Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Review

Cross-promotion is one of the big things for companies. Currently, DC is utilizing The New 52's version of the Justice League for their animated films. This started with "War," which adapted the first arc of the comic. This time, Throne of Atlantis is being adapted. War was pretty solid, successfully introducing the League in an exciting way, also being pretty faithful to the comic version. The only major departure was the usage of Shazam instead of Aquaman. Rather, DC wanted to introduce the King of the Seas in the next film. While War was solid, it still had problems. Sadly, those problems return here and are magnified. While calling Throne of Atlantis a "bad" movie would be a disservice to it, it can't be called "great" or even "very good."

Darkness, mystery, legend - these are the whispers that echo through time regarding Atlantis. A kingdom long since forgotten to surface dwellers, it is here that a hidden empire teeters on the brink of war. When a military submarine traversing this remote domain is attacked, Cyborg plunges to the murky depths to investigate the wreckage. What he encounters is a threat powerful enough to rally together the newly formed Justice League. Meanwhile, thousands of feet above the ocean floor wanders the lone drifter Arthur Curry, a man with strange powers who may be the last chance to bridge the ancient Atlantean world and our own. Join Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League as they face off against Orm, otherworldly weapons and perilous odds. It's an all-new, epic chapter from the DC Universe in which mankind's only hope from the darkness rests upon the guiding light of a man - Aquaman!

Before War, DC was content with adapting stories from the earlier days such as the case with Doom and The New Frontier. For better or worst, those versions of the characters have been replaced by The New 52's. With this film, it's definitely for the worst. To be fair, Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and the Flash all remain consistent and engaging. It's everyone else that is cringe-worthy. Let's talk about the biggest culprit, Shazam. He is easily the worst character in the whole thing, supposedly being comic relief, but just about every line he has is terrible. If that weren't bad enough, he's given little to do power-wise and ends up being a joke like his War appearance. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a character who can be a match for Superman and is also known as Earth's Mightiest Mortal. (On top of that, he's supposed to have the wisdom of Solomon...no sign of that.) He in the past has rarely been immature, why DC has gone this route with the character is beyond me.

The scene where Batman tells Superman not to touch anything and then the latter precedes to do so tells me one thing: the League is being written as if they were all kids. Ironically, Cyborg, the least well known of all the main characters might just be written the best. I actually felt some emotion when Ocean Master stabbed him almost to the point of no return. Green Lantern's comedy relief isn't as good as in War, but doesn't sink to Shazam annoying. Still, it's sad when the League's interactions with each other feels like a bunch of college students going back and fourth. I don't know if DC is trying to appease that crowd by delivering so-called "hip and now" versions of these characters, because it's failing miserably.

The big thing about this movie is the debut of Aquaman. In the comic, he was already established, so it was interesting to see the origin here. For the most part he could be called a solid character, but some of the writing, in fact, a lot of the writing in this movie could be a lot better. "Oh, and, uh, funny story, I talk to fish now and they actually listen. So I'm gonna stop my evil half-brother from destroying the surface world. Do you, um, do you wanna come?" Yes that is an actual piece of dialogue when he talks to Mera. Speaking of her, there's something this film does badly in: establishing romances. The only romance subplot that is developed nicely is between Cyborg and Sarah Charles. Superman and Wonder Woman being together has always been a favorite concept among fans, but it happens way too suddenly here. And then, when they are in their human disguises, Lois Lane runs into them. What follows is some awkward dialogue because the relationship between him and Lois has not been established in this continuity. The viewer is left wondering, "Um, so are Lois and Clark separated or something, because the way Clark acted made it seem that way."

It's apparent that Aquaman and Mera, (who is actually more engaging than half the League_) make a good couple. But that romance happens way too quickly. I would say this movie needed to be longer, but with films like Crisis on Two Earths and Doom which has stellar writing in the same amount of time, that excuse can't be used. The main antagonist is Ocean Master, who, thanks to The New 52 version will forever be known for pretty much knocking out the entire Justice League. This happens here too, and while the comic makes it semi-believable, it doesn't work here. It just seems like they made this guy take them all down for shock value. Black Manta, his right hand man, is the much more engaging character. That's why his sudden exit was so terribly executed to the point where a longtime fan will be tempted to burn the disc to a crisp.

One major disappointment was there was no massive title wave that engulfed Metropolis. This happened in the comic and it was deadly & amazingly executed. Arguably, this was the most memorable thing about the arc. (Aside from of course Ocean Master taking out Superman.) The title wave is teased, but then it evaporates. Batman even says "people are going to die," which is quite a powerful line. None of this happens, which a great disservice to the comic. While there are a lot of negatives, the film is not without its redeeming qualities. The fight scenes remain choreographed well, and the animation is crisp. The overall concept of the story is engaging enough to be watched until the end. Sadly, there's just a lot of cringe-worthy writing and poor handling of characters to get there.

