While most of last year’s Arrow-verse shows had their seasons divided by the big Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow kicked off its fifth season with the final hour of the crossover, which includes a 50-foot Beebo attacking the city! As the proper season opens, Congress has shut down the Time Bureau, and the Legends are in danger of losing their funding, so Ava Sharpe has arranged for a documentary filmmaker to join the crew to document what it is that they actually do. This serves as a perfect entry point, re-introducing the characters, and/or letting the viewer know how things have changed in the new Earth Prime. Returning from the saving the multiverse are Sara Lance (aka White Canary), Ray Palmer (aka The Atom), and Mick Rory (aka Heat Wave), who rejoin the rest of the Waverider crew, including Nate Heywood (aka Steel), who claims to be happy to not have been invited to participate in this year’s crazy crossover . Other members of the Waverider crew include future man/technician Behrad Tarazi from the year 2044 (though he was born in 2020), shapeshifter Charlie, lycanthrope Mona Wu (who is also Mick’s literary agent for the romance novels he writes under the pen name Rebecca Silver), and former/forgiven villain from last season, Gary Green, who is now assigned to be Constantine’s new apprentice.
This season, in their quest to preserve and protect the timeline, the Legends face a new challenge, “Encores”. In Hell, Astra Logue has been resurrecting and freeing the souls of some of history’s most notorious villains, giving them another chance to wreak havoc on Earth. And so the team’s weekly adventures often find them traveling spacetime to deal with some new old threat, like the Mad Monk Grigori Rasputin in 1917 Imperial Russia, mobster Bugsy Siegel in 1947, Genghis Khan in 1990s Hong Kong where he’s plotting against Prince Charles, a modern day serial killer at a high school reunion, Marie Antionette, Jack the Ripper, Cleopatra, and many more. As the Legends deal with their villain-of-the-week, they are also on a mission to find the Loom of Fate, which appears to be the solution to stopping the Encores. However, the pieces of the loom have been spread across the multiverse, and won’t be easy to find. This hunt takes the crew to the set of Supernatural, to a frat party hosted by the Greek god Dionysus, to 16th century England to help fix William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette after accidentally inspiring a very different version of the story, and even gets them trapped in dystopian alternate reality, as characters in TV show parodies such as sitcom Ultimate Buds, period drama Highcastle Abbey, sci-fi series Star Trip, and children’s program Mr. Parker’s Cul-de-Sac.
Legends of Tomorrow is probably my favorite of the Arrow-verse shows because it always has a lot of fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously, bringing in historical figures, making meta references to the series itself and Arrow-verse in general, throwing in lots of pop culture references, and having the characters go on these wild over-the-top adventures. At the same time, it also allows the characters to develop and grow. This season, there is a whodunit aboard the ship, which allows the show to explore a lot of the characters. Meanwhile, Sara has to deal with the loss of a longtime friend, Mick gets some surprising news about his past which changes his outlook on life, Constantine must deal with his own mortality, and Ray is eager to find and reconnect with Nora. There are some returning characters this season, while others decide to move on from the Legends. It’s a thoroughly-entertaining, action-packed season with lots of twists and turns, that is also filled with lots of laughs and humor. The season culminates in an epic battle, with an unusual and hilarious song choice.
