|
Justice
League Unlimited
Destroyer
Original U.S. Airdate - 05/13/06
The
Daily Planet must have installed escape pods years ago.
It's the only explanation I have for how those people aren't
dead.
Wait,
I'm getting ahead of myself...
When
we last left our rag tag bunch of heroic metahumans, they
were face to face with their villainous counterparts. Lex
Luthor and the Secret Society (great band name) had brought
Darkseid back from the dead and now needed the Justice League's
help in cleaning up that mess. They, of course, agree.
As
Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips begin their invasion
of Earth, the Secret League of Society and Justice Unlimited
(trademark pending) mobilize the counter attack.
Mr.
Terrific, Hawkgirl and Steel take out the magma tappers
in Washington. Flash and Green Lantern battle in Paris.
An unfamiliar old man joins the fight in China, only to
reveal himself as someone very familiar and surprising.
Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor take the fight directly
to Darkseid on the rooftops of Metropolis.
In the end, the good guys win, a legend
returns, the Earth is saved and the Fanboys are left crying
through their orgasms as a very fine show comes to a satisfying
end.
In
preparation for this review, I reread my review of the Justice
League finale, Starcrossed.
That finale was a grand and elegant example of the quality
work that Bruce Timm and his team have done with their pocket
sized version of the DCU over the last few decades. Starcrossed
not only felt like a blockbuster movie, it brought Justice
League to an explosive and satisfying conclusion.
Destroyer
recaptured some of that magic, but not all of it. The fight
scenes were fun to watch, but didn't leave me breathless.
Superman and Batman fighting Darkseid should have been momentous,
but was instead just pretty damn cool, especially with Superman
admitting how good it feels to finally be able to let loose
and just punch away at full strength.
In
typical Justice League Unlimited fashion, the episode
did seem rushed by its own time constraints. An extra half
an hour of time might have given the writers a chance to
stretch their legs and really build another blockbuster
finale as they have done in the past. As enjoyable as the
finale was, it left me wanting so much more.
Destroyer
also leaves an opening for another series, or at the very
least the continuing adventures of your own imagination.
Unfortunately,
my imagination is nothing compared to Bruce Timm's and his
writing staff. Hurry back soon, Justice League. (Derek's
note: DC will still be publishing Justice League Unlimited
as part of their DC Kids' line, and the issues I've seen
have actually done a really good job of dealing with dangling
plot threads from the series. Plus they worked in Mary Marvel.)
From
my review of the pilot episode Initiation on 08-02-04,
"From the ashes of Batman, Superman and Justice
League, Bruce Timm brings to Cartoon Network Justice
League Unlimited. If it lives up to the hype, it should
feature all your favorite DC characters and Vibe.
Did
it live up to the hype? You bet your sweet ass it did.
Did
it make Vibe cool? Yes, by having him never say a word.
|
