Great Job guys, honestly this movie had me thrilled along the entire way, rooting for good guys, bad guys, and also what an amazing finale. I dont want to give any spoilers away, but I can honestly say, this movie does Justice to the Justice League.
267 Reviews
Now this is DC
WeAreLive8 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
After a failed plot from the Justice League from Darksied. Various members are killed or controlled by Darksied's invasion. It's up to the remaining member to put a stop to take back the earth.
The movie was definitely one of the best New52 movie i have seen if this is last one which it kinda felt then definitely was a brilliant conclusion. Though i wasn't exactly a fan of how constantine was the reason why the whole mess happened how batman was easily being control when he should have normally had a plan against darksied's control.
But other then those two i am pretty satisfied with the actual result of this movie.
The movie was definitely one of the best New52 movie i have seen if this is last one which it kinda felt then definitely was a brilliant conclusion. Though i wasn't exactly a fan of how constantine was the reason why the whole mess happened how batman was easily being control when he should have normally had a plan against darksied's control.
But other then those two i am pretty satisfied with the actual result of this movie.
Pls make a live action on this
hmnz-0936 May 2020
This is what superhero movies need. A good story with some gore and not being afraid to kill off heroes.
This movie is one of the best animated superhero movies I've seen and I'm sure if this same movie was made live action it would kill it at the box office.
And i loved what they did with king shark, some really good laughs from him. Also Constantine was great in this movie.
There are some things that don't make sense like power levels because i don't understand how a lot of characters could take on doomsday monster things and characters like Louis being so badass all the sudden, but it all went together really well at the end.
King shark is a shark!
This movie is one of the best animated superhero movies I've seen and I'm sure if this same movie was made live action it would kill it at the box office.
And i loved what they did with king shark, some really good laughs from him. Also Constantine was great in this movie.
There are some things that don't make sense like power levels because i don't understand how a lot of characters could take on doomsday monster things and characters like Louis being so badass all the sudden, but it all went together really well at the end.
King shark is a shark!
what the live action movie should have been!
urbandisciple20 August 2020
Wow! What an amazing, beautiful, and bittersweet movie
jadediamond5 May 2020
I'll never understand why Warner Brothers refuse to let the writers for the animated movies write the live action movies. Ever since I was a child, their animated movies and storytelling have been amazing. One of my forever DC animated movies is Batman's Mask of the Phantasm. At first I wasn't crazy about the new 52 movies, but after they tweaked simple things like placing Clark back with Lois and Wonder Woman with Steve Trevor, I grew to love it. They did a wonderful job setting up this universe and this movie was a masterpiece. I like that they didn't play it safe. This movie is way better than Endgame.The major plot point for Endgame made more sense in this movie and I liked they didn't play that card until it made sense in an "end of an era" way to create a new chapter. I will watch this movie again but well done to the writers, animators, and all who put together such a wonderful universe, with a great understanding of the characters, giving them their moments to shine, and also a great yet poetic sendoff. I also never understood how the powers of Constantine fit in with the DC universe or Justice League. Now, I understand. Will definitely miss this version of Bruce, Damian, and Dick/Nightwing. Heck, I'll miss this version of alot of the superheroes. But it was a great sendoff and look forward for the next era of the DCAU. Awesome movie!!!
not for disney fans and negative comments are from marvel fans
kaintrust5 May 2020
It is DC and they started to understand their real target audience. they shouldnt target the disney comic fans but more for mature viewers. this movie is bloody, it is wild and it has tragedy. just the way DC movies should go back into. the action is almost non-stop. story is great. of course there are plot holes like any other comic book adaptation but they are very minor.
i am waiting for the next phase
You wanted Dark?..... you're gonna get it!
okeyski6 May 2020
The movies's plot is in its name. It's dark.....like really really dark and there's war.
It might not be as emotional as Death of Superman but then again it wasn't aiming to be.
The movie establishes Darkseid for what he truly is: SMART
But this movie is not without problems. For one it tries to fit so much in so little time.... Sorry guys but there's a reason Endgame lasted 3 hours. While most characters don't get their chance to shine... Those who manage to are properly used and perhaps that's what saves the movie.
The ending has me really excited for what next the DCAU has in store for us.
