LEGO DC SUPER HEROES: JUSTICE LEAGUE-- COSMIC CLASH (2016)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *comedy*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological, sociological*

CLASH was the next-to-last of the LEGO DC SUPER HEROES videos that used "Justice League" in the header, though arguably other videos featuring Flash and Aquaman were still structured as League adventures. CLASH follows up on a plot-thread from the end of this movie, and I rather wish CLASH had been the last in the series, since it's much better than the same-year GOTHAM CITY BREAKOUT.

The script benefits from only using one classic villain: the humanoid computer Brainiac. In line with the comical outlook of the franchise, the evildoer goes around shrinking planets because he's got a fixation on collecting things, using expressions like "mint condition." Though Superman has encountered the villain on some previous occasion, this version of Brainiac has apparently never shown up to menace Earth, and the rest of the League has to be brought up to speed. That done, the heroes encounter Brainiac's ship in space and send him packing.

What distinguishes this script from many others in the series is a clever buildup to the hurdles that some of the characters are forced to face by the villain's next gambit. As in other features, Batman stands out in that he's more obsessed with fighting crime than the more jovial Leaguers, and Green Lantern complains that Batman's often considered ways to undermine all of the heroes "if they turn evil." The Dark Knight doesn't possess such eccentricities as Wonder Woman's ardent feminism, Green Lantern's claim to be without fear, or Superman's goody-goodness.

But Batman's forced to anticipate what his fellow heroes will do, when the computerized criminal hurls Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern into other time-eras, where the three heroes also lose their memories. Aided by Flash's ability to traverse time, Batman locates two of the heroes in the past: Wonder Woman in prehistoric times, where she champions cave-women against the ruthless future villain Vandal Savage, and in the era of sailing-ships, where Green Lantern is assailed by a special sort of "fear"-- Captain Fear, an extremely obscure DC Comics character. The hardest task then takes place in the future, where Brainiac has done a Borg-treatment on Superman, as well as taking control of Earth rather than simply collecting it. The guest-stars here are the three charter members of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

One other crossover of note is Supergirl, making her first and last appearance in the Lego-verse. But the crossovers are only pleasurable because writer Jim Kreig gave all of the characters distinctive voices and backgrounds. Yet the same guy also wrote GOTHAM CITY BREAKOUT, which supports my theory that too many crooks spoil the broth.