The Blu-ray release of this fifth season of Legends includes a special bonus disc containing all five parts of the massive Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event (the DVD release will only include the Supergirl episode, “Hour One”). This event didn’t shake up this series as much as it did some of the others, but was still a highly-entertaining preface to the new season. It feels like one giant three and a half hour film following the adventures of the entire Arrow-verse as a whole, that really shakes up the multiverse for this and future seasons of the series involved. In Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Anti-Monitor has been destroying Earths across the multi-verse, and superheroes from every Earth—not just those on our own Earth-1 and Supergirl‘s Earth-38—must come together to stop him. This is the biggest, most-exciting crossover the Arrow-verse has ever attempted. The result is epic, bringing together characters/actors from decades of DC TV series and movies. I’m sure die-hard DC fans familiar with the comics will get even more geeky joy out of this then I did. But even as a casual viewer, I had so much fun spotting all of the amazing cameos, and watching this huge collection of characters come together in a bigger way than ever before. The repercussions from this crossover event will have long-lasting effects on the Arrow-verse (and possibly future DC TV shows and movies) as a new Earth-Prime arises, with some major shake-ups. While The CW had announced most of the cameos ahead of time, there were still a few amazing surprises, and it was still a delight to watch.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing. The picture is pretty immaculate, with rich colors and details, and always looks fantastic no matter what time period, location, or TV show the Legends end up in. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer in the middle of the action, providing an immersive and exciting viewing experience. The episodes are spread across 3 discs, plus there is a fourth disc containing the Crisis crossover content. The discs are packed in a standard multi-disc HD keepcase with a cardboard slipcover, along with an insert detailing the contents of each disc. The release also includes a code to redeem a digital copy of the DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 5 episodes on Vudu (this does not include the crossover event episodes from the other four series).
The bonus material exclusive to this release includes over 32 minutes of deleted scenes, nearly 12 minutes of other extended fun moments from the season, an 8-minute gag reel, and another installment of Post Production Theatre. The Blu-ray release also includes the excellent Crisis on Infinite Earths bonus disc, which contains the entire 5-part Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event plus over 40 minutes of bonus material related to the crossover event. These Crisis featurettes primarily consist of the pre-recorded segments that aired during The CW’s crossover post-show hosted by Kevin Smith—the Kevin Smith interview segments are not included.
What’s Included:
- All 14 episodes of the fifth season, plus the entire 5-part DC Crossover Event: Crisis on Infinite Earths on a bonus disc:
Disc 1: “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Hour 5”, “Meet the Legends”, “Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me”, “Slay Anything”, “A Head of Her Time”
Disc 2: “Mortal Khanbat”, “Mr. Parker’s Cul-de-Sac”, “Romeo V. Juliet: Dawn of Justness”, “Zari, Not Zari”, “The Great British Fake Off”
Disc 3: “Ship Broken”, “Freaks and Greeks”, “I Am Legends”, “The One Where We’re Trapped on TV”, “Swan Thong”
Bonus Disc: All five parts of the crossover event, including the related episodes of Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow - 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Digital HD copy of the season episodes (not entire crossover) redeemable via Vudu.
- Main Discs
- Unaired Scenes (32:11)
Individual episode deleted scenes are available via the Episodes menu, or the Unaired Scenes main menu option will play all of the scenes available for the episodes that appear on that disc.- Meet the Legends (2:43)
- Scene 11 (:38) – Mona talks about Rory.
- Scenes 15-18 (1:05) – Ray tells a story, Behrad makes a donut.
- Scene 47 (:16) – Mona brushes her teeth while expressing her thoughts.
- Scene 54 (:21) – Nate and Ava wonder where Sara and Behrad are.
- Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me (1:39)
- Scene 14 (1:04) – Jeanie tells the Legends about Bugsy’s resurrection.
- Scene A24 (:22) – Sara and Constantine talk about Bugsy’s hellfire gun.
- Slay Anything (4:38)
- Scene 16 (:59) – Nate and Ray are going back to 1989 to give Freddy good memories.
- Scene 23 (:24) – Freddy checks himself out in the mirror.
- Scene 25 (:47) – Charlie asks about the door. Constantine tells her to leave.
- Scene 38 (:52) – The prom winds down. Tiffany invites Freddy to take pictures.
- Scene 39 (:26) – Behrad learns that Zari has escaped, his totem begins to speak to him.
- Scene 50 (:37) – Cathy Meyers crashes the van & stabs the coroner.
- A Head of Her Time (4:38)
- Scene 12 (1:13) – Zari helps the team get past the guards.
- Scene 18 (1:39) – Zari coaches Ava on being cool at parties. They hatch a plan to lure Marie.
- Scene 25 (:42) – Zari and Marie talk. Gideon shows Zari her future. The power of the perfume is revealed.
