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Stargirl Season 1 Blu-ray Review

“Stargirl” is an underrated gem of 2020.

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Created by Geoff Johns and based on his own comic series, “Stargirl” is a new DC Comics based series that revolves around a young teen girl named Courtney Whitmore.  In the 13 episode debut season, we (the audience) follow Courtney as she moves to the town of Blue Valley with her mother (Barbara), her step father (Pat), and step brother (Mike). Little does Courtney know, her life is about to forever change when she comes across the powerful Cosmic Staff that once belonged to Starman. Stranger still, Pat was once a member of the fallen Justice Society of America (or JSA for short). It turns out that JSA was wiped out by the evil Injustice Society Of America (AKA ISA) who happen to be stationed in Blue Valley and are plotting something sinister titled “Project: New America.” Knowing they need to be stopped, Courtney picks up the mantle from Starman (who just might be her real father) to become Stargirl while Pat also picks up where he left off (only he has quite the upgrade). To aid her in her journey, she winds up recruiting others to try and reform the JSA. 

Going into “Stargirl,” I didn’t quite know what to expect from this series. Was it going to be more teen based? Was it going to be very comic booky? What would the tone be like? There were many questions, but I’m happy to say this DC series is a pleasant surprise (that is filled with surprises even). Alongside “The Flash” and “Doom Patrol,” “Stargirl” is one of the best DC TV shows on right now. Not only is it a very character centric series that deals with teen issues and family drama, but it perfectly tows the line tonally and fully embraces its comic book source material. Right off the bat, you get an epic battle between the JSA and the ISA and get introduced to many deep cut characters from the DC Universe. I don’t want to spoil everyone that shows up, but you get to see some beloved characters here such as Solomon Grundy, Hourman, and Tigress. How cool is that?

Another reason the show succeeds is that it feels fresh compared to the other DC offerings. There’s a great deal of world building here both with the town of Blue Valley and the JSA and ISA teams. There’s a lot of characters in this series and each gets the proper amount of time to develop. You see just as much of the villains as you do the heroes. Speaking of the villains, they are actually quite menacing here! These aren’t the type of villains that are constantly foiled. They are victorious at times and do some real damage. This is especially true of Icicle and Brainwave. 

The cast here is fantastic across the board. The inclusion of veteran actor Luke Wilson (who plays Pat) adds so much to the series. Not only does he play a great character, but he has such a screen presence that really elevates the show as a whole. Brec Bassinger (who plays the titular character/Courtney) is truly inspired casting. The charming and charismatic actress has no problem in leading the show in the titular role. Other standouts here include Neil Jackson as the chilly Icicle, Christopher James Baker as the creepy Brainwave, Yvette Monreal as Wildcat 2, and the underrated Amy Smart as Barbara.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.20:1 1080p. How does it look? Expect crystal clear transfers of the episodes.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Between the thunderous action and the rousing score, this track delivers the goods.

Strangely, no extras aside from a digital copy.

September 28, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | DC Comics, DC TV Series, Geoff Johns, Luke Wilson, Stargirl, Stargirl Season 1 Blu-ray Review