The newest direct-to-disc LEGO movie might just be the closest we get to a reboot of the classic Hanna Barbera Super Friends series from the 70s. Yes, it’s got a somewhat cumbersome official name: LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom!
Despite the long name, this is an incredibly fun movie with every bit of humor and wit as you’ve come to expect from the LEGO movies.
The conceit here is that Lex Luthor is not overly fond of the newly formed Justice League keeping Metropolis safe, so he decides to one up them by forming the Legion of Doom. The lineup he assembles is straight from 1978’s Challenge of the Super Friends: Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Black Manta, Gorilla Grodd, Cheetah, and Captain Cold. Even Giganta makes an appearance.
Lex, the Legion of Doom, and their flying Hall of Doom attack Area 52 to steal an alien whom they will use to exact revenge on the Justice League. The alien, as it turns out, is Martian…and if you take one look at the cover art (above), you’ll see who it is. And you can guess how that alliance ultimately plays out.
All of the main members of the Justice League are here, but surprisingly, Cyborg is front and center. In a sense, this is really his story. The other members aren’t exactly supporting characters, but Cyborg ultimately moves the story forward. So if your kids (or you) are fans of Teen Titans or Teen Titans Go, then his inclusion here is certainly cause to be happy.
Darkseid plays a relatively minor role, and the film ends with a surprise cameo that apparently sets up the next movie, but Mark Hamill as the Trickster simply steals the show. He also plays Sinestro, but his turn as Trickster – who desperately wants to be distinct from the Joker – is an instant classic.
In a movie as meta as this, Mark Hamill playing Trickster and loudly proclaiming that he is not the Joker takes it to another level. It’s worth the price of admission alone, quite honestly.
There’s not much in the way of special features. There’s a brief documentary about sound design and the importance of the LEGO brick sound in the movie, but that’s about it. The standard DVD and Ultraviolet digital download come included with the blu-ray version. Also packed inside is a code for a free digital download of last year’s animated JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time and a coupon for a free child admission to LEGOLAND (which is standard issue in LEGO movies).
