At this point, I must confess, I never read the Darwyn Cooke comic series on which Justice League: The New Frontier was based. Still, the sight of the film, its vivid animation, and well-paced narrative is enough for film fans alone to take it seriously.
While not an epic in terms of runtime, the film carries itself as if it were a David Lean superhero film. We do tend to lose some context and character because the film is only 75-minutes long, but the film's focus on unlikely characters like Hal Jordan and The Flash is enough for us to forgive the apparent lack of Batman and Superman. They do have their own franchises and animated series, after all.
In terms of its political context, I can't imagine a better time for Justice League: The New Frontier to have been released as a film. Hearing JFK's acceptance speech from the 1960 Democratic Convention over the animated montages of our Justice Leaguers is inspiring enough, but in a time when we need a New Frontier president and a community of responsible citizens willing to come together for the common good, Justice League: The New Frontier proves to be as timely as it is entertaining.
DC and Warner, you may have created a monster here. It's going to take one hell of a live-action Justice League movie to beat what was accomplished in The New Frontier. Sure, there's room for improvement, but the boldness of Justice League: The New Frontier lies in what it can do as a film that doesn't rely solely on the conventions of the contemporary superhero film genre.
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