DC’S STARGIRL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON – A Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD Review by John Strange
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-raytm I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.
Stargirl is based on the character that gave Geoff Johns his start at DC. The series opens with the original Justice Society/JSA (Starman – Joel McHale as Sylvester Pemberton, Hourman – Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rex Tyler, Wildcat – Brian Stapf as Ted Grant, and Dr. Mid-Nite – Henry Thomas as Charles McNider) being wiped out by their nemesis, the Injustice Society of America/ISA (Icicle – Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent, Brainwave – Christopher James Baker as Henry King Sr., Gambler – Eric Goins as Steven Sharpe, Sportsmaster – Neil Hopkins as Lawrence “Crusher” Crock, Tigress – Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks, Dragon King – Nelson Lee as Dr. Shiro Ito, and Solomon Grundy – CGI).
Starman’s sidekick, Pat Dugan aka Stripsey or S.T.R.I.P.E. (Luke Wilson), disobeys orders and gets the mortally wounded hero away from the battle. Before he dies, Starman makes Pat promise to safeguard the Cosmic Staff and find a new hero to wield it. It just can’t be him. It must be someone else. Pat agrees to this request as his friend dies.
Ten years have passed since that terrible night. Pat has given up his search for the ISA. He has also given up on his search for a new Starman. He has met a beautiful woman, Barbara Whitmore (Amy Smart), while each is visiting her hometown of Blue Valley, Nebraska, and married her. They are, in fact moving their newly combined family there.
The couple’s two children are not happy with the move from Los Angeles. Pat’s son, Mike Dugan (Trae Romano), and Barbara’s daughter, Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger), must find their place in the town and at Blue Valley High School. Mike quickly finds his niche while Courtney struggles.
When Courtney discovers the Cosmic Staff in the family basement everything changes for her. Pat tries to stop this change but what the staff wants is Courtney. Pat finds himself powerless to prevent the change.
While out on an illicit “training” run, Courtney comes across the local drive-in and watches the boy who bullied her in the cafeteria going after kids just trying to watch the movie. In the events that transpire as she attempts the small revenge of deflating his tires, the boy’s car (or rather his dad’s car) is destroyed by a blast from the staff.
This sets a series of events in motion that prove to Pat and Courtney/Stargirl that the ISA is alive and living in Blue Valley! Now they must figure out the bad guy’s identities before the villains kill them and/or hatch their plan!
I have enjoyed comics since I was a little boy. Superman, Batman, Flash, and all the rest of the Justice League of America. I read many stories of their counterparts in a different universe, the Justice Society of America.
That JSA was not the JSA of these stories but that is the interesting thing about the Multiverse. There can be a multitude of JSA’s, each different, but following the same basic code of justice. They all stand for justice against an equal multitude of evildoers.
I had not heard of this character until I was offered the opportunity to review season one of the show. While I awaited this disc, I went out to the network and watched some of the shows. This is a good show with imaginative writers.
I also did a little research into Stargirl. Brec is the third girl to play this character. The first was Britt Irvin who played the role in Smallville. The second was more recent with Sarah Grey playing Courtney in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
I enjoyed watching the show establish itself and begin to grow into its own as the young girl and her budding re-established JSA take on an established ISA. This is a show that is loaded with talent, supported by Luke Wilson and Amy Smart. I can see this show having a long run with some possible spin-offs already hinted at. For its few small missteps (that are all correctible and forgivable), I am giving the season 4.5-stars. I am really looking forward to seeing what they do with season 2!
I would love to talk to you now about the bonus extras included in this home offering but for once there were none! As this show had its birth during the pandemic, I feel this is the likely reason why they weren’t able to put any together. Maybe next season.
Created By:
- Geoff Johns
Directed By:
- Glen Winter
Cast:
- Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Jake Austin Walker, Hunter Sansone, Meg DeLacy, Neil Jackson, Christopher James Baker, Amy Smart, Luke Wilson
Episodes:
- Stargirl
- T.R.I.P.E.
- Icicle
- Wildcat
- Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite
- The Justice Society
- Shiv Part One
- Shiv Part Two
- Brainwave
- Brainwave Jr.
- Shining Knight
- Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One
- Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two
Extras:
Digital:
- None
Blu-ray/DVD:
- None
Specifications:
Runtime:
Feature:
- 572 Minutes
Studio:
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Date:
- 09/29/2020
Region:
- A/1 (U.S. and Canada only)
MPAA Rating:
- TV-PG
Selig Rating:
Film Rating:
- 5 Stars
Bonus Features Rating:
- N/A
Picture Quality Rating:
- 5 Stars
Audio Quality Rating:
- 5 Stars
Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars: Should add to your DVD collection at any cost
4 Stars: Worth owning, but try to catch it a sale
3 Stars: Plan to get it, but wait to buy it used
2 Stars: Worth taking a look at, but not owning
1 Star: Pick it up at a garage sale and use it for drinks
0 Stars: Makes a great Trap Shooting target
