Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Superman and His Amazing Friends.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 9, 2020

DC's short-lived Legion of Super Heroes was a clear attempt to pick up where Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited left off, though with a few fundamental and stylistic changes. Set in the 31st century, Legion follows the ever-growing group that, at first, only includes hot-headed Lightning Lad, telepathic powerhouse Saturn Girl, ultra-intelligent Brainiac 5, sarcastic Phantom Girl, body-splitting Triplicate Girl, and comic relief Bouncing Boy. Their first addition is the one and only Superman, who's nabbed via time travel...but they accidentally go back too far and get teenage Clark Kent just before his big move to Metropolis. Clark's formidable yet fully untapped powers don't make the transition a smooth one, but the Legion needs all the help they can get. After all, even a rookie Superman's better than nothing.

Character growth is the name of the game here, and Legion of Super Heroes does a respectable job of transforming the small core group -- which later includes other members such as the experimental beast Timber Wolf and shape-shifting Chameleon Boy, among others -- from a disorganized mess into a much more tightly-knit unit, either through specific personal challenges or broader problems only solved by each character's unique abilities. The first season features a kid-friendly tone that smartly respects the comic book's Silver Age roots -- humor and uncomplicated stories, both with extra cheese -- while featuring a few bigger stakes and challenges along the way that slightly beef up its appropriately lightweight Saturday morning vibe, all in the name of slow and steady character development. Still, many episodes are all but completely self-contained, so most of Legion is also perfectly enjoyable as a casual watch.

But that only applies to episodes within each of its two 13-episode seasons: the tone shifts drastically during the series' second half, which jumps forward two years and catches up with an older and more experienced Legion that, despite more refined skills, has a brand-new set of challenges to face. It's almost a completely different show from here on out, and one clearly aimed at a more young adult audience with darker themes and more complex stories. The series also gets a little more violent, with a few scenes pushing the envelope of what most kids were used to seeing in a Saturday morning time slot. Still, the darkness is mostly kept in check and some of what worked in the first season is thankfully retained, like its core group -- with a few key changes, of course -- and sporadic bursts of light humor along with some of that Silver Age camp. So while this two-season series doesn't feel like one unified whole, the tonal differences at least offer a little something for everyone. I definitely favor the second but am glad that both exist.

Interestingly enough, a proposed third 13-episode season would have potentially jumped forward in time another three years, but Legion of Super Heroes unceremoniously ended when WB Kids' Saturday morning block was sold to 4Kids Entertainment in mid-2008. It would have been very interesting to see another leg of the Legion's journey. Alas, this was not to be but, at the very least, its absence made a little more room for the underrated Batman: The Brave and the Bold later that year, a show developed by Legion and Justice League Unlimited producer James Tucker.

The release woes of Legion of Super Heroes continued on home video: not only was its first season carved up into three four-episode volumes -- a nasty habit of Warner Bros., and one that thankfully is not as common nowadays -- but the second season was not released at all. It's very possible that, aside from occasional reruns, casual viewers might not even be aware of Season 2's totally different atmosphere...which makes this new Blu-ray set from Warner Archive all the more invaluable. Both seasons are presented in full and, though mostly connected from a storytelling standpoint, each set of 13 episodes plays almost just as well independently. Although the show's Season 2 cliffhanger ending and subsequent cancellation (for lack of a better word) mean that everything isn't wrapped up in a neat bow, the solid A/V presentation and a new bonus feature make this feel like a more complete package than most of its kind.

Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Legion of Super Heroes looks solid on Blu-ray thanks to terrific 1080p transfers by Warner Archive Collection. The first good sign is WAC's decision to give all 26 episodes room to breathe; they're spread out over 3 dual-layered discs, meaning that 8-9 are included on each one. A lesser studio might have crammed each 13-episode season on a single disc, which would have most likely led to compression-related issues. That's not the case here: each of them plays at a high bit rate with very few signs of banding and no obvious edge enhancement. Although I did spot plenty of jagged lines (mostly mouth movements and other facial features, but often on character outlines and especially during zoom-ins), these are likely baked into the original source material. Fans of Teen Titans will note many visual similarities with Legion's linework...which can be a little distracting at first, but it's less noticeable in motion and your eyes will make the adjustment. The included 30 screenshots represent a solid cross-section of this 26-episode series, with some displaying much more obvious jagged lines than others.

Another plus is that Legion of Super Heroes' largely simple and flat visual style lends itself to a clean presentation. The image is razor-sharp with strong color saturation, clean backgrounds, and an overall smooth look. Colors pop nicely with lots of vivid hues and black levels are very deep, from countless scenes inside the Legion Cruiser to varied alien planets and the crowded cosmic sprawl of the series finale. CGI flourishes, such as the ship itself and various special effects, blend in nicely with more traditional 2-D elements, while on-screen text is very clear and easy to read. Though the DVD volumes were fine for their time (albeit presented in 1.33:1 format), this collection represents an obvious leap forward and maximizes the show's limited but respectable animation and character designs. Bottom line: Legion of Super Heroes looks pretty damn good on Blu-ray, and I can't imagine die-hard fans being disappointed.

One added note: this series occasionally uses of foreground and background blurring, motion filters, and other visual effects that, at first glance, might be mistaken for softness or combing. Although I think the creative team relied to heavily on these effects overall, they're mostly put to good use and often add a layer of visual interest.

Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix perfectly replicates Legion of Super Heroes' two-channel roots and showcases its clear dialogue, strong sound effects, and rousing music cues. All three are balanced nicely and, when combined with occasionally wide channel separation, this series achieves a presence that's definitely a small-screen production but still very impressive. No sync issues, drop-outs, or other defects could be heard along the way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 26 episodes; these are formatted perfectly and likewise have no sync issues.

Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc set arrives in a hinged keepcase with attractive cover art and episode names printed on the colorful discs. Extras include one DVD-era featurette and...hey, an exclusive new audio commentary!

• Audio Commentary - This exclusive new commentary track -- actually a double header, as it plays during the two-part series finale "Dark Victory" -- features producer James Tucker, director Brandon Vietti, and voice actor Kari Wahlgren (Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet), and is moderated by the Warner Archive Podcast team of D.W. Ferranti and Matt Patterson. Though not a full-on reunion, it's a fun and entertaining session that die-hard fans will appreciate. Topics of interest include creating a "badder Superman" and the edgier second season, character designs, the shadow of Bruce Timm, creative restrictions, past and future DC animated productions, the voice acting process, cameos and supporting characters, Kryptonite blood transfusions, and much more.

• We Are Legion (9:05) - This 2007 promotional featurette was originally included on Warner Bros.' Legion of Super Heroes Volume 1 DVD collection. It's a fluffy promo piece that mostly features cast and crew members gushing about favorite characters, moments, and a bit of history about the franchise, but is still nice to have. NOTE: Although this featurette is listed as being on Disc 1, it actually appears on Disc 3.

Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

DC's Legion of Super Heroes was a relatively short-lived but worthwhile animated series that, while never truly great, stood as a decent entry point for newcomers and improved during its second season. Long story short: it wasn't just for kids, even though its visual design and premise were obviously aimed at the younger set. There's enjoyment to be had for die-hard fans of superhero comics as well, and Warner Archive's new Blu-ray collection makes it easy to jump right in: this not only collects the entire first season in one place (as opposed to the DVD volumes), we also get the second season which was never released on DVD at all. As usual, A/V specs are solid and the addition of a new two-part audio commentary is a nice touch too. Recommended to DC fans, especially those who grew up with the series.