Justice Society: World War II
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release Date: April 27, 2021 – Digital; May 11, 2021 – 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray
Synopsis: The Flash speeds into the middle of an epic battle between Golden Age DC Super Heroes and Nazis in Justice Society: World War II, the next entry in the popular series of the DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the feature-length animated film will be released on Digital starting April 27, 2021, and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray on May 11, 2021. The film is rated PG-13 for violence and some bloody images.
Justice Society: World War II Special Features
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital
–DC Showcase – Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! (New Animated Short) – Jack Kirby’s beloved DC comic creation features the last civilized teenage boy on a post-apocalyptic Earth ruled by talking animals. In this short, Kamandi and his friends Prince Tuftan of the Tiger Kingdom and humanoid mutant Ben Boxer are kidnapped by a gorilla cult dedicated to finding the reincarnation of their god, The Mighty One. Golgan, the cult’s leader, puts Kamandi’s team through a series of deadly tests to find if any of them know the secret of … The Mighty One.
-Adventures in Storytelling: Justice Society: World War II (New Featurette) – The film’s creative minds chat about the methods used to produce the touchstone sequences in Justice Society: World War II.
-A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.
-Look Back – Justice League vs. Teen Titans (Featurette) – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Justice League vs. Teen Titans, a 2016 thriller that follows Damian Wayne’s induction into the Teen Titans. Complicating his training is the growing presence of Raven’s satanic, world-conquering father Trigon, whose escape plan from his inter-dimensional prison includes spreading his demonic forces across the globe, infiltrating the minds and bodies of the Justice League to do his bidding. To save the universe and prevent a literal hell on Earth, the Teen Titans must rescue – or defeat – the Justice League, and intern Trigon for all eternity.
-Look Back – Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (Featurette) – An intriguing glance into the production behind 2019’s Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, which finds Amazon Princess Diana helping a troubled young girl enlisted by a deadly organization known as Villainy, Inc., whose criminal members have their sights set on invading Themyscira. The expansive adventure is packed with brutal battles, mysterious mythology, and endless wonder!
From the DC Vault: Justice League: “Legends, Part One”
From the DC Vault: Justice League: “Legends, Part Two”
Editions covered in this review. Additional imagery below.
Justice Society: World War II 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Review
by James Harvey
Arriving on physical and digital media from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Justice Society: World War II looks smashing in 4K HD, plus it comes with a nice batch of bonus features. Not only does the release include a pretty radical DC Showcase short, but it also includes an interesting and informative 30-minute interview with some of the film’s creative team. With a great presentation for the main feature, and some enjoyable bonus content to enjoy afterwards, the studio has rolled out a solid release for this nifty DC Universe Movie title.
Looking first at the 4K Ultra HD audio and video transfers, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment gives Justice Society: World War II a stunning presentation. Starting with the solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, it packs a heckuva punch with the big action beats sounding suitably epic and hefty. The track makes use of each channel which, while still center-focused, creates an immersive experience. The sound mix is especially impressive when we find ourselves thrown back to World War II with The Flash! The video, sourced from a 2160p transfer, looks mighty impressive and remarkably crisp. Every line is solid, blacks are deep and every color full, with banding, compression and artifacting nearly non-existent. There’s a visually noticeable difference when compared to the regular 1080p Blu-ray transfer, and it’s a stronger 4K presentation compared to the digital edition. The 4K Ultra HD release features, of course, the best presentation Justice Society: World War II, with the digital and Blu-ray editions solid alternatives.
Moving on to the bonus content, first up is the 18-minute DC Showcase – Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! animated short which leans hard into the Jack Kirby roots of the beloved DC Comics cult character. Directed by Matt Peters and written by Paul Giacoppo, Kamandi must prove himself in a series of deadly tests in order to uncover the secret of The Mighty One. Starring Cameron Monaghan (Reign of the Supermen) as Kamandi, it’s fun jaunt into the post-apocalyptic trippy world that the Last Boy on Earth inhabits, which fans will undoubtedly love (plus, it even ties into Justice Society: World War II). While the animation quality can stumble here and there, overall it’s a visual feast that’s nearly impossible to take your eyes off of. The short is also scored by Robert J. Kral, so keep an ear out for some of his familiar themes from previous DC Comics animated work. Outside of the 1990s Silver Surfer animated series, it’s impossible to think of another animated project that so successfully pulls off that Kirby vibe. While it may not surpass the quality of some of the previous DC Showcase titles, Kamandi is no slouch and is a fine addition to the still-growing animated short line.
For more on DC Showcase – Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth!, click here.
Up next is the longest included bonus feature, “Adventures in Storytelling: Justice Society: World War II,” featuring supervising producer Butch Lukic, writers Jeremy Adams and Meghan Fitzmartin, producer Jim Krieg, and director Jeff Wamester. Here, the creators essentially chit-chat about how Justice Society: World War II came together for roughly 30 minutes and, yeah, it’s pretty super! Not only is it an enjoyable talk – everyone is sharing neat stories, jokes, inspirations and just having a great time discussing the film – but there’s also sprinkles of cool production and development tidbits throughout. Did you know this movie started out as a possible Wonder Woman animated series? Neat! It’s a terrific watch that, sadly, is done way too soon.
The bonus content wraps up with a hefty preview of the next DC Universe Movie title, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part 1, along with some Justice League bonus episodes and a selection of trailers and previews for other DC Comics-related and Warner Bros. titles.
With yet another excellent audio and video presentation, along with some enjoyable bonus content, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has served up a commendable home media release for Justice Society: World War II. Both the DC Showcase animated short and the 30-minute creator chat nicely compliment the main feature, and are both well worth your time. The overall package might be underwhelming compared to earlier DC Universe Movie titles, but given the current status of the home entertainment arena, it’s one of more well-rounded recent releases for the line. The quantity isn’t extensive, but the quality is definitely there. Justice Society: World War II is a great addition to any fan’s collection, and is worth adding to the home video library! Recommended.
Please note that while Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided The World’s Finest with a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray copy of Justice Society: World War II to review, that had no bearing on the product’s final assessment. The author also purchased a copy of the film on iTunes for completion and comparison purposes.
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