Review: Legion of Super-Heroes (2023)

Following the tragic destruction of the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El finds herself on Earth and in the role of Supergirl, where she fights crime alongside her cousin Superman. But unlike Superman, Kara feels disconnected from the world around her, and her inexperience, as well as her impetuous nature, makes her a less-than effective superhero.

Concerned that she’s not quite ready to take on such an important role, Superman takes Kara to the far-flung future, to leave her in the capable hands of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Here she can spend time with people of her own age and learn what is required to be a super-powered being, before returning to the present day.

But while Kara is happy to go along with this plan, things don’t run quite so smoothly, and soon she finds herself caught up in a deadly scheme, orchestrated by an old enemy. Working together with the Legion – including new pal, Brainiac 5 – Kara has to overcome this deadly obstacle, to ensure the future remains safe.

Directed by Jeff Wamester, and featuring the voice talents of Meg Donnelly, Harry Shum Jr., Yuri Lowenthal, Darin De Paul, Jensen Ackles, and Darren Criss, Legion of Super-Heroes is a new animated offering from Warner Bros./DC Entertainment. The movie is the latest entry in the ever-expanding DC Universe Animated Original Movies collection, and is available to buy in the UK and the US from February 7^th.

As with previous entries in the DCUAOM, Legion of Super-Heroes boasts decent animation, an easy-to-follow story, excellent voice casting, and plenty of action. The movie tells a story which is a standalone tale, making it easily accessible for newcomers, and for the most part it is a fairly enjoyable way to spend 80(ish) minutes, if you love all things DC.

However, while Legion of Super-Heroes isn’t a bad film, I have to say it isn’t amazing either. For all the stuff it gets right, it never feels particularly exciting, it doesn’t offer anything imaginative or dynamic, and at times it plays out like a pilot episode for a new show, rather than a feature-length film.

The title of the movie is also a misnomer. While the Legion do feature in Legion of Super-Heroes, this is really a Supergirl film, and as such, it should be labelled accordingly.

I can’t quite fathom why Warner Bros./DC didn’t call this film ‘Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes’, because that would be far more accurate, but then, I don’t work in the WB marketing department, so what would I know? Maybe somebody, somewhere, thought simply calling it Legion of Super-Heroes would be fine.

But putting the title to one side, let me reiterate that Legion of Super-Heroes is perfectly watchable, and offers enough entertainment to round out its running time. The problem is, it’s nothing special, I doubt it’ll become anyone’s favourite DC picture, and it all feels very much like a midlevel film.

When Legion of Super-Heroes is at its strongest, it is when the film leans into Kara’s story – specifically moments surrounding her sadness at the destruction of Krypton and her inability to fit in on Earth. Unlike her cousin, Superman, who arrived on Earth as a baby, Kara came to the planet as a teenager, so she finds it hard to accept what she left behind.

This puts her emotionally and spiritually in a different place to Superman, and ensures her character is able to step outside of her cousin’s shadow. There are ways in which she can grow and develop that are different to Superman, some of which are shown on screen, and this makes her journey worth a watch.

This growth does get lost a bit when the main plot involving the Legion kicks in, but it is still there in the background. Kara is the strongest element of the film, and she is certainly the ace up this movie’s sleeve.

Where the film is less successful largely lands in the direction of the Legion themselves. This rag-tag collection of heroes aren’t as interesting as the film wants them to be, and no amount of Spandex, or gags about the detachable appendages of Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, can change that.

I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of the Legion in general, and have always struggled to find this super group appealing. The Legion of Superheroes cartoon show from the mid-‘00s was fine, and a couple of brief appearances in TV’s Smallville were OK, but beyond that this super team has always left me cold.

I had hoped this new movie would change my opinion, but sadly, it hasn’t. I’m just glad that Kara takes more of the focus in this film, which means there is less time spent with the Legion, and ultimately for me, this makes for a better experience.  

I appreciate that Legion fans may feel different. This is perfectly fair.

Over the next few years, the DC Universe is embarking on a new-look, with various new live-action and animated projects on the horizon. There has been no word on what the future holds for the DCUAOM collection (which has existed since 2007), but I’m hopeful it will continue.

However, if it is to continue, it needs to ensure there are no further midlevel movies like this one. While Legion of Super-Heroes does get a pass, because ultimately it is OK, I want to see something better next time around.

With so many super hero/comic book projects out there to choose from, and all of them vying for our attention, ‘OK’ doesn’t quite cut it. This film’s post-credit scene hints at something bigger, and potentially more exciting to come, so I am still on board, but I want to see some innovation next time around, please.  

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