- Scene 28 (:40) – Behrad opens a portal for Zari.
- Mortal Khanbat (1:31)
- Scene 5 (:21) – Ava tells Gary to stay with Constantine.
- Scene 31 (:38) – Khan and his gang ride on motorcycles.
- Scene 49 (:18) – Prince Charles pours himself a drink.
- Mr. Parker’s Cul-de-Sac (3:16)
- Scene 3 (:47) – Ava gives Sara the Hell-Sword.
- Scene 10 (:11) – Ray gives Nora a shoulder massage.
- Scene 13 (:28) – Ray goes to get the first course, the doorbell rings.
- Scene 17 (:08) – Ray asks Pippa if she wants to see a spaceship.
- Scene 18 (:15) – Nora pours some champagne as Ray and Pippa leave.
- Scene 43 (:18) – Everyone sits down for dinner. Nora hears the call from Pippa.
- Scene 46 (:36) – John and Damian talk about the loom.
- Romeo V. Juliet: Dawn of Justness (4:02)
- Scene 4 (1:03) – Mentor is curious why Astra is keeping Constantine alive.
- Scene 10 (:17) – Nate, Constantine and Ray discuss how to get the ring from Shakespeare.
- Scene 23 (:21) – Sara, Ava, Zari, Nora and Mona plan a bachelorette party.
- Scenes 37-38 (:42) – Sara and Ray discuss a plan to fix history. Zari overhears and wants to help.
- Scene 59 (1:15) – Mona and Ava accept Zari as a new book club member.
- Zari, Not Zari (1:53)
- Scene 4A (1:00) – Charlie talks to Sara about her sisters.
- Scene 30 (:42) – Gideon tells Ava and Nate that the jumpship has been destroyed.
- The Great British Fake Off (1:23)
- Scene 29 (:31) – Stand-off at the dinner table. Zari gets an idea.
- Scene 50 (:41) – Zari decides to save Constantine on her own.
- Ship Broken (1:44)
- Scenes 64-67 (1:37) – Sara and Constantine search the Waverider.
- I Am Legends (1:15)
- Scene 33 (:19) – Ava informs the team that there should be a Time Courier inside the safehouse.
- Scene 35 (:46) – Atropos, Lachesis, and Astra threaten Gary to reveal the rings.
- The One Where We’re Trapped on TV (:19)
- Scene 8 (:12) – Mona is excited for a crossover between Ultimate Buds and Highcastle Abbey.
- Swan Thong (3:31)
- Scene 31 (:16) – The team reassembles onboard the Waverider.
- Scene 55 (:45) – John volunteers to look at the Loom and discovers that it is actually Gideon.
- Scene B65 (:16) – The Legends have won the Encore flight. Nate suggests another round of Sisqo.
- Scene A75 (:23) – Ava, Sara and Mona check that everything is back to normal.
- Scene 75 (1:27) – Sara and Ava have a heart-to-heart.
- Meet the Legends (2:43)
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Post Production Theatre (3:50)
This featurette has become a staple of thee Legends of Tomorrow Blu-ray releases, in which the post-production team shows off their acting chops (or lack thereof) as they create placeholders to mark where pickup shots, re-shoots or visual effects will be added. This year’s version is a bit disappointing—the actual placeholder footage for most scenes is just a second or two—if you blink you’d miss it. Scenes include “Ep.510 Sc. 38”, “Ep.512 Sc. 45”, “Ep.515 Sc. 33”, “Ep.515 Sc. 38”, “Ep.515 Sc. A60”, “Ep.515 Sc. B60”, and “Ep.515 Fatewatch Commercial”. - More Fun Moments Collection (11:58)
Collection of fun segments that were heavily edited down for use in the episodes, but presented here in their entirety. These primarily consist of various shows-within-the-show, such as ads, TV programs, and plays. The segments play back-to-back and include:- “Ep.501 – Nate Whiskey Ad” (:22)
- “Ep.501 – Mona Fur PSA” (:17)
- “Ep.504 – DJ Smore” (:26)
- “Ep.506 – Mr. Parker dances” (2:07)
- “Ep.506 – Mr. Parker feeds the fish” (1:02)
- “Ep.506 – Mr. Parker paints a picture” (1:24)
- “Ep.506 – Mr. Parker goes to sleep” (1:54)
- “Ep.506 – Mr. Parker drinks a beer” (:47)
- “Ep.507 – Shakespeare Play”(2:51)
- “Ep.513 – Gary and the Rabbit” (:48)
- Gag Reel (8:12)
This humorous gag reel opens with a sitcom-style opening sequence and then finds the cast cursing (bleeped), flubbing and forgetting lines, making strange noises, dancing, dropping props, dealing with misbehaving animals, and having fun on set.