A fantastic end to the DC52 Universe.
mhorg20187 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I'll be honest, out in comic world, I've grown tired of the constant rebooting. I never really cared for the 52 Universe. But DC Animated, I've enjoyed nearly every single one. This one is one of the best. Really tremendous movie. VERY DARK, very violent. Not for kids. The Superman-Darkseid beatdown at the end was phenomenal. Darkseid is the one character Superman never has to hold back on. He can just get loose. Tony Todd was the best ever to do Darkseid's voice. THE BEST. Just a tremendous movie. Time Warner should just turn over their movie division to the animated writers.
Best
akashfi235 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The best of DCAU ! What an ending to this awesome universe !!! I was almost in tears :')
Never thought after Flashpoint there would be another this good movie from DCAU. DCEU should learn from this. They should do a flashpoint to reset their universe.
Cant wait for the new universe ahead. Hope that will be better than this one.
Dark is an understatement!! (SPOILER FREE REVIEW)
danl-836455 May 2020
As anyone who is familiar with the DC animated movies will be aware they have never shied away from the darker side of the genre but Justice League Dark: Apokolips War takes it to a whole new level. Do not, I repeat DO NOT allow small children to watch this or they WILL have nightmares.
Now that that's out the way we can get to the matter at hand.
This latest offering from DC's master animators absolutely does not disappoint although I would highly recommend that if you haven't seen the last few in their multitude of releases you at the very least need to watch Justice League Flashpoint Paradox, Justice League Dark (obviously) and Death & Return of Superman (Justice League vs Teen Titans wouldn't hurt either) as these are all integral to the story line that sets the scene for Apokolips War.
As mentioned in my opening paragraph this outing is especially brutal from start to finish with a LOT of unexpected twists and some shocking losses along the way. I was genuinely glued to the screen for the entirety and was disappointed when the credits started to roll, not because I felt the movie was unfinished but because it was so gripping I couldn't believe 90 minutes had already gone by. As with the previous movies in this run there is clearly another instalment on the way and I honestly cannot wait to see what they cook up next time, as every single one of them so far has been stellar.
Now that that's out the way we can get to the matter at hand.
This latest offering from DC's master animators absolutely does not disappoint although I would highly recommend that if you haven't seen the last few in their multitude of releases you at the very least need to watch Justice League Flashpoint Paradox, Justice League Dark (obviously) and Death & Return of Superman (Justice League vs Teen Titans wouldn't hurt either) as these are all integral to the story line that sets the scene for Apokolips War.
As mentioned in my opening paragraph this outing is especially brutal from start to finish with a LOT of unexpected twists and some shocking losses along the way. I was genuinely glued to the screen for the entirety and was disappointed when the credits started to roll, not because I felt the movie was unfinished but because it was so gripping I couldn't believe 90 minutes had already gone by. As with the previous movies in this run there is clearly another instalment on the way and I honestly cannot wait to see what they cook up next time, as every single one of them so far has been stellar.
Just EPIC
aghmoh6 May 2020
Apokolips War is the biggest finale in the DCAMU.....from the great voice cast,to epic fight scenes....parents should know that this is the darkest DC animated movie ever made.....too many gore & blood...many heroes die,& a few survive.....anyway,its a must watch R rated superhero animated movie
Bold decisions in direction don't always make for a good movie
raymond_v_austin2 June 2020
I wanted to like this movie, but I just find that the over-all plot is just weak and it comes across as big poorly handled mess. People will like it because it's different and takes the bold move of unceremoniously killing off many flagship characters like nothing, but that concept alone doesn't do it for me.
This movie is full of gore and death, but it ultimately amounts to a pile of shock value with little substance beyond. Villain victories feel underdeveloped and therefore undeserved, the pacing is rushed, the enemy in this movie is generic and poorly thought out, solutions to conflict are just too weak to hold water, and so on.
This movie is full of gore and death, but it ultimately amounts to a pile of shock value with little substance beyond. Villain victories feel underdeveloped and therefore undeserved, the pacing is rushed, the enemy in this movie is generic and poorly thought out, solutions to conflict are just too weak to hold water, and so on.
Wow! The DCAU's answer to Infinity War and End Game
guardian-of-light895 May 2020
I listened to an audio version of the comic this was based on so I had assumptions going in. I was utterly not disappointed they chose to go a different route than the comic book. So many highs and lows in the story that I can only compare to watching Infinity War and End Game back-to-back. While Infinity War tugs at your heart strings and takes hope away End Game by comparison brings it back. I'm excited to see where the Animated Universe goes from here.
