There’s just no justice in the world…

And you won’t find any in this movie, either. Back in 1997, hot on the heels of Joel Schumacher’s smash-hit Batman and Robin, the suits at Warner Bros decided to start a new TV franchise based on the biggest superhero team in comics, the Justice League of America. This was about a year into Grant Morrison’s massively successful relaunch of the comic as JLA. The suits, of course, decided to ignore Morrison’s big-guns, widescreen approach. They went instead for something a little more… down to earth.

Barry Allen is THE FLASH, a lazy unemployed bum. THE ATOM is a nerdy, insecure high school teacher who gets into fights with cats, and limbos under laser beams. Guy Gardner is the shining emerald knight, GREEN LANTERN. His character seems to be much more in line with that of Kyle Rayner – he even has the same girlfriend troubles as Kyle (minus the fridge). At one point, the heroic Green Lantern, in the most impressive feat he will perform in the whole film, makes for her an emerald umbrella with his ring, to shield her from the rain. This nefarious drizzle is caused by none other than the villainous WEATHER MAN, whose costume consists of a tin foil mask and a pair of ‘80s shades. His plot is to create a tidal wave to destroy the fine city of New Metro, and the league will do everything within their quite limited power to stop him.

The movie, intended as a pilot for a series which never came, uses the character of ICE to introduce us to the JLA. Through her eyes, the viewer is transported to a magical place, untainted by such things as big-budget effects, acting ability, or competent writing. Of course, where there’s ICE, there’s FIRE. Very few people know this, but Halle Berry’s award-winning performance in the film Catwoman was heavily influenced by Fire’s complex and nuanced portrayal in Justice League of America. The movie is intercut with candid interview footage with the characters, serving to remind us that underneath it all, these really are everyday people, and that underneath it all, this movie really does suck.

In the original script, the MARTIAN MANHUNTER’s infamous Oreo™ addiction was to be addressed. Though the evidence remains, in the form of the character’s massive, bloated gut, the cookies were removed from the script due to budget constraints. I can assure you of one thing – you’ll be the one tossing cookies once you’ve stomached this flick.

This TV special never aired or was released in North America. It is provided for collectors and researchers only, as a curioso object. Comes in the beautiful case shown above. The version included is the longer, uncut version made for international release.

• Running Time: 87min
• Format: DVD-R
• Language: English
• Subtitles: None
• Video System: NTSC
• Region: 0 (No Region Protection)
• Audio quality: 8/10
• Picture quality: 7/10