Justice League: War is the latest DC Universe animated feature adapted from the Justice League: Origin story of the “New 52” reboot. The idea behind the 2011 reboot was to re-introduce the mythology of our DC heroes. It’s like resetting the clock and everyone’s starting at the same time. For purists, this move was not well received because it essentially nullified in their eyes decades of revered stories and events. For others, this reboot gave them a starting point to jump into and follow without the need to know the past. Now entering its third year, I think the jury is still out.
With Justice League:War this is the first time our heroes become aware of one another. Batman seems to be the only one at the very least aware of Superman, The Flash and Green Lantern. As for Batman himself, he is thought to be a myth or an urban legend. That is until the Green Lantern encounters the Dark Knight in the opening sequence of JL:W which is very well done and looks spectacular in Blu-ray.
The story centers around an alien invasion of Earth by the sinister Darkseid from the planet Apokolips. Extraordinary situation calls for extraordinary measures. Such measures will be in the names of Batman, Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.
JL:W is an interesting if not a tricky concept. Since it’s based on the origins reboot story by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, its already controversial. When you tweak it further for the animated feature as director Jay Oliva did, you run the risk of losing the same audience DC was interested in tapping into because you’re already updating what had been done less than three years earlier.
One such change was giving more focus to the origins of Victor Stone’s Cyborg, which I believe was good choice. The other, and the biggest change was the exclusion of Aquaman in favor of Shazam. Again no love for Aquaman (I do suggest watching the ending credits.) Replacing Aquaman with Shazam was a surprise to me only given the fact that the brain trust behind DC have gone out of their way to elevate Aquaman’s superhero status. He is one character who has benefited greatly from the reboot.
Overall, I’m fine with those changes and I enjoyed JL:W with its wall to wall action and more often than not snappy dialogue. Definitely a lot of fun to watch. Keep in mind though if you haven’t read the original Origins story, this is all about how the Justice League came to be and to a lesser extent the origins of Cyborg and how he went from Victor Stone football hero to half man, half computer. My only regret is that Darkseid who is such a great villain is a little underwhelming.
Some issues I have is that I feel like this animated feature is an indirect continuation of the Man of Steel film. There are some subtle references to destroying cities and that superheroes may not be well received by the general public. You get a hint of that when we first see Wonder Woman who arrives at the White House and is met by protesters. Why the protest? Not sure because it’s never explored.
Speaking of Wonder Woman, I took issue with her depiction. Wonder Woman comes across more like an Asgardian than an Amazon from Paradise Island
In the end, DC proves it can put out stylish animated features better than Marvel. I only wish they could do that with their Cinematic universe.
Justice League: War *** (out of 4)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