- Unaired Scenes (32:11)
- Crossover Event Bonus Disc
- DC Crossover Event: Crisis on Infinite Earths (3:32:07)
All five episodes of the crossover: “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One” (Supergirl season 5 episode 9), “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two” (Batwoman season 1 episode 9), “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three” (The Flash season 6 episode 9), “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four” (Arrow season 8 episode 8), “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five” (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 5 episode 1). - Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Architects Return (11:55)
Series producers and comic book artists/writers/experts talk about the evolution of the DC Comics story the crossover event is based on, the major impact it had on the comics, and adapting this story for TV. Includes stills from the comics, and interviews with writer Marv Wokfman, artist Jerry Ordway, DC co-publisher Dan DiDio, executive producer Marc Guggenheim, artist George Pérez, and artist Tom Derenick. - Crisis on Infinite Earths: Crisis Management (13:08)
The cast and filmmakers talk about taking on this massive crossover event. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, stills from the comics, and interviews with executive producer Marc Guggenheim, story editor/writer (DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow) Ubah Mohamed, executive producer Robert Rovner (Supergirl), executive producer Eric Wallace (The Flash), writer Marv Wolfman, and stars Caity Lotz (“Sara Lance/White Canary”) & David Ramsey. - Crisis Past and Present: Kevin Conroy Bat Legend (3:17) The cast and filmmakers talk about bringing in the Batman: The Animated Series star to finally play his character on screen. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producers Eric Wallace, Marc Guggenheim & Robert Rovner, story editor/writer Ubah Mohamed, and star Kevin Conroy (“Bruce Wayne”).
- Crisis Past and Present – Superman vs. Superman (4:37)
The cast and filmmakers talk about seeing Brandon Routh stepping back into the Superman costume. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producers Marc Guggenheim & Eric Wallace, and stars Brandon Routh (“Superman/The Atom”), Tyler Hoechlin (“Superman”), Grant Gustin (“Barry Allen/The Flash”) & Hartley Sawyer (“Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man”). - Characters in Crisis: Pariah (4:20)
The filmmakers discuss adapting the Crisis comic character of Pariah to the Arrow-verse. Includes stills from the comics, and interviews with executive producers Eric Wallace, Marc Guggenheim & Robert Rovner, and story editor/writer Ubah Mohamed. - Character in Crisis: The Anti-Monitor (4:55)
The filmmakers discuss Crisis‘ big villain, and adapting this character to the Arrow-verse. Includes stills from the comics, and interviews with executive producers Eric Wallace, Marc Guggenheim & Robert Rovner, story editor/writer Ubah Mohamed, and comic writer Marv Wokfman.
- DC Crossover Event: Crisis on Infinite Earths (3:32:07)
Episodes: (10:36:50)
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Blu-ray:
Digital: (Expires 9/30/2021)
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
In its fifth season, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow remains a fun, exciting and thoroughly entertaining series. The writers must have a blast coming up with these crazy storylines and adventures for the Waverider crew. Warner Bros’ Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes a nice selection of bonus material, especially for those who like deleted scenes! The Blu-ray is definitely the version of this release to pick up as it also contains the full Crisis event/bonus disc plus a digital copy of the season’s episodes.
