Starring:
Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman (voice)
Maria Canals as Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl (voice)
Susan Eisenberg as Princess Diana/Wonder Woman (voice)
Phil LaMarr as John Stewart/Green Lantern (voice)
Carl Lumbly as J’onn J’onzz/The Martian Manhunter (voice)
George Newbern as Clark Kent/Superman (voice)
Michael Rosenbaum as Wally West/The Flash (voice)
Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor (voice)
Oded Fehr as Dr. Fate (voice)
Will Friedle as Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern (voice)
Jennifer Hale as Inza Nelson (voice)
John C. McGinley as The Atom (voice)
Robert Picardo as Amazo (voice)
Nicholle Tom as Supergirl (voice)
Chris Cox as Captain Atom (voice)
Lori Loughlin as Dr. Tracy Simmons (voice)
Jeremy Piven as The Elongated Man (voice)
Tom Everett Scott as Booster Gold (voice)
Kath Soucie as Young Boy (voice)
Billy West as Skeets (voice)
Dana Delany as Loana (voice)
Mike Farrell as Pa Kent (voice)
Josh Hutcherson as Van El (voice)
Christopher McDonald as Jor El (voice)
Eric Roberts as Mongul (voice)
Special Features:
The Science of Superheroes: secrets behind Superman’s power of flight
Voices of Justice: super voice lessons from the professionals
Justice League Superhero challenge
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Surround Stereo
Spanish and French Languages
Running Time: 68 Minutes
Synopsis:
This DVD contains three episodes of the series that originally aired in 2004. The following is the description from the DVD cover:
“Three episodes from Season One of Justice League Unlimited are included on this collection. The League are a fearless bunch of superheroes who have combined to keep some of the Universe’s unsavory forces at bay. In “The Greatest Story Never Told,” the little-known hero known as Booster Gold swings into action by appearing from the future. “For The Man Who Has Everything” sees Superman, Batman, and others uniting to celebrate the Man of Steel’s birthday, but a few surprises are in store. Finally, “The Return” sees the League teaming up in an attempt to thwart Superman’s arch enemy, Lex Luthor.”
Justice League Unlimited: Joining Forces – Season 1 Vol. 2 is not rated.
The Series:
Let’s get this out of the way first it stinks that Warner Brothers is only releasing a few episodes at a time rather than the entire season at once. It means that Justice League fans will either have to wait to get them all in one set or shell out twice the money to see them early. It’s a pain, but that’s how WB operates.
Nastiness aside, I love Justice League Unlimited and I think it’s a fantastic series. They only chose three episodes to include on this DVD, but they chose a nice variety of them. They feature a personal story for Superman, an epic battle to save the Earth, and a comedy starring a C-Grade comic character.
First up is “For the Man Who Has Everything”. It just features Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. It’s nice to see episodes featuring just the core heroes despite the fact that Unlimited has added almost every single character in the DC Universe. It shows the series creators still know what fans want to see. This episode is also unique because it shows the heroes being taken over by an alien that allows them to dream about their ideal life. Superman dreams of living as a farmer on Krypton with a wife (who looks like Lois) and a son. Batman also dreams of his father kicking the butt of the robber who ultimately murdered his parents. It’s a very deep episode and one that should please adults and kids alike. And don’t forget the slugfest between Wonder Woman and Mongul.
The second episode, “The Return”, features a large number of the characters as they fight off an android returning to Earth who is determined to hunt down Lex Luthor. A space battle worthy of Star Wars takes place as every DC hero tries to fight him off. Everyone from Superman to the Atom to the Green Lantern Corp are shown. If you like action, you’ll love this.
Finally, there’s “The Greatest Story Never Told”. It’s unique because it’s really a comedy episode that features the C-Grade character Booster Gold. He’s cocky, desperate for fame, and underappreciated. It’s quite funny to see him relegated to crowd control as a battle of epic proportions takes place off screen. However, Booster must save the world on his own as a crisis develops while the other heroes are occupied. The story is hilarious and a great contrast to many of the more serious Justice League episodes that have appeared.
If you can’t wait to get the complete season in a DVD set, then these three short episodes will still please you. They’re fun, exciting, and humorous. They will especially please comic fans and kids will love them. I also recommend Justice League Unlimited to fans of animation or action/adventure.
The Extras:
There are a few bonus features included on this DVD:
The Science of Superheroes Superman’s powers are highlighted in this. A real life scientist talks about other planets, x-ray vision, flying, and more. It’s a fun little bit of science for kids.
Voices of Justice – Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Phil LaMarr (Green Lantern), and George Newbern (Superman) are interviewed in this featurette. They talk about how they play their roles, how they got into voice acting, and what kids could do to get into voice acting as well. It’s amazing how different LaMarr’s regular voice is from his Green Lantern voice.
Justice League Superhero challenge This is a very simple trivia game for kids. Older fans won’t be challenged by it. You answer questions about the characters and there’s a short clip montage at the end.
The Bottom Line:
While Justice League Unlimited: Joining Forces only has three episodes to offer fans, they are really entertaining episodes. If you can’t wait for the full season set, this will have plenty of action, adventure, and humor for you. It’s great entertainment for kids and adults.
