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    Movie Review: Justice League Dark: Apokolips War

    Posted on

    by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

    Everything has led to this. Darkseid is ready to launch another attack on Earth, and it is up to the combined might of the Justice League, Teen Titans, Justice League Dark, The Bat Family, and The Suicide Squad to hold the line. Even with their powers combined, will they be enough to stop Darkseid and save the day? In a word…no. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War arrives on Blu-ray on 5/19 (released digitally earlier this month), and nothing will ever be the same.

    The Justice League has faced off against Darkseid and his warriors on numerous occasions, but when the team learns that the villain was behind the recent “death” of Superman, it is time to change their tactics. Believing that Apokolips is on it’s way to Earth for a final invasion, Superman makes the call to all of the heroes of Earth to launch a preemptive strike. Even with a small army at their command, Darkseid remains several steps ahead and takes them down in a matter of minutes. Thanks to a rather significant time jump, viewers will quickly learn what happens to the world under Darkseid’s rule. What happened to the Justice League and their allies once the world fell? Is there any chance of turning the tides and saving the day? How much darker can this movie get? Unfortunately, it all comes down to a very battered and demoralized Constantine, Raven, Etrigan, Robin, Lois Lane, and a de-powered Superman to save the planet. What can this motley crew do in the face of imminent doom?

    Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the final in-continuity installment in the shared DC Universe Movies series that began with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Even with fifteen movies leading up to this epic showdown, the creative team still had a lot of ground to cover in a relatively short amount of time. Even with five different teams and dozens of characters to juggle, Apokolips War still manages to give everyone a chance to shine (except for Aquaman…poor Aquaman). I was genuinely shocked how much got integrated into this film, including story beats from various story arcs within the recent “New 52” comics run. It is hard not to compare this film to Avengers: Endgame, but DC pulls off an animated adventure that is both epic and world-shattering. Characters are taken beyond their limits and we get to see what happens when the bad guys win. And more importantly, the movie answers the question about what “winning” looks like when so much has tragically been lost along the way.
     

    This animated adventure features the return of Matt Ryan (Justice League Dark) as John Constantine, Jerry O’Connell (Justice League: War) as Superman, Taissa Farmiga (Justice League Dark) as Raven, Stuart Allan (Son of Batman) as Robin, Tony Todd (Reign of the Supermen) as Darkseid, Rosario Dawson (Wonder Woman: Bloodlines) as Wonder Woman, Jason O’Mara (Justice League: War) as Batman, Rainn Wilson (The Death of Superman) as Lex Luthor, Rebecca Romijn (The Death of Superman) as Lois Lane, Christopher Gorham (Justice League: War) as The Flash, Shemar Moore (Justice League: War) as Cyborg, and John DiMaggio (Batman: Bad Blood) as Trigon and King Shark. Matt Ryan steals the movie as the ultimate personification of John Constantine, complete with all of his strengths and character flaws clearly displayed for the world to see. Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn continue to be the perfect casting for Clark and Lois. Even in the face of danger, their love comes through with every interaction. The dynamic pairing of Stuart Allan and Taissa Farmiga as Damien/Raven was one of the best elements of the film, showcasing how far they both have grown since their first appearances in this animated universe. Damien really receives the best character arc from this shared universe, leveling up becoming a true hero. Lastly, Jason O’Mara’s Dark Knight takes a turn to the dark-side (pun intended), as we get a very sinister version of Batman who has been influenced by the evil New God. 

     
     
    Overall
    If you are going to wrap up a shared animated universe, this was one hell of a way to do it. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was completely unpredictable. Instead of taking the obvious turns, this film spared no punches and went down the most insane route possible from start to finish. Some characters live, some characters die, but they never took the easy way out. Also, this is not a film for kids. It is really intense and brutal at times, and might be a bit too much for children. It will also make grown adults cry (I might be speaking from experience, but you can’t prove anything).
     
    After this adventure, we are left wonder where the animated adventures will go next. Will we see a new shared universe with elements from the recent “Rebirth” initiative? Will we see more stories set in Bruce Timm’s DC Animated Universe (DCAU)? Will we see something completely different? All we know is that the next adventure is called Superman: Man of Tomorrow, which features Darren Criss (Glee) as Clark Kent/Superman, and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) as Lex Luthor. The rest remains unanswered…for now.
    Rating: [5/5]
    ComicsOnline gives Justice League Dark: Apokolips War 5 out of 5 insane finales. 
     
     
     
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    Matt Sernaker
    (Managing Editor/Director of Media Relations) Matt interviewed MacGyver once (true story), and was invited on a submarine to the Arctic. It hasn't happened yet, but Matt hopes that some day he will get the call and he and Richard Dean Anderson will go off and have a wacky adventure.
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