Stargirl: The Complete Second Season - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Stargirl: The Complete Second Season



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
As I said back in 2020, It’s been a long time since I was truly excited about a DC live action show. Arrow and The Flash once were the pinnacle of super hero television, pumping out some fantastic stories, a great bit of action, and for once brought out favorite DC characters to life without seeming cheap and tawdry. Then more and more of the shows started coming out, and we got middling stuff like Supergirl, and downright AWFUL stuff like Batwoman. Then came along a little known show called Stargirl that brought back that happy smile to my face once again. Instead of being filled with TONS of angst, too much team ups, and a worn out Arrowverse, we got a fresh new timeline about the Justice Society of America, and a great transition to a modern retelling of the superheroes in a torch hand off that just feels natural.

One of my biggest complaints about modern super hero shows is that they’re all about adults. Nothing wrong with adult super hero shows, but SOOO many of the greats were about teenagers and their innocence and exuberance for justice (something which even the Power Rangers took advantage of during the 1990s). Stargirl brings back that sense of childish innocence, giving the mantle of the JSA over to a group of teenagers who have to morph and change until they become the superheroes that only THEY could be.

The show is a bit dark, but not too dark. It’s light and airy when need to be, but also serious with some villains who honestly can be a bit creepy (not campy). However, one of the biggest boons the series has going for it is the focus on family and living a balanced life outside of vigilante. Something which too many shows just gloss over, or else turn it into a massive angst fest. Sure, there’s some of the CW angst going around, but it’s nowhere near as thick and heavy as others in the same ilk are produced by even the same people.

This seasons starts out with Stargirl/Courtney (Brec Bassinger) and her new group of the JSA having defeated the ISA last season, figuring out what to do now that there doesn’t SEEM to be any more villains in sight. The staff is still glowing and giving Courtney her powers, but now the teenager has to figure out a way to balance her life as a mysterious vigilante AND interact with her family in general. She’s excited to live out in the open now, but her newly married parents Pat (Luke Wilson) and Barbara (Amy Smart, still looks INCREDIBLE) are not exactly pleased with said excitement as they want to calm down and live normally again. However, things get shaken up when a banished super villain named Eclipso (Nick Tarabay) with incredible mental powers comes back with a vengeance and sends the new JSA into a tailwind with a deep wave of depression, forcing members of the JSA, both new and old, to figure out a way to get rid of him once and for.

The show adds some new faces in the form of The Shade, Thunderbolt, Starman and even a few cameos from past JSA members as well. It’s fun, and while a bit “kiddy” in nature, feels VERY natural. The kids suffer from realistic forms of issues, such as PTSD from having to kill someone in self defense, problems at home, growing into new powers, and simple naivete. Bassinger is great as Courtney/Stargirl, but what I really appreciated was that Pat and Barbara aren’t the typical parental killjoys to the burgeoning super heroine. Instead they encourage her to grow and expand, yet also anchor her in the real world as well. It makes the entire show feel older than it is, and also much warmer and exciting. The action can be a bit more brutal than some of the other CW shows, yet for some reason the entire show just feels “lighter” in tone. A conundrum that actually really works well for the series, and has me stoked for next year.




Rating:

Rated TV-PG by the MPAA




Video:

Season 2 of Stargirl is pretty much a clone of the 1st season's excellent transfer. The image and look of the show is very much the same, with bright outdoor daylight shots, deep inky blacks with heavily saturated colors, and tons of detail all the way around. I noticed some minor noise and banding in the night sky here and there (the first noticeable one is when we see The Shade atop the tower in episode 3), but otherwise this is a VERY clean looking transfer. There's a sort of honey colored glow to give it that "old timey" look, and even the CGI stays top notch and doesn't look as "fake" as so many of the other Arrowverse shows tend to look under high action moments. 13 episodes across 3 BD-50s also means the show gets a healthy bitrate to keep any real major artifacting away.




Audio:

Same with the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track (no other audio tracks on the disc). This is a stunner just like last year. Nothing short of perfection it belts out deep waves of powerful bass when the action gets hot, and picture perfect dialog for the rest of the time. Surrounds get heavily used with the action sequences, and even milder moments, such as a school meeting, are appropirately directional in nature. The energy staff sizzles as it cuts through the night air, and every swoosh, kick and punch is felt at the listening position. I honestly can't find anything negative to say about the mix. Even though it's not Tranformers aggressive, the 5.1 mix is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of everything good to make the soup taste incredible. Bravo Waner, bravo.



Extras:

• Gag Reel
• Never Alone: Heroes and Allies

Final Score: ​

Stargirl is that breathe of fresh air that makes me smile. While I still enjoy DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, this is the only show in the CW DC Live action network of shows that is genuinely GOOD to great. Being only 13 episodes helps to trim the fat a bit, but this is definitely something you should check out if you enjoyed the first few seasons of Arrow, The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The Blu-ray is great as usual, and we even have a few extras this year. Highly recommended.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Brec Bassinger, Yvette Montreal, Anjelika Washington, Amy Smart, Luke Washington
Created by: Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: TV-PG
Runtime: 572 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 8th, 2022

Recommendation: Highly Recommended