Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Cosmic Clash Blu-ray Movie Review

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a brick!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 28, 2017

The LEGO brand has arguably become better known for its adoption of various external properties such as DC and Marvel comics and, of course Star Wars, than it is for its own original creations (such as LEGO City). Those brands bring with them enormous, built-in fanbases that, when combined with LEGO, itself one of the most recognized brands in the world, seems to be a recipe for market domination and saturation. Evidence of such can found down toy isles (along with the lofty price tags...everyone's gotta get their cut), video game isles, and certainly, now, the movie isle. While LEGO is hard at work bringing LEGO Ninjago to the big screen, its first two major motion pictures -- The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie -- are built around those brand partnerships, the former a little more of a hybrid film in terms of mixing original LEGO content with outside sources. But LEGO has also been bringing a steady stream of smaller direct-to-video films to market featuring pre-established characters. Cosmic Clash is one such film, made entirely from the DC Universe, featuring several fan-favorite characters in a movie that's equal parts action and whacky in classic family-friendly LEGO style.

They're here! They're all here!

Brainiac (voiced by Phil LaMarr) has been shrinking and collecting the universe's planets, putting them into painstaking alphabetical order. His next target, by necessity to continue with his OCD obsession with the planets, is none other than Earth. He arrives in his planet-shrinking vessel, ready to do the deed, but is intercepted by the Justice League, which has been interrupted from a game of hide-and-seek to save the world. The assembled team -- Batman (voiced by Troy Baker), Superman (voiced by Nolan North), Wonder Woman (voiced by Grey Griffin), Cyborg (voiced by Khary Payton), Green Lantern (voiced by Josh Keaton), and Flash (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) -- repels the attack, but Brainiac isn't done. He retreats, regroups, and rearms. The second attack splits the team through time, leaving Batman and Flash to travel back in time to save their friends and Cyborg to ready defenses on present-day Earth.

Cosmic Clash keeps things simple, playful, and action-packed, three of the key ingredients necessary in making any DTV LEGO movie. The characters, and the heroes in particular, are depicted as grown-up kids, essentially, mature enough to harness their powers and understand what's at stake but still young-at-heart, fighting crime and injustice and alien invaders, as the case may be here, with a childlike innocence that sees them playing hide-and-seek one minute and fending off Earth's doom the next. Expect the usual barrage of verbal and physical gags, most of which hit, and most of which play right into the movie's tone. The action is almost secondary, and the story is almost tertiary, both giving way to the inherent charm and easygoing vibes that define the movie. It's easily digestible kids fare, no doubt about it, but it's smart in its breeziness, never grating but rather capturing that unmistakable LEGO spirit that has helped propel the brand's entertainment division to extraordinary heights.

One of the movie's great strengths is its diversity. It's fun to watch the heroes blasting away at Brainiac, but even at a compact sub-80-minute runtime, that would be too much straightforward action for one film. Cosmic Clash shakes things up a bit with some time travel and a few interesting locations and scenarios for the heroes to battle through, including a trip back in time to Earth's prehistoric days and a journey out to sea with pirates. Of course, it's all tongue-in-cheek; Batman battles a caveman in a scene that's very reminiscent (particularly musically) of Captain Kirk's battle with the Gorn. A stereotypical surfer dude shows up out of nowhere, but to great comic effect, in the pirate sequence, which also includes Batman and a shark. The movie gets in its share of jokes for the grown-ups too, but it finds that perfect LEGO balance between absurd kid's entertainment and pleasing-to-parents content, too. It's voiced well (and even without Will Arnett as the Caped Crusader, there's a classic Batman cadence to the voice) and animated with enough color and cheer to keep the kids interested even if the story line sometimes gets a hair too sidetracked in secondary antics.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Cosmic Clash Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner's 1080p Blu-ray presentation of Cosmic Clash is quite nice, buoyantly colorful and nicely detailed. It's certainly true that the character and environmental visuals lack the textural complexity found in the company's mainline theatrical films, but viewers will be treated to a nice bit of fine texture on shiny LEGO pieces -- small plastic ridges and such -- while cape material shows a bit more density and tactile definition. The image is very crisp and sharp, maintaining a consistency of clarity throughout. Colors are the highlight. What they lack in nuance and diversity they make up for with superior punch and vibrancy. Flash red, Superman baby blue, and Lantern and Brainiac green dazzle with intensity and quality of coloring in terms of reproducing the largely monochromatic pieces that make up the characters and the environments. The image is never wanting for increased color punch or saturation of its showy primaries. The image does show a touch of banding and aliasing here and there, but never are they particularly distracting. Adult fans and kids alike should be pleased with what they see.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Cosmic Clash Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cosmic Clash's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is very active, perhaps surprising for a lower-run animated venture but unsurprising considering the amount of action. Music plays with plenty of vigor, offering both width along the front and depth into the backs in agreeable balance, all supported by a steady diet of well defined low end details. Action scenes bring plenty of activity, including terrific zip and zoom around the stage as well as countless discrete effects that together paint a convincing sonic picture of superheroes in battle, LEGO style, of course. Action is complimented with a dynamic and detailed low end. Dialogue is clear and center focused. It's also well prioritized above any surrounding elements and enjoys light reverberation as the situation allows.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Cosmic Clash Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Cosmic Clash contains one funny featurette and some trailers. The Justice League: Caught on Camera (1080p, 2:55) features Batman directing the movie. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV digital copy are included with purchase. This set also comes with a Cosmic Boy mini figure. The movie is also available to purchase without the mini figure.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Cosmic Clash Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cosmic Clash doesn't enjoy the polish of LEGO's feature films, but it's a fun little ride with lots of color, laughs aplenty, and enough story to keep the jokes coming and the action hot. The film satisfies for what it is, a kid-friendly time killer, and it does so without feeling the least bit obnoxious, particularly for anyone already accustomed to, and amenable with, the LEGO sense of humor. Cosmic Clash doesn't feature any extras of note, but the 1080p video is solid and the 5.1 lossless soundtrack is fun. Recommended, and, hey, another minifig is always a plus, too.