabs on. King Farraday speaks with J’onn, denying the Mars mission, J’onn discovering that the Mars mission is real by touching Farraday’s hand. Flash runs in on the news report and tells the world he is “retiring” from being a superhero because the government is too paranoid of people like him. J’onn leaves to meet Batman, give him the info he has on the Center and the cults, as well as tell him his intention to return to Mars, because he can’t trust humans. Batman wishes him well as he leaves just as quickly as he came. Hal Jordan and Rick Flagg are preparing to launch, while J’onn attempts to get on the ship. He is stopped by Farraday and J’onn manages to get the two clear of the rocket as it launches, knocked unconscious by the effort. The rocket launches successfully, but then suffers complications and begins to crash. Hal is told by Colonel Flagg that there are weapons onboard, in case the Martians turned out to be hostile. Rick nearly presses the self destruct button, but Hal knocks him out, trying to pilot the ship back safely to the ground. Eventually Flagg recovers consciousness, knocking Hal out of the ship. Hal is saved by Superman, while Flagg detonates the ship, killing himself. Meanwhile, Hal is returned home, and the Martian is imprisoned, Superman pointing out the hypocrisy of the government keeping the Martian in prison as opposed to Superman, though they’re both so powerful and both aliens. Wonder Woman duels with a fellow Amazon, who eventually lets her know that she might be taken from her position. But then a giant unknown entity appears at the island and the Amazons prepare to fight it. Hal Jordan is suddenly taken away by a mysterious green aura that transports him to one Abin Sur, a Green Lantern who gives his ring to Hal, knowing that he will do the right thing. Batman and Superman converse about the Center. They then hear a radio broadcast about a giant pterodactyl attacking Cape Canaveral. Superman stops the creature and then helps Wonder Woman after she crash lands in her invisible jet, covered in blood and revealing that a bigger threat is coming to the U.S. Meanwhile Farraday and the Martian speak while playing chess, the Martian concluding that it is best that he stay here and help the Earth in advancing justice so that people won’t have to suffer needlessly. Lois continues to report on the oncoming threat, Flash and Hal both heading for the Cape to stop the enemy. Hal is confronted by Carol about his cowardice and hypocrisy in fighting, responding that he is willing to fight to protect what is right, even if he didn’t kill people in war before. And they kiss in the most romantic spot ever, behind a jet engine. Flash and other heroes meet up with the army, who is trying to stop them from helping, eventually concluding with Superman’s mediation that they need to work together to stop this enemy instead of fighting amongst themselves. Superman goes to recon on the object while the others regroup. Superman fights against the Dinosaur Island form of the Center, but is taken down, the others mourning him while still thinking of a plan. Ray Palmer, otherwise known as the Atom, is recruited for his shrinking device, which turns everything it shrinks into an unstable form of matter. The idea is for the Flash to run around the thing as fast as possible and shrink it to destroy it. Hal Jordan and Ace Morgan volunteer to fly inside the thing to bomb it as well. The attack begins in earnest, planes bombing on the outside initially to distract it so the Flash can begin his task. Martian Manhunter is attacked psychically and saved by Farraday, though in the battle, Farraday is eaten by a dinosaur, though Farraday takes two grenades in with him, blowing its head off. Inside the Center, Hal and Ace are assaulted by acid trip illusions and then ugly red stuff that threatens to kill them. Hal finally understands the power of the ring and saves Ace and flies out. Flash meanwhile manages to run the shrink device around the Center and destroy it. But the explosion threatens to destroy a large chunk of earth. Green Lantern then takes on the task, throwing the giant exploding island into space, saving earth. Superman is revealed to have been saved by Aquaman, who will eventually become a member of the new Justice League. The film concludes with JFK’s speech called “The New Frontier”, various events taking place as the new horizon is presented to the viewer.
There are obvious differences of character depiction, some that were identical in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Hal Jordan is the Green Lantern again, Martian Manhunter takes on his classical appearance (unlike the more alien appearance he takes in virtually every other version) and Wonder Woman wears a skirt, unlike her more liberated modern counterpart, it seems. Batman is still decidedly dark, but in the concluding scene, he reminds me of the one from the Adam West serials. Superman is a balance of his 50s version and more modern versions, though still the Boy Scout as many would call him. King Farraday’s role is similar, a government liaison, though not as he was in Justice League Unlimited, this version initially skeptical of superheroes and Martians especially. But he at least is redeemed, unlike Rick Flagg Sr., whose son praises him in the ending scenes even though he doesn’t realize his dad was willing to kill himself and cover up the government’s dangerous plan instead of trying to save people and fess up as Hal was doing. That whole issue could comprise a theme, but I’ll keep them brief.
There are three main themes, two of them about character development. The other is the overarching idea that the Justice League is formed by a group of otherwise differing people, ranging from Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and the Flash to Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern as the newcomers, coming together to protect a populace that may initially be afraid of them, but also realizes that they have their best interests at heart as fellow Americans and fellow humans (and one Martian). Hal Jordan’s development from a wisecracking pilot to a changed man after his experiences in Korea are reflected as he begins to question the military’s actions and then confronts his new role as the Green Lantern in the end. Martian Manhunter is more complex, initially coming by accident and causing a scientist’s death, progressively seeing the evils of humanity and nearly leaving, but even with Farraday threatening and imprisoning him, he chooses in the end to protect Earth as his new home. We’ll see a more extended look at Green Lantern in a future film review, btw.
In conclusion, I would recommend this film to any classic fans as well as younger fans of Justice League Unlimited. The history in here is something that can motivate young minds to inquire into the past and the resonance with the nostalgic days will be appreciated by older fans. The plot does shift around a lot, so you have to keep lots of characters straight, but the overarching theme of conquering the Center serves as a guiding point for the converging subplots. The final rating is 5 out of 5 with about a 70-80% recommendation due to the potential confusion that may assault a new viewer with the differing exposures they may have had to the Justice League as well as other unfamiliar figures, such as Rick Flagg and Hourman, much less well known to many fans of DC. Until next time, Namaste and Aloha.
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