Justice League Dark: Apokolips War review

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKOLIPS WAR: 

GRITTY DC ANIMATED FILM BRINGS TOGETHER SOME OF DC’S GREATEST HEROES (AND VILLAINS) IN A GLORIOUS FINAL SHOWDOWN! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

WARNER BROS. ANIMATION

John Constantine, Superman, Raven, and Robin in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War

            No, that isn’t a spelling mistake! The heroes and villains of DC Comics engage in battle against the powerful Darkseid in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, the latest installment of the DC Animated Movie Universe and follow-up to 2017’s Justice League Dark. Prior to this review I watched for the first time the Justice League Darkanimated movie and because I didn’t review it at the time of its release, I’ll share my quick thoughts on it before we kickstart the Apokolips War. 

             Unlike the original and iconic Justice League team, Justice League Dark consists of more supernatural-themed heroes in the DC Universe like John Constantine, Zatanna, Etrigan the Demon, Swamp-Thing, Black Orchid, and Deadman; and take on threats deemed outside the scope of the original team. The first JLD movie was the second film in the DC Animated Universe to receive an R rating after 2016’s Batman: The Killing Joke and as someone who doesn’t follow the Justice League Dark comics (I know a majority of the members but I’ve never read any of the comics where they’re all together), I thought the first movie was very entertaining, not one of the best DC or even superhero films in general but it’s fun even though I felt the movie was slightly lacking in the R rated bloody violence, it had about as much as Princess Mononoke (Which was rated PG-13) in my opinion; I also thought the villain was pretty weak and forgettable, good movie overall. 

            Now we have Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, the fifteenth and final film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Basically, serving as DC’s answer to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame with the Justice League Dark, original Justice League, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad, and many other fan favorites joining forces to stop a threat powerful enough to destroy the entire universe…and it…is…GLORIOUS! 

            If the final battle of Avengers: Endgame is categorized as “Marvel Comics Come to Life” then the entire running time of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the animated equivalent of DC Comics come to life. It’s a gritty, overblown superhero spectacle that gives longtime fans of the comics and animated movies what they want with compelling main characters and an unexpected amount of depth to boot, it’s not only one of the best DC animated films; but one of the best DC films PERIOD! 

            After an intense battle on the planet Apokolips against the powerful Darkseid (voiced by Tony Todd-Star Trek: The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine, Candyman franchise, Final Destination franchise) results in the decimation of Earth, members of the Justice League now brainwashed by the villainous warmonger, and several fallen heroes including the Justice League Dark’s own Zatanna (voiced by Camilla Luddington-Grey’s Anatomy, William & Kate: The Movie, Tomb Raider (video game series)), forcing the survivors to regroup on Earth. The remaining heroes consisting of John Constantine (voiced by Matt Ryan-Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, The CW’s Arrowverse,Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (video game)), Superman (voiced by Jerry O’Connell-Jerry Maguire, Scream 2, The Defenders), Raven (voiced by Taissa Farmiga-Higher Ground, American Horror Story, The Bling Ring), Damian Wayne/Robin (voiced by Stuart Allen-Transformers: Robots in Disguise), Etrigan the Demon (voiced by Ray Chase-Final Fantasy XV (video game), Your Name, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Lois Lane (voiced by Rebecca Romijn-X-Menfranchise, The Punisher (2004), Star Trek: Discovery), Swamp-Thing (voiced by Roger Cross-24, First Wave, Dark Matter), and former enemies Lex Luthor (voiced by Rainn Wilson-The Office, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Super!), Harley Quinn (voiced by Hynden Walch-Teen Titans/Teen Titans Go!, ChalkZone, Adventure Time), Captain Boomerang (voiced by Liam McIntyre-Spartacus: Vengeance/War of the Damned, The Flash (TV series), Gears of War 4 (video game)), and King Shark (voiced by John DiMaggio-Futurama, Kim Possible, Adventure Time) must come up with a plan to take the fight to Darkseid himself if they have any chance of saving not just their friends and team members but the entire universe in an epic final showdown. 