King Shark Is Shark!🦈
TheCrazyCatGuy6 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Do you really need to know more? Of course, because King Shark Is Shark!🦈
Oh, let's submit a request to DC:
🗣📣 "I want gratuitous, bloody violence with apocalyptic mayhem and people being eaten...and profanity....good nasty stuff!
DC says, "Homie, we got you covered! CHECK!"
This movie put pep in my step. If you are down, this movie will erase that frown! Do yourself a favor and ignore the pedantic, self-serving reviews.
Follow Raven's advice and "F@wK this!" and get ready to ride!
Oh, let's submit a request to DC:
🗣📣 "I want gratuitous, bloody violence with apocalyptic mayhem and people being eaten...and profanity....good nasty stuff!
DC says, "Homie, we got you covered! CHECK!"
This movie put pep in my step. If you are down, this movie will erase that frown! Do yourself a favor and ignore the pedantic, self-serving reviews.
Follow Raven's advice and "F@wK this!" and get ready to ride!
Flawed story but overall enjoyable
quachlinhytf7 May 2020
Darkseid doesn't live up to the hype created in previous movies. The only scary thing here are the paradooms. Powerful heroes and villains are nefted badly while the plot armor for some others is a little ridiculous. Raven and Damian relationship feels kinda forced. Superman and Raven duo deserve more attention. Characters like Starfire, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman,... don't leave any impression. Well, can't ask more in a 100 minutes animated movie.
But yes, it is really enjoyable with almost everything that makes a good animated movie. The force in every punches, badass fights although fails a bit short, beautiful art,... Not a rollercoaster of emotions it tries to be however the ending did touch me a bit.
Best animated DC movie ever
owmart5 May 2020
Say Goodbye to DCAMU
ADAKENNDY5 May 2020
Give five stars to four stars. Mi Aotian Universe, the official name is DCAMU, has been controversial. Magic reform, ruining people, ruining classics, and lowering the average DC animation quality offline. These are the very bad impressions that this universe has given to both fans and animation fans in the past 7 years. The average quality is indeed uneven, the upper limit is very low but it is easy to break through the line. However, although the Apocalypse War is far from perfect in my opinion, it is impossible to become the first echelon of DC animation quality, but it is indeed the production team that has the intention to do a relatively satisfactory conclusion. Does the problem still exist? It definitely exists. From the beginning of the promotion, I felt that there were at least three major events to be merged. Once the rhythm collapsed, would it be completely over? But the plot is relatively smooth, using his existing worldview and telling an end story driven by human nature and love. Like it or not, the townhouse is left to the sunset with a new flash point to say goodbye to DCAMU heroes.
WISH DCEU WERE AS GOOD AS DC ANIMATED MOVIES
sahilsupekar19975 May 2020
The movie directly picks from Reign of Superman where the league decides to march an attack on Apokolips to end Darkseid's invasions...The movies is amazing with lots of unexpected turns and brutality...The most amazing thing i love about DC movies is the fact that it shows that even superheroes can be slaughtered and killed. The DC villians are really really very powerful and cruel..The film is nail bitting throughout and ends with a satisfying note...There are many easter eggs so better watch all the DCAU movies before starting this one..The movie is R-Rated so theres a lot of Blood and Violence..This is what DCEU should have been...This is what DC fans deserve
An Ok End to a bumpy franchise
xamtaro8 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Apokalips war review
The often bumpy "DC Animated Movie universe" which began with JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX now comes to an end in JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKALIPS WAR. In a highly out of character moment, Superman leads the DC universe's greatest heroes on what is tantamount to an assassination Mission against Darkseid, ruler of the planet Apokalips. But the intergalactic warlord laid a trap using new elite creatures cloned from Doomsday, the creation that once killed Superman. Heroes are gruesomely slain, others were captured and brainwashed to serve Darkseid, some even willingly collaborated with the enemy. Superman himself was infused with pure kryptonite and made to watch powerless as Earth was laid to ruin.
Now two years later, dead heroes have returned as robotic monstrosities, vicious parademons roam, picking off the remaining population, and the magic wielding John Constantine, is drowning his survivor's guilt over the death of his friends. But with the arrival of two unexpected visitors, John is about to be roped into a do or die counteroffensive to save what is left of this ruined world.
