7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Green Lantern Corps patrols the galaxy, fighting evil. But in the farthest reaches of deep space where few Lanterns patrol, a new evil is rising — the Red Lanterns! Hal Jordan and fellow Lantern Kilowog defy The Guardians of the Universe and board a new experimental spacecraft, the Interceptor, and race to the Guardian Frontier, but Hal, Kilowog and fellow Green Lanterns Tomar-Re and Aya discover an even greater evil that threatens to extinguish all life.
Starring: Josh Keaton, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jason Spisak, Grey Griffin, Brian GeorgeComic book | 100% |
Animation | 99% |
Action | 43% |
Sci-Fi | 42% |
Adventure | 39% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When the Warner Archive Collection ("WAC") first announced its move into Blu-ray, no one expected it would prove such a boon to fans of DC Comics animation series. To date, though, WAC has issued three of those shows from its Cartoon Network "DC Nation" block: the first season of Batman: The Brave and the Bold; the first part of season one of Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham; and most recently the complete Green Lantern: The Animated Series. In many respects, Green Lantern is the most intriguing of the three. Though well received by DC fans, it was canceled after only a season, in large part due to the poor performance of the feature film starring Ryan Reynolds. TV series canceled early typically don't get Blu-ray releases unless they develop a fanatical cult following (e.g., Firefly), which Green Lantern never had the opportunity to do. If you look at WAC's DVD program, however, the release of TV on Blu-ray is true to form. On DVD, WAC has issued not only hard-to-find movies, but also extensive TV fare that would not sell enough copies to justify the expense of creating extras, a full-scale pressing and major distribution. Through the "made on demand" (a/k/a "MOD") model, WAC has nevertheless made these shows available. WAC's Blu-ray program has been slow at getting off the ground, and fans have been vocal in their disappointment. Then again, WAC cannot do with Blu-ray what it has often done on DVD, which is to release an old master with the disclaimer that the material is presented "as is", without restoration. Blu-ray is too exacting a medium, and its purchasers too unforgiving an audience, to tolerate such an approach. Suitable source material has to be located and appropriate restoration performed—all of which only adds to the appeal of recent animation series for WAC's TV releases, especially a show like Green Lantern, which was the first Warner/DC series to be entirely computer-generated.
Green Lantern: The Animated Series arrives on two 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-rays from Warner Animated Collection, with WAC's basic menu and quick loading time. Computer-generated animation has always made a good match with Blu-ray, and these 26 episodes are no exception. Colors are vibrant, details are sharp and the blacks (of space, of dark caves and tunnels and various hiding places) are solid and true. The only visual distortion to report is occasional light banding that can sometimes be glimpsed in large expanses of a single color; most viewers probably won't notice. Otherwise, this is a near-flawless transfer, as one would expect in a straight digital-to-digital transition, with no intervening analog stage. The average bitrate of 19.11 Mbps might be low for a live action feature captured on film, but it's adequate for digital animation, especially where many of the surfaces are smooth and untextured.
The original stereo soundtrack for each Green Lantern episode is presented in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0. It's an entertaining mix, especially when played through a good surround decoder that expands the sense of presence for the various planetary environments, the hum of engines aboard the Interceptor and the rock 'em, sock 'em pounding of the various battles. The dialogue is rendered with all the clarity one would expect from a contemporary mixing suite, and the appropriately heroic score by Frederik Wiedmann rings out with clarity.
The two-disc set has no extras.
If you were a fan of the Green Lantern series on Cartoon Network, WAC's release provides a reasonably priced opportunity to own every episode, including some you may have missed. If you're new to the series but enjoy the world of Green Lantern (or DC Comics in general), The Animated Series is a superior entry, suitable for binge viewing and complex enough to be worth revisiting. The series ended too soon, and one can see in the final moments of episode 26 the hints of where the writers might have taken the series in a second season. But at least they concluded on a satisfying note. Highly recommended.
Season One / Warner Archive Collection
2011-2012
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #13
2012
2011
Warner Archive Collection
2004-2006
DC Comics Classic Collection
2003-2004
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #6
2009
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #5
2009
Warner Archive Collection
2006-2008
The Complete Second Season
2011-2012
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #11
2011
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #18
2013
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #17
2013
Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #4
2009
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #26
2016
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #8
2010
2008-2009
2006
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #1
2007
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #14
2012
1978