Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Legion of Super-Heroes 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Back to the future.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 2, 2023

One of DC's more recognizable but underused characters, Supergirl, stars in Legion of Super-Heroes, which doubles as an origin story and road to her arrival in 31st century Earth and the Legion Academy. Learning with other "misfit toys" and young hopefuls like Braniac-5 (Harry Shum, Jr.), Mon-El (Yuri Lowenthal), Dawnstar (Cynthia Hamidi), Triplicate Girl (Daisy Lightfoot), TimberWolf (Robbie Daymond) and, yes, Arms Fall Off Boy (Ben Diskin), the film explores themes like fitting in, finding yourself, and other young adult-ish tropes, but a threat arises and tests the young group's ability to rely on one another. All the while, Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) and Brainiac-5 find themselves at odds while nursing a bit of affection for one other, with their separate family backstories playing into the personal drama.

The Legion is a fun group of characters in small doses, and this version of Supergirl -- lovingly described as "kind of a meat-head" by writer Josie Campbell in an accompanying behind-the-scenes featurette -- makes for a strong enough anchor point. Her life and situation are a result of very unusual circumstances, one where she's perpetually out of her 21st century element while Batman and cousin Superman do most of the heavy lifting. Her sudden "reassignment" to the 31st century, not unlike Philip J. Fry's accidental cryogenic sleep in Futurama's pilot, is a fish-out-of-water story where our lead character ends up better off in the far-flung future surrounded by a motley crew of colorful characters, which also doubles an accessible enough vantage point for new and seasoned fans to feel at home.

Unfortunately, the end result is one of DCAU's least substantial outings in recent memory. Not that Legion of Super-Heroes is outright bad, it's just kind of meager and bland. Three periodic twists spice things up a little, with one being very predictable whether you're familiar with the group's backstory or not. Other elements just kind of flounder or feel dated: this production, opposite the situation of its protagonist, probably would have played better 20-30 years ago, as its story beats and overall narrative are either clichéd or just vaguely familiar enough to be recycled rather than fresh. Other elements undercut its effectiveness too: while I'm normally not one to let a film's budget factor into my overall judgment, limitations clearly affect the "size" of this story. Legion of Super-Heroes spans multiple planets and time periods with a threatening villain to face, yet the near-complete absence of background characters -- who pop up very rarely, and only fill one short scene in "Earth that was" -- unwittingly makes these worlds feel flat and lifeless. The core team and their interactions, though fitfully engaging, aren't strong enough to carry the load by themselves.

Legion of Super-Heroes does have a few technical merits, from its generally attractive character design to the vaguely retro-style linework, decent backgrounds, and even its orchestral score, although one piece sounds curiously familiar to a theme from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. (You'll know it when you hear it.) These merits must be combined with at least a casual appreciation of Legion of Super-Heroes' key characters to warrant even a passing recommendation, though. Luckily, Warner Bros.' dual 4K combo pack and Blu-ray editions offer good support for the iffy main feature, including respectively solid A/V presentations and a fairly well-rounded assortment of bonus features.

Legion of Super-Heroes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Bros.' 2160p, HDR-enhanced transfer of Legion of Super-Heroes doesn't offer night-and-day improvements over its Blu-ray counterpart, yet still serves as a quality presentation of this native 2K production. Although my separate review of the Blu-ray (linked below) serves as a cursory overview of its merits that apply to this disc as well, those familiar with WB's 4K transfers of DCAU films should be familiar with the advancements seen here: a thicker and more "solid" appearance, smoother color reproduction, no visible compression artifacts, and of course deeper blacks, brighter whites, and overall stronger saturation afforded by high dynamic range. Still, the latter isn't necessarily out in full force: deep shadows play a role in several scenes (such as the arrival of Brainiac) and "HDR pop" heightens the visual impact of explosions, computer displays, and certain superpowers, but Legion of Super-Heroes brings more of a subdued visual aesthetic that doesn't always play to HDR's strengths. The 4K earns a pretty easy win in direct comparison, but the Blu-ray's 1080p transfer is a surprisingly solid substitute on small to medium-sized displays.

This review's screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray disc. For my thoughts on that comparatively decent 1080p transfer (and 20 more images from the film), please see my separate review of the Blu-ray edition.

Legion of Super-Heroes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 doesn't necessarily play it safe but nonetheless sounds exactly as expected; nothing more, nothing less. Dialogue is typically placed front and center, even in group settings, although location and volume often helps it drift into the rear channels. Discrete effects during fights and other action scenes are largely strong and effective, building an ample amount of drama. LFE isn't overpowering but kicks in as needed, with plenty of room left over for Kevin Riepl's intermittent but effective orchestral score. Overall, it's well-balanced and gets the job done; even without taking much in the way of sonic risks, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed here.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and most extras.

Legion of Super-Heroes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with illustrative cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Extras are fairly well-rounded and can all be found on the Blu-ray disc only.

• The Legion Behind the Legion (4:40) - Well, a legion of four at least: this short piece features producer James Krieg, writer Josie Campbell, and voice actors Meg Donnelly (Supergirl) and Yuri Lowenthal (Mon-El), who speak about their work on the film; we also get a bit of concept art and test animation along the way.

• Down to Earth: The Story of Supergirl (8:21) - This slightly more character-driven featurette includes additional comments from the same four participants above, offering a decent overview of the character's history for newcomers and thoughts about her place in this film. Basic stuff, but worth a once-over.

• Meet the Legionnaires (9:24) - A jokey in-character intro by Jim Krieg kicks off this like-minded featurette, which again serves up more thoughts from our returning participants about the supporting characters.

• Braniac Attack: The Intellect Behind the Super-Villain (8:14) - The film's primary "villain" (and his family tree) gets a short piece to himself, again with more comments from the same four participants.

• From the DC Vault - These Superman: The Animated Series episodes originally aired as a two-part Season 2 finale in 1998 and, appropriately enough, focuses on Supergirl, who would also team up with her "little cousin" in the Season 3 finale "Unity" and a crossover episode of The New Batman Adventures (not included).

• Little Girl Lost, Part 1 (21:17)
• Little Girl Lost, Part 2 (21:29)

• Previews - Two old featurettes promoting Justice League vs. The Fatal Five and Superman: Man of Tomorrow, originally included on earlier DCAU home video releases that I don't feel like looking up right now.

Legion of Super-Heroes 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Legion of Super-Heroes is a somewhat messy and overly familiar affair -- not in its mostly underused roster of colorful characters, but the clichéd themes and somewhat predictable plot. Needless to say, this one doesn't exactly fire on all cylinders, but more enthusiastic fans of its character line-up might be able to wring greater enjoyment out of it. Warner Bros.' separate 4K and Blu-ray releases provide decent A/V support and a few thoughtful bonus features, which boosts overall appeal but not quite into "blind buy" territory. It's worth checking out as a one-over, though.