On the surface, APOKALIPS WAR is easily the most brutal of the dc animated movies. Character deaths are shocking and gory with dismemberments, disembowelments, and decapitations. Truly this movie earns its R Rating. The animation is provided by "Tiger Animation Studio", a South Korean company who had done mostly support work for past Dc animated movies like JUSTICE LEAGUE VS TEEN TITANS. This is their first project as main animation studio and they have exceeded all expectations.
The level of details in the artwork with actual shadows and Dynamic shading that shift as a character moves, it is beautiful! The amazing art thankfully does not come at the expense of the animation quality which maintains its smooth frame rate throughout. Action scenes are fast paced and intense with a lot of things happening at the same time in frame. The only nitpick that stands out are a few scenes where hordes of enemies like the cloned "paradooms" are done in a cel shaded CGI form and this clashes badly with the other traditionally animated characters.
Dig below the surface however and this movie comes across as a bit shallow and rushed. With A story about survivors' guilt, the horrors of war and defeat, one would expect this movie to be among the darkest and deepest of superhero movie offerings showing how failed individuals can still rise to the occasion and overcome their past failings and emotional shortcomings. Unfortunately, it revels more in its shock factor than anything deep. The main story follows the group of Constantine, Etrigan the demon, Raven and Robin of the teen titans, along with a depowered Superman. None of them go through much development over the course of the movie. Raven and Robin's arc merely brings closure to their romantic tension in past TEEN TITANS movies, Etrigan is just bored and looking for a new challenge, and Superman of all people seems comparatively upbeat for a guy who led half of earth's greatest champions to their deaths and then further doomed his home world. Constantine himself could have had a character arc of grieving and eventual acceptance and self forgiveness, especially after the revelation that he only survived by running from the pivotal battle. Alas, he gets no such emotional arc whatsoever and the whole thing about abandoning his friends turns out to be a literal "Batman gambit" involving a compulsion spell.
There is no emotional journey for anyone. Who they are at the start of the movie ends up being who they are at the end of the movie; there is no development. Whatever conflicts the characters face come from external factors, threats that can be punched, blasted or magicked away. The plot with its often contrived twists drives our main cast from one such conflict to another whether it be a prison run by supervillains or the fiery pits of Apokalips. Where the script excels is in its brisk introductions of all its characters, giving them easily recognisable qualities, and making them immediately likeable especially the villains comprising the Suicide Squad.
One gets the sense that this movie is less concerned with telling a story and more concerned with being "the conclusion to a franchise". In that regard it succeeds in bringing the closure needed for plot threads set up in the ongoing JL movies, the Batman solo movies and the teen Titans movies. Just that whatever emotional connection viewers may have with the characters comes from past movies rather then what they go through in this film.
On its own, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKALIPS WAR fumbles its execution. What could have been a deeper character deconstruction of various heroes in their darkest hour is instead turned into a fairly typical "A-team lost, so B-team steps up to play"type of plot that we've seen countless times. The more interesting side of actually showing the war and its effects is merely glossed over or glimpsed or happens off screen or in brief flashbacks. As a mere "finale" to a 15 episode series of movies, it does it's job. Whatever narrative shortcomings are buried nicely under its superficial visual splendour, shock value and just the novelty of seeing so many characters interacting on screen. Nothing more, nothing less.
The often bumpy "DC Animated Movie universe" which began with JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX now comes to an end in JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKALIPS WAR. In a highly out of character moment, Superman leads the DC universe's greatest heroes on what is tantamount to an assassination Mission against Darkseid, ruler of the planet Apokalips. But the intergalactic warlord laid a trap using new elite creatures cloned from Doomsday, the creation that once killed Superman. Heroes are gruesomely slain, others were captured and brainwashed to serve Darkseid, some even willingly collaborated with the enemy. Superman himself was infused with pure kryptonite and made to watch powerless as Earth was laid to ruin.
Now two years later, dead heroes have returned as robotic monstrosities, vicious parademons roam, picking off the remaining population, and the magic wielding John Constantine, is drowning his survivor's guilt over the death of his friends. But with the arrival of two unexpected visitors, John is about to be roped into a do or die counteroffensive to save what is left of this ruined world.