Hey that logo looks familiar...

Overall, Throne of Atlantis is a disappointment. One is better off buying the trade paperback than watching the adaption. It's easily the worst direct-to-DVD Justice League movie DC has released thus far. It does has some intense action scenes, though Batman is surprisingly part of almost none of them. (He doesn't throw a single punch.) Shazam remains a disgrace and Black Manta's demise (for now anyway) was just ridiculous when he is the more engaging character, not Ocean Master. Superman is a pale representation of his former self, not once representing the icon of hope his symbol represents. (No Superman I know would say that he's going to shove something down a villain's throat, more proof that the writing is trying desperately to make this characters "edgy.") I'm disappointed that The New 52 will continue in animated format, because this proves the older formula for the characters is just far superior.

2.5/5

Justice League: War Review

The first arc of The New 52's Justice League will always hold a special place in my heart. If it wasn't for this big reboot, I wouldn't have been reading DC comics on a modern basis. The New 52 was a gamble, because while it did open a gateway for new readers, it risked the chance of alienating longtime fans. Fast forward three years later, and it looks like it's been a success. Flashpoint was adapted into a movie not too long ago, and the after-credits scene gave us the indication that The New 52 will be the standard for DC animated movies to come. War takes some liberties, but for the most part captures the essence of the comic, even improving on a few aspects.

The story is the origin of the Justice League. When an alien invasion hosted by a malevolent being threatens the Earth, the world's super beings must unite. Character portrayals was one of the things hotly debated when The New 52 launched. Some were great, (Cyborg) and some not so great. (Superman.) For better or worse the portrayals pretty much match their comic counterparts. Batman is by far the best character, even beating his comic book appearance. He's the leader here, and really the star, just as with the first arc. Green Lantern is somewhat annoying, but to a much lesser extent than his comic self. In fact, a lot of his comic relief scenes were actually funny.

I never liked Superman's New 52 portrayal, and still don't. He was made into trying to be an 'edgy' version of the character, and the writing ends up being more obnoxious than anything. It doesn't help that the costume used here is terrible. The comic version looks much better. (Seriously, it's by far the worst Superman look I've ever seen.) Still, I'm glad they got his strength nailed. The now classic scene in the comic where he pulverizes Batman and Green Lantern was one of the best scenes in the film. If he and Batman were to fight for real, chances are this is how it would go down. (Superman completely obliterating him.) Wonder Woman got a lot of action to herself. In fact, she may have looked the best out of the characters power-wise. I personally love her costume, I'd say it's one of the better redesigns in recent years. My complaint with her from the comic was that her dialogue was a bit cardboard. She's definitely more fun here. Despite the rather cheesy ice cream scene, she was solid.

One problem was the inclusion of Shazam. He DOES NOT belong. He was NOT in the original story, Aquaman was. Seriously, Shazam could have been written out. He's supposed to be up there with Superman in power, but out of the characters he gets pummeled by Darkseid the most. Not to mention that Billy Batson is a jerk. He's like that in the comic, so technically it's a faithful portrayal. Doesn't make him any less unlikable. The Flash is pretty normal, just like his comic self. He sadly doesn't really contribute anything besides taking out Darkseid's other eye, which I suppose makes up for his lack of doing things. Cyborg was a surprise inclusion for the story back in the day. It's hard to picture him anything other than a Teen Titan, but it works. He's one of the best written characters in the movie, and despite a limited time his emotional story with his father is fully realized.

Darkseid was an immense disappointment in the original comic. He barely had any lines and was more of a brute than tyrannical mastermind. He was basically just a big obstacle. This was definitely fixed in the movie. While he may not be as well written as his DCAU counterpart, he was for the most part solid. Steven Blum voices him, but it's hard to tell since his voice was covered with a lot of robotic overtones. Nonetheless, it's hard to not call his voice cool. Alan Tudyk as Superman doesn't fare as well sadly. He didn't sound like Superman, and it seems like he was literally just reading lines off a paper without getting into character. Jason O'Mara as Batman was pretty solid, I don'r mind that he'll be sticking around for future films. Everyone else is pretty good, beyond Superman there's no real complaints to be had with the voice acting.

There's a lot of action throughout. In fact, this one may have the most action out of any DC animated movie. Most of it is against Darkseid's minions, and those things kept coming. The climax with Darkseid was good. Since Superman was out of the game, it was interesting seeing the heroes struggle against the monster. Wonder Woman was the power hitter, though sadly Shazam did almost nothing other than power-up the Mother Box. Again, he just didn't belong and felt shoehorned in. The soundtrack is solid, it's pretty much what you'd expect. There's no standout themes, they just simply blended into the scenes they were in.

