Blu-Ray Review: ‘Stargirl’ Season 1

I have covered the breadth of the Arrowverse shows here in the past several weeks, and I thought we had hit all of them, and then along came DC’s Stargirl. Being honest, I had never heard of this show and didn’t know what to expect. I was not even that familiar with the title hero, which I have discovered came out in the late 1990s, so she is more of a modern DC character. The idea did ring familiar because there used to be a character called Starman that dated back to the 1940s and came to find out – that ties into this show.

This show starts right in the midst of the action. We are introduced to a battle between The Justice Society of America (led by Starman, played by Community’s Joel McHale) and their enemies, the Injustice Society of America. In the battle, Starman is killed, and before he dies, he gives his cosmic staff (the source of his powers) to his sidekick Pat Dugan and tells him to keep it until he can find a worthy replacement. From that, we cut to a little girl named Courtney, who finds out her father will not be returning home. Ten years later, Pat (played perfectly by Luke Wilson) married Courtney’s mother, and they all move to Blue Valley (the location of the before mentioned battle). While going through some old boxes, Courtney comes across the staff, and it activates for her. She immediately gains powers through it. She confronts Pat, and he tells her all about the Justice Society and Starman, and she believes that Starman was her father and her mission in life is to rebuild the Justice Society of America.

I must say this show is a lot of fun. It is fast-paced and speeds through the process of Courtney becoming a full superhero and putting together a team. Don’t forget, while she is finding her way through all of this, the Injustice Society of America has been thriving. She faces challenges immediately from the get-go. Not once does the show seem to drag, and the tone of the show is enjoyable. It’s kind of comical and cartoony (though not as silly as Legends of Tomorrow). Honestly, of all the shows I have reviewed, this one is the closest to watching a comic book come to life both in storylines and visually. Also, there are giant robots, which are always cool.

The Blu-ray release is in 1080p Full HD, and the video is impressive. The quality is top-notch and, as I say, it adds a quality of realism to the comic book come to life. The colors are bright and sharp (as is the color palette), and the details are clear and easy on the eye. The sound is in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English) and plays well on a robust sound system. The balance is even with dialog, special effects, and music all balancing out well.

The Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on Tuesday, September 29th!