On the surface, APOKALIPS WAR is easily the most brutal of the dc animated movies. Character deaths are shocking and gory with dismemberments, disembowelments, and decapitations. Truly this movie earns its R Rating. The animation is provided by "Tiger Animation Studio", a South Korean company who had done mostly support work for past Dc animated movies like JUSTICE LEAGUE VS TEEN TITANS. This is their first project as main animation studio and they have exceeded all expectations.
The level of details in the artwork with actual shadows and Dynamic shading that shift as a character moves, it is beautiful! The amazing art thankfully does not come at the expense of the animation quality which maintains its smooth frame rate throughout. Action scenes are fast paced and intense with a lot of things happening at the same time in frame. The only nitpick that stands out are a few scenes where hordes of enemies like the cloned "paradooms" are done in a cel shaded CGI form and this clashes badly with the other traditionally animated characters.
Dig below the surface however and this movie comes across as a bit shallow and rushed. With A story about survivors' guilt, the horrors of war and defeat, one would expect this movie to be among the darkest and deepest of superhero movie offerings showing how failed individuals can still rise to the occasion and overcome their past failings and emotional shortcomings. Unfortunately, it revels more in its shock factor than anything deep. The main story follows the group of Constantine, Etrigan the demon, Raven and Robin of the teen titans, along with a depowered Superman. None of them go through much development over the course of the movie. Raven and Robin's arc merely brings closure to their romantic tension in past TEEN TITANS movies, Etrigan is just bored and looking for a new challenge, and Superman of all people seems comparatively upbeat for a guy who led half of earth's greatest champions to their deaths and then further doomed his home world. Constantine himself could have had a character arc of grieving and eventual acceptance and self forgiveness, especially after the revelation that he only survived by running from the pivotal battle. Alas, he gets no such emotional arc whatsoever and the whole thing about abandoning his friends turns out to be a literal "Batman gambit" involving a compulsion spell.
There is no emotional journey for anyone. Who they are at the start of the movie ends up being who they are at the end of the movie; there is no development. Whatever conflicts the characters face come from external factors, threats that can be punched, blasted or magicked away. The plot with its often contrived twists drives our main cast from one such conflict to another whether it be a prison run by supervillains or the fiery pits of Apokalips. Where the script excels is in its brisk introductions of all its characters, giving them easily recognisable qualities, and making them immediately likeable especially the villains comprising the Suicide Squad.
One gets the sense that this movie is less concerned with telling a story and more concerned with being "the conclusion to a franchise". In that regard it succeeds in bringing the closure needed for plot threads set up in the ongoing JL movies, the Batman solo movies and the teen Titans movies. Just that whatever emotional connection viewers may have with the characters comes from past movies rather then what they go through in this film.
On its own, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKALIPS WAR fumbles its execution. What could have been a deeper character deconstruction of various heroes in their darkest hour is instead turned into a fairly typical "A-team lost, so B-team steps up to play"type of plot that we've seen countless times. The more interesting side of actually showing the war and its effects is merely glossed over or glimpsed or happens off screen or in brief flashbacks. As a mere "finale" to a 15 episode series of movies, it does it's job. Whatever narrative shortcomings are buried nicely under its superficial visual splendour, shock value and just the novelty of seeing so many characters interacting on screen. Nothing more, nothing less.
Overall, a great movie.
nyxstrix5 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An official end to the New 52 animated universe. From here on, we get rebirth storyline, I hope.
It was dark, gritty and gore. Kinda went the direction where Snyder was going with his cinematic universe before the WB dumb executive doofus cancelled that. Hope the new installments would be good. Next up, is Man of Tomorrow.
End of an era.
ashfordofficial20 February 2022
Farewell DCAMU.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the not-so-epic conclusion of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU). It's a shame, I actually liked this universe, mostly because of it's beautiful animation style and perfect voice cast.
This film is literally DARK, I've never seen such massacre (especially my beloved heroes). There's lots of killing and sometimes its really pisses me off! Anyway! This film features so many DC characters that never seen in screen before. So there's that.
KING SHARK IS A SHARK! >>>>> I'M GROOT!
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the not-so-epic conclusion of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU). It's a shame, I actually liked this universe, mostly because of it's beautiful animation style and perfect voice cast.
This film is literally DARK, I've never seen such massacre (especially my beloved heroes). There's lots of killing and sometimes its really pisses me off! Anyway! This film features so many DC characters that never seen in screen before. So there's that.
