Sunday, January 19, 2020

Superhero Sunday: JLA Adventures: Trapped In Time

I did a little shopping at the local Dollar Tree yesterday morning and found this odd superhero movie. JLA Adventures: Trapped In Time is a original movie that came out on DVD in 2014 and is not based on any comic book. It opens with the Justice League of America that includes Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Robin, Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman battling the Legion of Doom that includes Lex Luthor, Toyman, Black Mantra, Solomon Grundy, Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold, Cheetah and Bizarro fighting in the Arctic. The Super Friends...er, JLA defeats the Legion of Doom but Lex Luthor is presumed dead.
Jump to the 31st Century where the teenage Dawnstar and Karate Kid are taking a tour of a superhero museum where Lex Luthor is encased in a block of ice. Karate Kid thinks they should already be members of the Legion of Super-Heroes and decides to show off. He acts like he is going to punch the block of ice holding Luthor but stops short. Of course, the ice breaks anyway and the super villain awakes from his suspended animation sleep. He watches a hologram video of Superman's origins and finds that he is actually Clark Kent. Lex steals the hourglass belonging to the trapped Time Trapper and goes back in time with Dawnstar and Karate Kid following.
Lex Luthor gathers most of the Legion of Doom because Captain Cold, Black Mantra and Gorilla Grodd decided to pass. Dawnstar and Karate Kid overhear Luthor's plans before sneaking out of the Legion of Doom's flying helmet headquarters that was floating in a swamp. The teenage superhero wannabes make their way to the Hall of Justice but Robin attacks them. The Super Friends...er, JLA break up the fight and hear what the future superhero wannabes have to say. I won't spoil the rest here but it basically deals with the Legion of Doom going back to Smallville to prevent the Kents from taking in baby Kal El.

I could swear that I was watching a bizarre episode of the Super Friends except for the different costumes and personalities of Superman (no trunks), Batman (angrier), Robin (attitude), Wonder Woman (sword and skirted armor) and Aquman (short sleeves). Even Dawnstar and Karate Kid were a lot different looking than they were in the 1970s. Despite the changes, I actually found myself enjoying the animated movie more than I thought I would. There are some funny moments especially when the Legion of Doom tries to take Superbaby and send him back into space. If you want an oddity to your collection of superhero cartoons, then you might want to get a copy here.

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