Review of Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015) by Eric H — 19 Jan 2015

After the preposterously written prequel Justice League: War (2014), highly romanticized Son of Batman (2014), and devious Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014), Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is somewhat a return to form for the DCAU movie line, but fails to be the heir apparent to its League-oriented predecessors; Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013).

Following an attack on a submarine in the Marianas Trench, Throne of Atlantis begins with the revelation that the League doesn't truly operate as an actual team despite the events in War. Meanwhile, after DC Comics' attempts to shove the plot irrelevant Superman/Wonder Woman love agenda further into the viewer's face, Arthur Curry is revealed to be grieving the death of his human father. As his half-brother, Orm/Ocean Master conspires to wage a war between the Atlanteans and the land dwellers, the Justice League is brought together yet again as they attempt to find Arthur and stop the impending war.

Throne of Atlantis does a few things right, and - naturally - a few things wrong. Ethan Spaulding returns from Son of Batman as the director, with Heath Corson returning from both War and Assault on Arkham as the screenwriter, as both bring their strengths and flaws into DC Comics latest outing that was based on the story arc of the same title by Geoff Johns. Spaulding's ability as a director focused on character driven moments shines with Corson's knack for character driven stories, as both give each member of the League a 'spot in the limelight' - along with witty interplay -, all while not taking away Aquaman's chance to leave a mark. While his ascent to the throne is abrupt, slightly silly and a tad nonsensical, Arthur easily cements himself as a character that is able to hold his own despite the responsibilities that are suddenly thrust upon him.

Notable changes include the toned down exaggerated characterizations of Superman (Jerry O'Connell), Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson) and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) through Corson's more refined writing; Clark is less of a hot-headed jock, the loud and obnoxious Diana from War is non-existent, and Hal's banter is much more on-point and less juvenile. To further support the creative change to distance itself from War's ridiculous characterization of certain superheroes, War's voice actors were switched out. The creative changes might seem subtle, but for those seeking a more nuanced form of voice acting that translates to a close enough embodiment of the characters, Throne of Atlantis does it best over War, though that really isn't saying much.

Unfortunately neither Arthur nor his League allies are truly fleshed out if one is to look past the scatter-shot 'spot in the limelight' each receive as Throne of Atlantis mercilessly throttles forward in terms of character development, as it haphazardly tries to balance out the lack of the latter with more over-the-top action scenes. Continuing the blood and carnage norm set by The Flashpoint Paradox - yet failing to reach its benchmark - Spaulding's execution of action in Throne of Atlantis is visceral if one is to put it beside recent DC animations, but proves to be nothing more than depthless violence; it's over-the-top for the sake of being over-the-top. Further marred by a lack of an actual sense of tension, Throne of Atlantis continues the post-The Flashpoint Paradox mediocrity which blazes like a red sun with a climax that whimpers rather than exploding into a hot mess.