KING SHARK IS A SHARK! >>>>> I'M GROOT!
A massive disappointment filled with shallow attempts at shock value
dandingleton6 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This movie dropped the ball hard. A complete waste of an ending to a really solid series of films, bogged down by poor attempts at shock value by way of gorily killing off as many characters as possible. It tried to ape Avengers: Endgame but missed most of the reasons why that film was liked by mainstream audiences.
Most of this is copied from a review I left on another site since the formatting got screwed up and because I just need to get this out of my system. I'm a huge fan of most of the DC animated movies before this one, and this movie just disappointed me so badly that I'm actually posting an overwhelmingly negative review online, something I literally have never done before now.
Within the first 20 minutes of the movie, the DC Animated film universe's incarnation of the Justice League, most of whom were developed and built up as likable and fun characters, are brutally murdered by Darkseid's forces. We get closeups as each of them are violently chopped in half or disemboweled, with barely any due diligence given to having these iconic characters being done in in such a gruesome manner. The story cuts to two years later, with the surviving cast teaming up to try and take down Darkseid and stop him from destroying the planet.
The story itself is fairly generic and falls flat; many characters from previous films in the series are brought back only to be killed off with little fanfare. Captain Marvel is shown to escape from the initial slaughter on Apokolips (minus a leg), but is later killed off rather anticlimactically. Dick Grayson is shown revived by a Lazarus Pit but does nothing for the entire rest of the movie. John Stewart shows up for one scene, sacrificing himself with zero buildup and gets reduced to a skeleton by Darkseid after he murders the Guardians of the Universe and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps.
Matt Ryan as Constantine is always a joy, but he's honestly wasted on this movie. The voice acting is all pretty good, but the script holds back the movie immensely. There were only a few scenes I actually enjoyed during the movie, the rest of it just felt painful and overdone. It's telling that very few of the creative forces who were instrumental in making most of the other films in the DC Animated Movie series were present for the making of this film, it rings hollow throughout. Even longtime character designer Phil Bourassa's work on the movie can't help things, even in the series' weaker entries I love seeing the takes on classic DC characters, but there was so much in this movie that was recycled from other films that almost nothing was there to enjoy in that regard.
Darkseid is an extremely one-note generic galactic conquerer, a far cry from his comic depiction. For a movie that centers around Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga (and goes as far as to feature his name prominently in the credits), it borrows almost nothing from his actual work, he could have been replaced with almost any. To be fair, this was also the case for the two previous films featuring the character as an antagonist, but the Fourth World and Darkseid's goals were not featured nearly as prominently as they are here. In other films, he mostly serves as a simple antagonistic force to bring the characters together, but he feels woefully generic and underdeveloped.
Furthermore, the movie revels in its overly violent ways of killing off its established cast to the point where it's gratuitous and clearly only being done for shock value most of the time. There was really no reason this movie needed to be rated R. In something like Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay or Constantine: City of Demons, both similarly violent entries in the series, the more gory deaths work to build a general atmosphere for the film and exemplify the sorts of stories the characters have been in in the comics. But here, it just feels out of place and like a bad fanfiction. It's more plausible to see John Constantine fighting demons who gruesomely torture and skin people or Deadshot planting a bullet in the head of a criminal, but when you have shots of Aquaman getting severed in half or Green Lantern having his throat slit, it screams of trying too hard. The movie almost revels in the excessive amount of gore, and feels more like something out of an Eli Roth film at times, and it's pretty bad. Did we really need to see a close-up of Mera as her face begins to be ripped apart while she screams in agony? Did we really need to see a montage of the Teen Titans getting slaughtered, complete with Starfire's corpse dead center, her intestines splayed all over the scene? Did we absolutely need to feature Batgirl being ripped apart by Parademon soldiers followed by Black Orchid getting disintegrated and Superboy getting his neck snapped, all after none of them even had a single line of dialogue? There's really no reason for this film to be R-Rated. It comes off as a high-schooler trying to write a dark and edgy story with none of the knowledge for why stories with dark of violent themes can be good, everything is just surface-level here.
