Director: Rick Morales
Distributor: Warner Home Video
Duration: 75 minutes
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash (DVD) – Movie Review
It has only been a few months since the LEGO version of the Justice League defeated the Legion of Doom and returned the world to its former, rather tranquil state. Nonetheless, as we all know, peace seems to be an unachievable goal for many of DC’s superheroes thus it would only be a matter of time before things go awry again. This time it won’t be an earthly threat however, but one from the corners of the universe, namely a planet eating ship that stores different planets in jars to catalogue them. Prepare for slapstick humor, fierce battles and lots and lots of LEGO bricks.
It’s no secret that Batman (Troy Baker) is a rather gloomy character, who takes things too seriously and actually likes to do things on his own. This is something that Superman (Nolan North), Wonder Woman (Grey Griffin), The Flash (James Arnold Taylor), Green Lantern (Josh Keaton) and Cyborg (Khary Payton) also noticed and they often see Batman more as a competitor who is scheming to take them out, should they ever go rogue, instead of a friend. Nonetheless, they work together as one but there’s a lack of teamwork, especially when Batman suggests certain courses of action, the rest is often already rushing into battle or simply doing things their own, sometimes ineffective way. This becomes even more clear when a strange threat appears from space, Brainiac (Phil LaMarr). This evil android life form was originally created to catalogue all planets in the universe, but due to a programming error, he has taken his ‘collection frenzy’ a bit too far. While he was supposed to simply collect data, he is now actually collecting the planets themselves by shrinking them, storing them in glass bottles and putting them on his trophy wall.
During the first skirmish, the chaotic team play of the Justice League managed to scare him away, but it was only a matter of time before Brainiac would come back with a new plan to complete his collection of planets. Upon his return, in a new tiny spaceship, the heroes again rush into battle, even though Batman suggested pondering about a new game plan first. Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern decide they can handle things on their own, but are sorely mistaken when Brainiac zaps them into both the past and the future, leaving Batman, The Flash and Cyborg behind to fend for themselves. Luckily the mast detective and inventor has a suggestion of transforming the Batmobile into a time machine, powered by the Flash’s uncanny speed ability, while Cyborg has to call in the backup League members. The latter proves to be quite difficult, as most members are not even close to Earth at the moment, so he’ll have to call in the still inexperienced Supergirl (Jessica DiCicco). It’s hard to imagine the survival of the Earth with only Cyborg and Supergirl on the frontlines.
Compared to the previous LEGO DC feature film, the pace of this one is a lot faster and actually a lot more pleasant. There are never any real dull moments or there is never a lack of action, which makes this movie a tad more fun for both young and old, as things never get truly complicated but never too slow for adults either. The overall premise of this movie is still very lighthearted, especially when it comes to the typical LEGO humor, that has become quite iconic thanks to the games, which is very much present in this movie.
The creators did a great job of making a viable DC universe with its heroes and villains inside the LEGO franchise, staying true to the source material, albeit with a childish touch. Perhaps some scenes might be a bit too childish for the main audience that will buy these movies, but overall things have been portrayed in a great fashion. Only the city views felt a bit empty at times, making it seem like the heroes and their arch nemesis were the only characters present from time to time.
It’s no secret anymore that these DC movies are qualitative, both when it comes to the overall story value but most importantly the cast that keeps everything afloat. Again for this movie, a top cast was utilized that can also be seen in the more adult DC movies, creating a certain consistency throughout the many releases of the last two years. You’ll notice that every single character suits its LEGO-nized character perfectly and even the more kid-friendly dialogues still sound good from the mouths of weathered DC voice actors.
Compared to the other movies this DVD release has hardly any extra footage you can enjoy. There’s only a gag reel, which in reality is more of a trailer with some ‘funny’ scenes mixed in-between. Overall a small little gimmick, but only three minutes of extra footage is hardly worth mentioning.
Conclusion
Cosmic Clash is a fun continuation of the LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes series and it shows that the creators are doing an effort to improve the quality of these movies with each release. You’ll be in for a bumpy ride about friendship and an intergalactic threat, all while keeping the LEGO slapstick humor intact. Certainly worth the watch if you’re into both franchises.
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