| Justice League of America | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Félix Enríquez Alcalá |
| Produced by | Lorne Cameron David Hoselton Scott Shepherd Larry Rapaport |
| Starring | Miguel Ferrer David Krumholtz Kimberly Oja David Ogden Stiers |
| Music by | John Debney James Raymond |
| Cinematography | Barry Wilson |
| Editing by | Ed Rothkowitz |
| Release date(s) | 1997 |
| Running time | 82 min. |
| Language | English |
Justice League of America is an unsuccessful 1997 TV-pilot produced by CBS[1] and directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá, based on a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes from the comic of the same name. The film centers on a female meteorologist who gains superpowers and on her subsequent induction into the "Justice League" (JLA), while the city of New Metro is held for ransom by a terrorist armed with a "Weather Control Device".
The film is interjected with mock-interviews of members of the Justice League, speaking about life as a superhero in a past tense, preceding the events of the film.
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The protagonist, Tori Olafsdotter (Kimberly Oja), a meteorologist working at the Eno Meteorological Institute who will later become Ice. New Metro is then attacked by a tornado being controlled by a terrorist calling himself the Weatherman (Miguel Ferrer). The Flash (Ken Johnston) diffuses the tornado using his speed while the other members of the JLA use their powers to save civilians.
Tori stumbles upon a hidden device in the lab where she works. While investigating its use, she spills water on it and it strikes her with strange blue electricity. She is unharmed and leaves the lab for home freezing everything she touches. En route she sees a man drowning, when she attempts to rescue him the water freezes around her. That night she is abducted by the JLA and interrogated, believing her to be the Weatherman. They release her and Tori believes it was all simply a bad dream.
The JLA suspect that Tori's timid work colleague Arliss Hopke is The Weatherman. New Metro is then attacked again, this time by golf ball-sized hailstones, but Fire melts them all. The JLA infiltrate a party at the Eno Meteorological Institute looking for evidence that Arliss Hopke is The Weatherman. Tori then discovers that it is in fact her boss, Dr Eno who is The Weatherman.
Tori takes this knowledge to the JLA and they in turn take her to their secret command centre, an alien spacecraft hidden underwater. The JLA's leader J'onn J'onzz (David Ogden Stiers) introduces himself to Tori and the other members of the League reveal their secret identities. At this point Tori discovers that The Atom" (John Kassir) is actually a man whom she has been flirting with. The JLA attempt to train Tori to hone her freezing powers without much success.
The Weatherman issues a demand of $20 million or he will engulf New Metro in a tidal wave. He then attacks the Watchtower using a heat ray. The JLA escape and devise a plan to stop the wave, leaving Tori behind. The JLA's attempt to stop the tidal wave is unsuccessful, and it is Tori who stops it by turning it into ice.
The film ends with the Weatherman already hatching his escape from prison and Tori joining the JLA.
The film's plot is based on the Justice League comic era of Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis (writers).[2]
Reviews of the film have been negative. Common complaints are of the plot holes, poor special effects,[3] bad costumes and that the league members deviated heavily from their source characters.[4] Critics have also said the movie tried to be like "Friends with superpowers"[5] Established JLA writer Mark Waid said the film was, "80 minutes of my life I'll never get back."[6] Critics felt Stiers' weight affected his portrayal of the character.[7][8]
Justice League of America has never been aired in the U.S.[9] However, it has been shown on television in the U.K. (Channel 5),[10] Puerto Rico's WAPA-TV (Channel 4), Thailand (Cinemax), Brazil (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão), Uruguay, Poland (TVN, TVN 7, TV4), Mexico (TV Azteca), Germany , India and Israel.[11] Bootleg copies have been distributed through conventions, websites and file sharing networks.[12][13]
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