Justice League Unlimited Review!

Alright! Today I'm reviewing the last show in my DCAU binge, Justice League Unlimited. It was nice while it lasted, but you know what? You ended on just about the strongest note possible. Good for you.

The first season of Justice League is honestly pretty weak. The second season is very strong - very, very strong. Justice League Unlimited though? It takes the best parts of Justice League and just runs with that quality. 

You may also be interested in my Batman: The Animated Series Review, Superman: The Animated Series Review, Batman Beyond Review, Static Shock Review, and Justice League Review. HBOMax just needs to add The Zeta Project and I'll have the entire set!

I absolutely love this show. Seasons 1 and 2 are absolutely perfect. This is, like, the definitive version of the Justice League, beating even the source material itself. While it took Justice League some time to find its footing, only starting to get excellent in its sophomore season, Justice League Unlimited just rolls with it. Right off the bat, we have some of the finest television ever made. 

Seasons 1 and 2 are perfect. It's hard to understate how well thought out the escalation is here. While Justice League saw the formation of the group and ended in a big global threat, JLU has the roster grow. The increasing power supply, the constant knowledge that none of them can make the selfish decision, the emphasis on obeying the laws of the local land, the power that they wield being constantly debated over from every point of view (Like Batman's calculated practicality or Captain Marvel's optimistic moral compass). 

The recent DC movies have made a big fuss about how much power these heroes have, the burden of that power, and that's fine. But Justice League Unlimited's approach to power - a careful debate about the line between for the good of mankind and sovereignty - is much more refined in approach and philosophical while still making you feel like your heroes should be heroes.

I really admired how JLU wasn't afraid to make heroes like Superman dead wrong. An entire episode is devoted to how the League isn't what it stood for, how they have become too cynical and stopped helping those they stop. Captain Marvel has the moral high ground over Superman - a literal child tells them they are disappointed in their heroes. That's a major blow. And while Superman is eventually proven right, the point that the League's authority has now crossed a line remains.

And then all this talk about the power of the League and the growing concern for unlimited jurisdiction comes to a head when the Question finds footage of the Justice Lords. It comes full circle. Now the fears have logic behind them, now someone else needs to kill Luthor. The fact the story went there is amazing enough, and the fact that it's so utterly compelling is even more so. Chekhov's gun, locked and loaded. 

It's a compelling drama, an existential crisis over the power they hold. And then the finale of that story arc! It's incredible, like a Flashpoint-esque event! Barry finally uses his full power, it's incredible! I love how they balanced the Justice League balance and assigned episodes to certain leagures. Green Arrow is the breakout character, his little guy perspective is so needed amongst all the gods. 

However, I specifically say seasons one and two because season three is much, much weaker in retrospect. They planned for it to be cancelled after season two, but a third season was ordered, so a more akward and less thematically tied assortment of episodes are provided. While season three has some gems, the story of corruption and balance of power in the League is eschewed for a much more episodic "Good vs. evil" season. The animation quality also dipped a bit. 

Speaking of the animation, when compared to the lush Batman: The Animated Series or Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited (And its predecessor) really pale in comparison. The early 2000s CGI used is, as one would expect, less than inspiring. It looks terrible and has not aged well at all. It was fine when I saw it for the first time when I was 6 in 2010, but now it's... bad. It got even worse than Justice League, which used it sparingly. Season three used the most of it, though, and it's an eyesore for the most part.

But I have to applaud this series for creating two of my favorite television episodes of all time - For the Man Who Has Everything and Epilogue. And I just want to gush over these two episodes specifically because they're amazing and incredible and deserve all the love in the world. I'll talk more about it next week in my inevitable "Top 10 Justice League Unlimited Episodes" list, but these two deserve a place in the review.

For the Man Who Has Everything is my favorite television episode of all time and the thing that made me love Superman. The emotional arc of the episode considering the 22 minute runtime, the iconic definition of Superman and Batman, it's just perfect. And Epilogue would have been the perfect send-off for the DCAU, a mature and philosophical finale. But I have a "Top 10 Justice League Unlimited Episodes" post I need to save some of this praise for. 

I love Justice League Unlimited. While previous shows from my childhood like X-Men: Evolution look a bit more cliche and dated in hindsight, JLU stands strong. It remains one of the best shows I've ever watched.

Overall, I give Justice League Unlimited a 10/10. "Justice League Unlimited expands the roster of the titular team through dramatic and truly epic moments, creating the definitive version of DC."

This is how you do the Justice League