Of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies (DCUAOM) this is one of the most fondly remembered (not top 5 but up there). It returns almost the entire cast of Justice League like Michael Rosenbaum, Susan Eisenberg, Carl Lumbly, and Kevin Conroy. In addition George Newbern is replaced with Superman The Animated Series star, Tim Daly. It is an adaptation of a very popular comic book. It has good action, and big stakes with lots of inner team drama. After all that I think it is… good and nothing more.
In the opening scene Batman, the clear protagonist of the movie, tracks the Royal Flush Gang and gets whipped until the rest of the Justice League arrive. We then get to a major improvement over the comic book source material, the dialogue. In Tower of Babel the League seems to either hate each other or have really clunky dialogue to show friendship. Here they really come off as good friends that would be devastated to lose each other. Another key detail is Green Lantern tells Bats how often he saves him, and Bats replies the score is 8-7. It is harsher in hindsight showing how much Bats studies his teammates.
In a good fight they defeat The Royal Flush Gang, and in very efficient writing that takes up little time Flash deduces they must have a backer with much more technology expertise. Bats goes back home unaware Mirror Master hitched a ride into the Batcave where he downloads Bats’s files (later revealed to be on how to defeat The Justice League).
Vandal Savage brings in these guys with the payment of 100 million dollars per league member they kill. Um, Vandal I hate to tell you this, but you have Metallo and Cheetah on your team. You do not need a file on how to kill Superman. Still with this grandiose building and Savage’s charisma this is another good scene.
Is this part of the DCAU with its shared animation style with Crisis on Two Earths and actors from the DCAU? I say no. Vandal’s healing ability is different. J’onn is no longer the last living Martian. Cheetah is very different. Hal and Barry are now on the team instead of John and Wally.
Thus begins The Legion of Doom using Batman’s contigency plans. First is the one against Batman by using his dead parents as a distraction. Bane buries him alive and then… Leaves.
News flash to you Bane, people who are not Batman can dig themselves out of graves. That is the upcoming formula. The Legion of Doom claims victory and leaves without finishing the job, yet they assume it is done. This one is much worse than the comic version. Ma’alefa’ak gives J’onn a poison that makes him turn on fire even when wet. Better set up than the comic but misses a joke it had. Wonder Woman is made to fight an endless battle, and this is a much superior version of what the comic did.
Scarecrow’s toxin makes Green Lantern think he accidently killed so many people, and this is way better than the comic. The best one is Flash. The bomb is strapped through his wrist with a great deal of pain, and he now must run for eternity. Big improvement from the comic. Superman is… Metallo gets him in a way that they should have been able to think of by themselves.
The way to beat all these people rexcept for wonder Woman require them being good people (in contrast to aquaman and Plastic Man in the comic), but I presume Vandal just modified them for that.
The Legion of Doom then celebrates killing six heroes who are still alive, and Vandal reveals he is an immortal who is trying to reconquer the world. He will do this by killing most people with a weaponized solar flare. It is pretty interesting seeing the reactions. Ma’alefa’ak has a voice and expression of mild interest. Cheetah is scared she will die. It is hard to tell if they are scared of him (remember other than Mirror Master they think he is the master at contingency plans and likely has them for his villains too), or if they want in. When you join The Legion of Doom this should be expected.
Batman digs himself out of the grave and goes to check on the rest of The Justice League. Turns out he has contingency plans for his contingency plans, and again this is a huge improvement over the comic. Instead of all getting fixed easy it is really dramatic on saving Clark right down to them having to on the spot completely change plans on giving him the needed surgery.
After everybody is saved they discuss Batman’s contingency plans in a scene very different from the comic. In the comic they are pissed at him. Here they are upset but seem to understand after all the times they have been mind controlled and the like in the past. In the comic Wonder Woman is supposed to be the voice of reason saying if Bats told them about the plans they would be fine.
That is where I am completely against Mark Waid. If they are told about them then their is really no point in having them. Here Green Lantern is the voice of reason pointing out the real problem is allowing them to be stolen.
Batman’s attitude is very different. Instead of trying to change the subject he defends them by calling everybody else fools for not having plans, but this is probably also a jab that all they need to do is hit him on the head. He meanwhile needs them.
Now back to the real fun.
Batman and Flash track the plans to Vandal’s base in Louisiana, and here comes our fight. We get a great traveling shot and… Why is Clark fighting Metallo and Flash fighting Mirror Master? Should put Bats on Mirror Master and Green Lantern or Wonder Woman on Metallo.
The best fight is J’onn vs his brother having a shape shifter fight. The worst is Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah. Batman beats Bane the same way he always does. The rest of the fights are good. Before they win Vandal successfully launches the missile. This results in Superman again failing to save the sun in a Bruce Timm work (also happened in “eclipsed” and Justice League vs Fatal Five. As Green Lantern buys them time they deduce The Hall of Doom has a shield and use that to shield the entire Earth from the solar flare.
Next scene made me realize why I really do not care for this movie or the comic, it is a very inferior version of “Starcrossed.” Batman resigns from the Justice League. He then has a heart to heart with Clark about how much they trust each other and show it in their weird ways.
Also Cyborg was there, but nothing he did was important and all could be cut.
I give it three Tree Stars. The plot is disjointed, but it feels realistic for this world of costumed superheroes, and the fights are sure entertaining. It is not that interesting (really small word count for a superhero movie review from me), but it certainly kept my attention. I should add I really really hate the comic book, so I am having no issues with the adaptation’s changes.
Sorry this took so much time. This movie is really not that interesting and was way less fun than I thought it would be. Then work was crazy for the last three weeks straight.
Next time-
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