            The film also features the voices of Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars, Terra Nova, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Batman, Rosario Dawson (Men in Black II, Sin City 1 and 2, The Lego Batman Movie) as Wonder Woman, Christopher Gorham (Odyssey, Ugly Betty, Once Upon a Time) as the Flash, Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds, Birds of Prey (TV series), S.W.A.T. (2017 TV series)) as Cyborg, Cross as John Stewart/Green Lantern, and DiMaggio as Trigon. 

            Overall, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War caps off a 15-movie franchise and shared universe with an, epic, relentlessly entertaining, and emotionally powerful sendoff…in animated and direct-to-video form no less. Honestly, this movie puts the entire live-action DC Extended Universe to shame. 

            While the film wasn’t released theatrically and probably doesn’t have the same wide appeal as something like Avengers: Endgame, the creators, animators, and production team knew that this movie needed to be big and used what they had to make Apokolips War as epic as possible on a small scale…and it really pays off. Yeah, when movie theaters reopen I want either a Fathom Events release of the film or a theatrical screening in general for it, I can imagine Apokolips War looking amazing on the big screen but even on home media it’s still a thrilling experience especially if you’re a DC fan. 

            Granted, I’ve only seen a handful of the animated DC movies; but I was thoroughly entertained by this movie and was able to recognize a majority of characters through other comics, TV shows, and movies. In fact, after seeing this animated DC epic I want to check out every single one of the DC Animated Universe films. 

            With all the superhero spectacle going on and how awesome it is to see several DC heroes in one place, I really appreciate that it never overshadows the main characters. Specifically, Constantine who lost his lover Zatanna in the war against Darkseid and Raven who is now suicidal and having difficulties keeping her demonic father Trigon from breaking free from his magical prison; they’re both very powerful but also have sensitive sides as well and the vocal performances from Matt Ryan and Taissa Farmiga are phenomenal.  

            Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is to DC fans what Avengers: Endgame was to Marvel fans and if you’re a fan of DC Comics or comic books/superheroes in general then this is something you don’t want to miss. 

Scoob! review

SCOOB!:

NOT THE TITULAR TALKING CANINE’S STRONGEST MYSTERY, BUT AN ENJOYABLE ENOUGH AND NOSTALGIC THROWBACK TO CLASSIC SCOOBY-DOO ENTERTAINMENT! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Fred, Daphne, Dee Dee Sykes, Dynomutt, and Blue Falcon in Scoob!

            The world of Scooby-Doo returns to the big screen…sort of…not really in Scoob!, the new film from Warner Animation Group and based on the iconic Scooby-Doo cartoon characters created by Hanna-Barbera. While this is Scooby’s debut in a mainstream animated feature (The TV and direct-to-video movies don’t count); the lovable talking dog had already made his theatrical debut with the live-action Scooby-Doo movie released in 2002 which featured Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Geller, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini as the Mystery Inc. gang; and even spawned a sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed in 2004. 

            As a kid I enjoyed a lot of Scooby-Doo cartoons and animated movies, but it wasn’t really something I was obsessed with like Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob Squarepants, Pokémon, and Cartoon Network shows such as Dexter’s Laboratory, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and The Powerpuff Girls. Not that it was bad, but Scooby-Doo didn’t quite have the same appeal to me as some of these other shows and nostalgic properties. 

            Nevertheless, I still have a handful of Scooby-Doo memories such as watching some of the cartoons like Scooby-Doo: Where Are You?, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, and a little bit of What’s New Scooby-Doo?; as well as several of the TV and direct-to-video animated movies most notably Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, and Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase to name a few. Not to mention I also saw both of the live-action Scooby-Doo movies in theaters when they came out and even revisited them decades later prior to watching this one. 

            Quick thoughts on the live-action movies, I enjoyed them as a kid but objectively and especially after revisiting them now they are terrible movies with inconsistent tones, awkward humor, confused direction, and completely sinful CG animation from the same year that gave us Gollum. However, with that said they do have some genuinely funny and even clever moments of satire and self-awareness sprinkled in there and the main cast is well portrayed, they’re better than most live-action films based on cartoons, but not by much. 

            Now we have the gang’s first CG animated mystery (If I’m missing a previous CG Scooby-Doo project then I apologize!) with Scoob!, and the first of a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe because if Marvel and DC are doing it then why not them too? I guess this is in response to Hollywood’s butchering of Hanna-Barbera cartoons in the past. 