As a final insult, the movie ends with a Flashpoint-inspired scene of the Flash running back in time, undoing not only the events of the movie, but the entire series of DC Animated films that started off with Justice League: War. It feels like a slap in the face to the films that came before it, in the end none of them mattered and all the build-up was for naught. For the final film in the series, this was a huge missed opportunity. There are a small handful of scenes that are somewhat enjoyable, but that's about it.
Superhero stories can handle darker themes if done well, but this isn't an example of that. For something trying to be an animated equivalent of legendary comic events like Crisis on Infinite Earths or the Infinity Gauntlet, this felt more like Infinite Crisis or Ultimatum; dull, uninspired, and with nothing to show for itself but copious amounts of gore and violence. The difference between this movie or something like Flashpoint Paradox is that the former uses violence to build an atmosphere and doesn't go too over the line in regards to how dark things get. This film revels in it, and furthermore, is not a standalone film like Flashpoint but the finale in a long-running series of movies that featured these same incarnations of the characters beforehand. And unlike Flashpoint, it doesn't end showing everything goes back to normal; quite the opposite. The universe fades out of existence and the film ends right then and there.
This film is an overwhelming example of what's wrong with a lot of content coming out of DC's media sector. As I mentioned, darker themes and violence can be done well in superhero stories, but this is just purely for the shock factor and harkens back to the dark ages of DC Comics attempting gory and "mature" storylines like Identity Crisis. Stuff like the DCAU, while intended for kids, took itself seriously enough that adults could enjoy it, too. The CW DC shows are far from perfect, but generally understand a lot of the aspects of what makes the comics and characters enjoyable. It's sad that this is how such a great and promising series of movies chose to stage its finale. Enough with the misery, DC, look back at what made your older animated content work instead of things like Batman v. Superman or Injustice, which mostly serve as paper-thin "subversions" without so much as subverting anything and instead just featuring the characters turning evil or killing each other.
Not everything needs to be squeaky-clean and appropriate for all ages, but there's a middle ground between "Super Mario Bros." and "Mortal Kombat". It's fine to get dark or mature at times, things such as Justice League: Gods and Monsters or the aforementioned Flashpoint Paradox did this well, but when done for no reason other than to appear "adult", it just feels hollow and lacking in what makes DC's characters so magical and iconic.
Overall, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is not a movie I would recommend, and if you're getting into the films, I'd just watch up until Reign of the Supermen and then tune out (Hush and Wonder Woman: Bloodlines are kind of mid). Or just watch Batman Ninja instead, which is beautifully animated and just generally a ton of fun.
Most of this is copied from a review I left on another site since the formatting got screwed up and because I just need to get this out of my system. I'm a huge fan of most of the DC animated movies before this one, and this movie just disappointed me so badly that I'm actually posting an overwhelmingly negative review online, something I literally have never done before now.
Within the first 20 minutes of the movie, the DC Animated film universe's incarnation of the Justice League, most of whom were developed and built up as likable and fun characters, are brutally murdered by Darkseid's forces. We get closeups as each of them are violently chopped in half or disemboweled, with barely any due diligence given to having these iconic characters being done in in such a gruesome manner. The story cuts to two years later, with the surviving cast teaming up to try and take down Darkseid and stop him from destroying the planet.
The story itself is fairly generic and falls flat; many characters from previous films in the series are brought back only to be killed off with little fanfare. Captain Marvel is shown to escape from the initial slaughter on Apokolips (minus a leg), but is later killed off rather anticlimactically. Dick Grayson is shown revived by a Lazarus Pit but does nothing for the entire rest of the movie. John Stewart shows up for one scene, sacrificing himself with zero buildup and gets reduced to a skeleton by Darkseid after he murders the Guardians of the Universe and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps.
Matt Ryan as Constantine is always a joy, but he's honestly wasted on this movie. The voice acting is all pretty good, but the script holds back the movie immensely. There were only a few scenes I actually enjoyed during the movie, the rest of it just felt painful and overdone. It's telling that very few of the creative forces who were instrumental in making most of the other films in the DC Animated Movie series were present for the making of this film, it rings hollow throughout. Even longtime character designer Phil Bourassa's work on the movie can't help things, even in the series' weaker entries I love seeing the takes on classic DC characters, but there was so much in this movie that was recycled from other films that almost nothing was there to enjoy in that regard.