Overall, Justice League War is a fun film and pretty solid adaption of the original comic. It doesn't reach the greatness of a good majority of other DC animated movies, such as Superman: Doomsday, Batman: Under the Red Hood, The Dark Knight Returns, and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, but it's worth a watch whether you like the characters, read the original story, or never even seen or read anything DC related.

4/5

Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Heroes Unite Review

Out of all the DC Animated movies to come out in recent years, this one was the most surprising. I don't think many thought we would ever see an adaption of Lego Batman. On the outside it looks like a light, funny parody of Batman and Superman. On the inside...that's pretty much exactly what it is. Is that a bad thing though? Nope! Lego Batman is one of the most fun DC adventures in awhile, great for families and longtime fans alike.

The story is typical Batman/Superman fare, the Joker and Lex Luthor team up. Luthor is running for president, but on the day before election he sees his ratings are seriously low. So to convince the public that they should vote for him, he breaks Joker out of prison and gets him to make poison gas to mind control everyone. As much as Batman hates to admit it, it looks like he's going to need some help on this one.

The story is pretty wacky on paper, but it's what you expect from something called Lego Batman. The Joker is a highlight, right from his stage entrance in the first act you know you're in for a treat. Of course, this being strictly more of an all-ages adventure than previous movies, things are definitely more tame. But, it doesn't stop the Joker from being his crazy self. It never fails to be a great dynamic between him and Luthor. It was great that they got Clancy Brown to voice Luthor, since he voiced him in Justice League and Superman: The Animated Series.

Despite being called DC Heroes Unite, the rest of the Justice League don't appear until about the final 10 minutes. Perhaps a bit disappointing, but Superman makes up for it. He's pretty much a parody of the golden age version of the character, always smiling and acting invincible. The dialogue between him and Batman is priceless. From them walking into Lexcorp to waiting for the bus, (I'm not joking) this movie reminds us why we love seeing these two together. (And it's also great how Superman's classic theme plays whenever he flies in.)

Lego Batman is a fun movie. It doesn't try to pretend and be anything but a funny take on Batman, Superman, and the rest of the characters. It's perfect for a Saturday afternoon with the family, and for longtime fans ready for a good laugh. Definitely a must-see.

4.5/5

Teen Titans GO! Premiere Review

Teen Titans GO! to many people was going to be a huge slap in the face for two reasons. The cancellation of Young Justice and Green Lantern was met with a pretty big emotional response from fans. The fact that they were replacing these two amazing shows with an episodic comedy was pretty hard to take in. That's the first reason. The other reason is that this would be a 'sequel' to Teen Titans, a pretty great show with really good storylines. So the fact that we'll never know what happened with Terra or other things but instead have to sit through comedies was pretty painful to bear. But, I am open to things, and thought maybe this would be a funny toon with the characters. It has the original voice actors as a plus. Unfortunately almost everything I don't like about modern cartoon comedies is here, this premiere really is slap in the face to viewers of the original show. It's also pretty mindless.

Like Powerpuff Girls or Dexter's Lab, the episode is divided into two segments. The first one, 'Legendary Sandwich,' is easily the better of the two. Here we have Robin, whom claims he makes the best sandwiches. So Raven, to get everyone out of the house so she can watch Pretty Pretty Pegasus, sends the rest of the team on a mission to find the legendary ingredients to making the ultimate sandwich. It's a silly premise, but it works. The main charm is hearing the original voices. Some of the comedy is alright here, such as Robin hating the supermarket. (Where he knocks down a Batman cereal mannequin.) The biggest thing however is definitely the parody of My Little Pony, where we see that Raven is a PegaSister.  It's pretty awesome stuff (Sparkleface is the name of one of the characters,) and hopefully continues to be a running gag like the Star Trek one in TMNT. Besides Raven and maybe Starfire however, the other characters are sometimes painful to watch as seen in the next segment...

Pie Bros. revolves Cyborg's birthday. Beast Boy finds out that his best friend wants an ultra expensive video game, so he tries to get a job. The comedy is painful to watch here. Cyborg is a pale representation of his former self and if you thought Best Boy was annoying sometimes in the original show, picture that ten times increased. The pie song is painfully cringe worthy. There's not too much else to say about it, it's pretty much just slapstick using parodies of the characters.

Overall, Teen Titans GO! is off to an un-impressive start. There are somethings that work, such as Raven, Starfire, the original voice actors and bringing back the nostalgic theme song. But in the end it's just a parody, and not a very good one. I don't see it lasting too long. You want comedy? Go watch The Looney Tunes Show instead.

2.5/5