            So, is this the film that saves the Scooby-Doo legacy and make up for the sins of the past? Eh, it’s okay. 

            Saying this is an improvement over the live-action movies would be an understatement but it doesn’t really do anything new with the formula. It’s pretty much like watching a Scooby-Doo cartoon in CGI with characters like Blue Falcon, Dynomutt, and Dick Dastardly thrown in which could be enough to satisfy kids and longtime fans of the source material. 

            The Mystery Inc. gang consisting of Shaggy Rogers (voiced by Will Forte-MacGruber, Nebraska, The Lego Movie 1 and 2), Fred Jones (voiced by Zac Efron-High School Musical trilogy, Hairspray, Neighbors 1 and 2) Velma Dinkley (voiced by Gina Rodriguez-Jane the Virgin, Annihilation, Smallfoot), and Daphne Blake (voiced by Amanda Seyfried-Mean Girls, Mamma Mia! 1 and 2, Les Miserables (2012)) have been solving mysteries across the globe accompanied by Shaggy’s pet dog Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker-Transformers, Futurama, The Garfield Show) and unmasking some of the most infamous ghouls and ghosts ever. However, their greatest mystery begins as Shaggy and Scooby are abruptly beamed up to the Falcon Fury and are befriended by superhero, The Blue Falcon (voiced by Mark Wahlberg-Three Kings, Transformers 4 and 5, Instant Family) and his crew Dee Dee Sykes (voiced by Kiersey Clemons-Dope, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Lady and the Tramp (2019)) and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (voiced by Ken Jeong-The Hangover trilogy, Community, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) who are trying to stop evil-doer, Dick Dastardly (voiced by Jason Isaacs-Harry Potter franchise, Peter Pan (2003), Brotherhood) from causing a global “Dogpocalypse” by unleashing the Ghost of Cerberus onto the world with Scooby being the last descendant of Alexander the Great as well as the key to saving the world…Zoinks!

            The film also features the voices of Iain Armitage (Big Little Lies, Young Sheldon, Our Souls at Night) as Young Shaggy, Newcomer Ariana Greenblatt as Young Velma, Pierce Gagnon (Looper, Extant, The Boss Baby: Back in Business) as Young Fred, Mckenna Grace (Crash & Bernstein, Designated Survivor, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Young Daphne, Tracy Morgan (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Rio 1 and 2) as Captain Caveman, and Billy West (The Ren & Stimpy Show, Doug, Futurama) as Muttley.  

            Overall, Scoob! is an entertaining Hanna-Barbera nostalgia trip filled with many references and callbacks to their cartoons, but as a Scooby-Doo movie it’s one of the gang’s weaker mysteries. In a way it’s sort of like the Sonic the Hedgehog movie where it’s a very standard and predictable story with a lot of fan service and Easter Eggs scattered throughout the film including a spot-on recreation of the original show’s theme song intro and a small cameo by Hong Kong Phooey. 

            I found the humor to be very hit-or-miss; while I laughed at most of the jokes that satirize the Scooby-Doo and Hanna-Barbera franchises, the typical dumb kids’ movie gags and desperately trendy dialogue (References to Netflix and Hashtags for example) got nothing but silence out of me. Hate to admit it but as bad and confused as the live-action movies were I probably laughed more at those compared to this. 

            The plot is a generic Scooby-Doo story, but I was very disappointed by the lack of screen-time with all the Mystery Inc. members together which was a huge part of the original’s charm. Shaggy and Scooby are separated from the rest of the gang for a good chunk of the film and the other members don’t have much development; and the mystery isn’t all that great. 

            Most of the voice cast do a solid job portraying the characters especially Will Forte’s impersonation of Shaggy, granted he’s far from being a replacement for Matthew Lillard he does faithfully capture the spirit of the character through his voice. 

            Scoob! isn’t a perfect adaptation of Scooby-Doo but it has enough charm, nostalgia, and laughs to satisfy kids and longtime fans of the source material. Case Closed! 

Emerald City ComiCon 2012-2013 Throwback

Emerald City ComiCon 2012

Emerald City ComiCon 2013