PG-13 | Animation, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
1hr 17 min
30 March 2019 (USA)
WB Animation and DC Entertainment have delivered approximately 34 feature-length films since their inaugural release, “Superman/Doomsday,” landed on DVD in 2007.
While exponentially better than any of Marvel’s animated fare, the WB/DC animation department output is about as inconsistent as Clayton Kershaw in October (there’s your opening weekend baseball reference. Sorry, Dodger fans). From highs like the exceptional “The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & 2” (2012 and 2013, respectively) and “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013), to the frustrating lows of 2016’s “Batman: The Killing Joke” (so underwhelming for such excellent source material) and “Batman And Harley Quinn” (2017), the label is still not quite where it could be considering the top-tier talent attached and 12 years of adapting some of the most famous stories in the DC Comics vault.
This all-new animated movie finds the Earth’s future hanging in the balance when the Justice League faces a powerful new threat – the Fatal Five. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman seek answers as the time-traveling trio of Mano, Persuader and Tharok terrorize Metropolis in search of budding Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz – whom they need in order to free remaining Fatal Five members Emerald Empress and Validus in order to carry out their sinister plan.
The new film does have some fresh ideas working for it with its ability to tackle heady material when it comes to the metal illness struggles of its two newest members, Cruz and Thom Kallor (Starboy), who suffer from anxiety and schizophrenia, respectively. This may have made the material a bit more serious than expected for an animated superhero flick, but is was a welcome real-world departure and made the young characters absolutely relatable.
The flick also brings back the DC secret weapon of Kevin Conroy (“Batman: The Animated Series”) as The Dark Knight. Conroy is a fan favorite and his take as the Caped Crusader is always spot-on. Conroy’s gruff delivery elevates every scene he is in, even when he is delivering some of the more comedic lines in the film during his interaction with the young Miss Martian (Daniela Bobadilla).
My main issue with the film lies in the animation. The style. This is not a criticism of the amazing style and work Bruce Timm and his band of animators have done over the years. “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Superman: The Animated Series,” “Justice League” and countless other animated shows and feature films have not only set the mold when it comes to superhero fare, but animation as well. The issue lies with the fact that this film feels like an extended episode of the early 2000’s “Justice League” (2001-2004) television show, and it looks dated in 2019 because of it.
The character designs and landscapes are fine, but they are stagnant. I know that the simple truth of these popular DC animated films are that they are on a tight budget and Warner Bros. Animation knows the secret sauce of maximizing their return on investment. Still, they need to give Mr. Timm the budget and tools to update and change up the animation to fit current times. After that they can use those character and landscape models for the next decade.
One word of caution for parents: this film is rated PG-13 and it pushes that rating as far as it will go, at least for an animated comic book film. I have zero problem with this, but some parents may. I think I count the “death toll counter” up to 10 before I stopped counting.
Ultimately, story is king, and the screenplay by Alan Burnett, Eric Carrasco and James Krieg has some fresh and heartfelt character development. Krieg and Burnett have been on these DC projects for years and continue to find a fresh and interesting take every time. Director Sam Lieu keeps the pace brisk and entertaining, even if there is a bit of a “been there, done that” feeling to the action sequences.
All in all, it is an engaging affair from an animation store that could use a remodel.
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