Legion of Super-Heroes
Studio: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Runtime: 83 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 4K UltraHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Digital – February 7, 2023
Synopsis: Supergirl ventures to the 31st century to find answers to her present-day dilemmas, only to encounter new problems and an old enemy in Legion of Super-Heroes, the feature-length DC Universe Movie adventure available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray+Digital, Blu-ray, and Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.
Special Features
4K, Blu-ray and Digital
-The Legion Behind The Legion – It took a heroic effort from a legion of writers, artists, animators and filmmakers to bring Legion of Super-Heroes to life. In this featurette, filmmakers and stars give us a deep dive into the making of the movie, from the original story idea through character development and final animation.
-Meet the Legionnaires – There are dozens and dozens of Legion members, many of whom are featured in Legion of Super-Heroes. Who made the cut, and why? Lucky for us, the filmmakers are here to introduce us to each one – and give us some background on who they are, and why they’re important to the movie.
-Brainiac Attack: The Intellect Behind the Super-Villain – In Legion of Super-Heroes, Brainiac 5 proves himself to be the pinnacle of all Brainiac iterations, but how did he become that way? In this featurette, filmmakers explain what we should we know about the 4 Brainiacs who came before him, and how – and why – Brainiac 5 chose his own path.
-Down to Earth: The Story of Supergirl – Supergirl’s narrow escape from Krypton and her arrival on Earth is just the beginning of our story (literally). In this featurette, filmmakers explain why they chose to center Legion of Super-Heroes on Supergirl, what the backstory is between her and Superman at the start of the movie, and what exactly is going on between her and Brainiac 5.
-Bonus Episodes: Superman: The Animated Series “Little Girl Lost, Part One,” Superman: The Animated Series “Little Girl Lost, Part Two”
-Sneak Peaks: Justice League vs. The Fatal Five and Superman: Man of Tomorrow
Legion of Super-Heroes 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
By James Harvey
Following Supergirl’s adventures in the 31st century, the DC Universe Movie title Legion of Super Heroes comes to physical and digital media courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. As with the majority of the studio’s releases from this DC Comics-inspired line, the audio and video quality are top-notch and there’s a nice helping of bonus material that fans of the movie and characters will definitely enjoy.
When it comes to the best video and audio experience, the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Legion of Super-Heroes is unmistakably the way to go. It’s another solid presentation that’s a noticeable step-up in quality compared to the film’s other high-definition releases, even if it’s not a substantial difference. The 4K release looks strong with bold colors, deep blacks and bright whites and no noticeable compression or blocking issues. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 also sounds just as strong as expected here, offering up a boisterous audio mix that keeps things focused in the center, but makes fair use of each channel. It’s a well-balanced affair, with the track giving plenty of weight to the action scenes while making sure quieter moments are clear.
Both the Blu-ray and digital iterations for Legion of Super-Heroes make for fine purchases if 4K capabilities are lacking. The audio and video presentation might not be as comparatively strong on either, especially the video – which unfortunately suffers from occasional blocking and compression issues, but each respective formats still put on a good production.
In terms of bonus content, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has included a nice smattering of extra material, located on the packed-in Blu-ray disc, for viewers to enjoy after the feature film. First is “The Legion Behind the Legion,” a piece running short of five minutes that features production artwork mixed with producer Jim Krieg, writer Campbell, and voice actors Donnelly and Yuri Lowenthal discussing the film, That’s followed by “Down to Earth: The Story of Supergirl,” a roughly eight-minute featurette that covers the Maid of Might’s history and how she fits into Legion of Super-Heroes.
Up next is “Meet the Legionnaires,” an over-nine minute look that features more thoughts from Kreig (once again, clearly having fun doing these EPKs and enjoying some tasty coffee … cup) and company on the super-team and their respective roles. Lastly, the featurettes wrap up with “Brainiac Attack: The Intellect Behind the Super-Villain,” a dedicated look at the infamous DC Comics foe with comments again coming from some of the film’s creative team, and running a little over eight minutes in length.
Other extras include sneak peeks for the already-released Justice League vs. The Fatal Five and Superman: Man of Tomorrow movies, along with the Superman: The Animated Series two-part episode “Little Girl Lost (Part 1)(Part 2),” which introduces Supergirl to the classic cartoon series. Why not also include the Legion’s appearances in Superman: The Animated Series “New Kids In Town” and Justice League Unlimited “Far From Home,” or an episode from the 2006 Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon? Note that these bonus episodes are not included on the Legion of Super-Heroes‘ digital release.
Surprisingly, there’s also no preview for the next DC Universe Movie title, Justice League: War World (or even a trailer for March 2023’s Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham DC Animated Movie title). A curious omission.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release easily offers the best presentation for Legion of Super-Heroes, and remains the best package overall to purchase since it also includes the movie’s regular Blu-ray and Digital editions. Still, the Blu-Ray and Digital editions are fine presentations, especially if top-quality audio and video isn’t a priority, since they also offer the same rough amount of content overall (with an exception or two). It’s also worth noting, especially for collectors, that the spine artwork between the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD physical releases of Legion of Super-Heroes are still mismatched and don’t properly line up.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has put together another fine 4K release for Legion of Super-Heroes, giving the DC Universe Movie title a near-perfect transfer while also sprinkling in some nice bonus content. The Blu-ray and digital Legion of Super-Heroes iterations are also pretty strong showings for those respective formats, but die-hard fans and collectors should aim here for the best version available. With over an hour of bonus content and the best possible audio/video presentation, the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Legion of Super-Heroes clearly surpasses the rest and comes Recommended!
Please note that while Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment provided The World’s Finest with a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray copy of Legion of Super-Heroes to review, that had no bearing on the product’s final assessment. The author did purchase a copy of the film on iTunes for completion and comparison purposes.
Hold up, the review isn’t done just yet! Click the link below to read the Legion of Super-Heroes animated feature review!
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