Review of Justice League: War (2014) by Erik A — 22 Apr 2015

With fun action sequences and amusing character interactions, Justice League: War is worth watching for any fan of the DCUA movies, but due to it's weak plot and the lack of complexity it deserved (and time to flesh out that complexity), it's not the movie to watch if you only want to see the occasional DCUA movie.

Taking a note from his recent rise in popularity in the comics, Green Lantern takes center stage as the pseudo-leader of the heroes. His hard-light constructs are some of the best we've seen in movies in terms of creativity (until he starts recycling them in the final battle). Jordan's character is perhaps the least interesting, but what the movie does well is his interaction with Batman, where the two clearly don't like each other, but they do respect one another. Much of this film's comedy comes from these interactions. Perhaps the best part about Batman, as with many Justice League stories, is that he's "just some guy in a bat costume" who can hold his own alongside the league's powerhouses.

Superman, for once, is a cocky sun-of-a-gun (and was fittingly voiced by Alan Tudyk). I appreciated that his fight sequences were more than just punching things as hard as he could, which seems to be the default for many JL movies. Other than that, there just wasn't a lot going on with Superman (given the limited time and the ensemble cast, that's okay). Wonder Woman, on the other hand, had her own side story. Unfortunately, that story needed more attention than it got, or it would have been better cut. The idea was that Diana represented the full superhero community, but the ridicule that fell on her almost felt that it had more to do with her being a female superhero than just a superhero. Her fight scenes were just darn cool, though, and honestly are enough of a reason to watch any animated movie that features Wonder Woman.

Flash was probably my favorite character in this film, despite the fact that he received the least attention. First of all, we saw a (very small) bit of his scientific mind. Second, he actually outran Darkseid's omega beams, which Superman failed to do. Third, he was the only hero to consistently deliver a successful blow to Darkseid (even though those blows didn't do all that much damage).

Cyborg and Shazam were the heart of the story, and the connection between the two is fairly unique. There is some great development for Cyborg, and since that's really the best part of the story, I won't spoil it for you.

The other dynamics between these characters are a pleasure to watch, but ultimately this film has just what you would expect from a team origin story. The villain is perhaps the most powerful villain in the DC universe, but the audience has little insight into his character, so he serves as nothing more than a reason for the heroes to unite. Other than the Cyborg/Shazam storyline, it really is just about the league forming, so the film is almost a collection of action sequences. It's good stuff, so if that's what you are in the mood for, give this movie a try. However, if you are looking for something deeper, Justice League: War isn't what you're looking for.