Justice League of America (TV film)


 * This article is not to be confused with the upcoming Justice League film.

Justice League of America is an unsuccessful 1997 television pilot produced by CBS 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.

Plot
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 center, 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 with whom she has been flirting. The JLA attempt to train Tori to hone her freezing powers without much success.

After another heroic act by the JLA, Martin Walters (a young man who has been pursuing B.B. DaCosta romantically) watches a news broadcast about the incident and sees that Fire is wearing earrings that he earlier gave B.B. as a gift. When he next sees her, Martin tells B.B. that he knows her secret identity, but B.B. secretly alerts the JLA to her predicament. J'onn then arrives on the scene disguised as Fire, claiming to know B.B. as a close friend and to have been lent the earrings. Martin is left embarrassed by his 'mistake' and B.B. (who figures Martin is too young for her anyway) takes the opportunity to break up with him, although she assures him that he's a nice guy and that he will find true love someday.

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.

Later, the other heroes go to Tori's house to apologise for leaving her behind and repeat their offer to join the team, offering her a costume and suggesting she adopt the codename 'Ice'. Tori forgives them and the group return to their ordinary lives,including Barry Allen starting a new job, B.B. meeting up again with Martin (who now has a girlfriend closer to his own age) and Ray and Tori spending the day together.

The film ends with the Weatherman already hatching his escape from prison and Tori joining the JLA.

Cast

 * Kimberly Oja as Tori Olafsdotter/Ice, a meteorologist working at Dr Eno's Meteorological Institute.
 * Miguel Ferrer as Dr. Eno/the Weatherman, a rival meteorologist.
 * Kenny Johnston as Barry Allen/The Flash, unemployed.
 * Matthew Settle as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, a software salesman.
 * Michelle Hurd as B.B. DaCosta/Fire, a struggling actress.
 * John Kassir as Ray Palmer/The Atom, a science teacher.
 * David Ogden Stiers as J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter, the leader of the JLA.
 * David Krumholtz as Martin Walters, an actor who has a crush on B.B.
 * Ron Pearson as Dr. Arliss Hopke, one of Tori's work colleagues.

Production
The film's plot is based on the Justice League comic era of Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis (writers). It was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Reception
Reviews of the film have been negative. Common complaints are of the plot holes, poor special effects, bad costumes and that the League members deviated heavily from their source characters. Critics have also said the movie tried to be like "Friends with superpowers" Established JLA writer Mark Waid said the film was, "80 minutes of my life I'll never get back." Critics felt Stiers' weight affected his portrayal of the character.

Distribution
Justice League of America has never been aired in the U.S. However, it has been shown on television in the U.K. (Channel 5), Puerto Rico's WAPA-TV (Channel 4), Thailand (Cinemax), Brazil (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão), Uruguay, Poland (TVN, TVN 7, TV4), Mexico (TV Azteca), South Africa (e.tv), Germany, India and Israel. Bootleg copies have been distributed through conventions, websites and file sharing networks.