Darkseid is an extremely one-note generic galactic conquerer, a far cry from his comic depiction. For a movie that centers around Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga (and goes as far as to feature his name prominently in the credits), it borrows almost nothing from his actual work, he could have been replaced with almost any. To be fair, this was also the case for the two previous films featuring the character as an antagonist, but the Fourth World and Darkseid's goals were not featured nearly as prominently as they are here. In other films, he mostly serves as a simple antagonistic force to bring the characters together, but he feels woefully generic and underdeveloped.
Furthermore, the movie revels in its overly violent ways of killing off its established cast to the point where it's gratuitous and clearly only being done for shock value most of the time. There was really no reason this movie needed to be rated R. In something like Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay or Constantine: City of Demons, both similarly violent entries in the series, the more gory deaths work to build a general atmosphere for the film and exemplify the sorts of stories the characters have been in in the comics. But here, it just feels out of place and like a bad fanfiction. It's more plausible to see John Constantine fighting demons who gruesomely torture and skin people or Deadshot planting a bullet in the head of a criminal, but when you have shots of Aquaman getting severed in half or Green Lantern having his throat slit, it screams of trying too hard. The movie almost revels in the excessive amount of gore, and feels more like something out of an Eli Roth film at times, and it's pretty bad. Did we really need to see a close-up of Mera as her face begins to be ripped apart while she screams in agony? Did we really need to see a montage of the Teen Titans getting slaughtered, complete with Starfire's corpse dead center, her intestines splayed all over the scene? Did we absolutely need to feature Batgirl being ripped apart by Parademon soldiers followed by Black Orchid getting disintegrated and Superboy getting his neck snapped, all after none of them even had a single line of dialogue? There's really no reason for this film to be R-Rated. It comes off as a high-schooler trying to write a dark and edgy story with none of the knowledge for why stories with dark of violent themes can be good, everything is just surface-level here.
As a final insult, the movie ends with a Flashpoint-inspired scene of the Flash running back in time, undoing not only the events of the movie, but the entire series of DC Animated films that started off with Justice League: War. It feels like a slap in the face to the films that came before it, in the end none of them mattered and all the build-up was for naught. For the final film in the series, this was a huge missed opportunity. There are a small handful of scenes that are somewhat enjoyable, but that's about it.
Superhero stories can handle darker themes if done well, but this isn't an example of that. For something trying to be an animated equivalent of legendary comic events like Crisis on Infinite Earths or the Infinity Gauntlet, this felt more like Infinite Crisis or Ultimatum; dull, uninspired, and with nothing to show for itself but copious amounts of gore and violence. The difference between this movie or something like Flashpoint Paradox is that the former uses violence to build an atmosphere and doesn't go too over the line in regards to how dark things get. This film revels in it, and furthermore, is not a standalone film like Flashpoint but the finale in a long-running series of movies that featured these same incarnations of the characters beforehand. And unlike Flashpoint, it doesn't end showing everything goes back to normal; quite the opposite. The universe fades out of existence and the film ends right then and there.
This film is an overwhelming example of what's wrong with a lot of content coming out of DC's media sector. As I mentioned, darker themes and violence can be done well in superhero stories, but this is just purely for the shock factor and harkens back to the dark ages of DC Comics attempting gory and "mature" storylines like Identity Crisis. Stuff like the DCAU, while intended for kids, took itself seriously enough that adults could enjoy it, too. The CW DC shows are far from perfect, but generally understand a lot of the aspects of what makes the comics and characters enjoyable. It's sad that this is how such a great and promising series of movies chose to stage its finale. Enough with the misery, DC, look back at what made your older animated content work instead of things like Batman v. Superman or Injustice, which mostly serve as paper-thin "subversions" without so much as subverting anything and instead just featuring the characters turning evil or killing each other.
Not everything needs to be squeaky-clean and appropriate for all ages, but there's a middle ground between "Super Mario Bros." and "Mortal Kombat". It's fine to get dark or mature at times, things such as Justice League: Gods and Monsters or the aforementioned Flashpoint Paradox did this well, but when done for no reason other than to appear "adult", it just feels hollow and lacking in what makes DC's characters so magical and iconic.
Overall, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is not a movie I would recommend, and if you're getting into the films, I'd just watch up until Reign of the Supermen and then tune out (Hush and Wonder Woman: Bloodlines are kind of mid). Or just watch Batman Ninja instead, which is beautifully animated and just generally a ton of fun.
Awesome
umlaziking27 June 2020
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