Cast:
Sean Astin as ShazamZach Callison as Billy Batson
Christopher Gorham as Flash / Barry Allen
Justin Kirk as Green Lantern / Hal Jordan
Michelle Monaghan as Wonder Woman
Shemar Moore as Cyborg / Victor Stone
Jason O'Mara as Batman
Alan Tudyk as Superman
Steven Blum as Darkseid
Dee Bradley Baker as Parademons
Melique Berger as Sarah Charles
Kimberly Brooks as Darla
Rocky Carroll as Silas Stone
Ioan Gruffudd as Thomas Morrow
Georgie Kidder as Freddy Freeman
John Mariano as Ice Cream Vendor
Richard McGonagle as President
Matthew Mercer as Guard
George Newbern as Steve Trevor
Andrea Romano as Green Lantern's Ring
Roger Rose as Pinstriped Loudmouth
Gary Sturgis as Teammate #2
Bruce Thomas as Desaad
Hynden Walch as Hannah Grace
The Plot: (FULL Spoilers)
A series of strange abductions have occurred in Gotham City, with video footage suggesting that Batman, a wanted costumed vigilante, is behind the incidents. When a woman is grabbed by a mysterious cloaked kidnapper, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern arrives to confront the kidnapper, and saves the woman when she is dropped from above. Green Lantern then attacks the kidnapper, revealing itself to be a monstrous Parademon, and just as he is about to get crushed, Batman appears and grabs the Parademon from one rooftop to another, demanding answers as to what it was doing at the docks. The Parademon attacks Batman, and it is now him who is saved by Green Lantern, who is surprised that the Batman exists. They escape from the GCPD and chase the Parademon into the sewers, where it charges a Mother Box, and then it explodes. Batman and Green Lantern check the Box, and figuring it to be alien, decide to ask Superman in Metropolis if he knows anything. Another Mother Box is being studied at S.T.A.R. Labs, supplied by Barry Allen aka The Flash. Silas Stone, father of Vic Stone aka Cyborg, ignores going to his son’s football game so he can study the Box. At Vic’s college, he wins the game, but the victory, and the cheers of one fan, Billy Batson, doesn't change that his father is not there to see him. Arriving in Metropolis, Batman and Green Lantern end up fighting Superman, who has fought a Parademon previously, and confuses the heroes for working for it. The battle spreads over a portion of the city, but it finally stops when Batman calls Superman out with his real name, Clark Kent. Superman evens it by seeing that Batman is Bruce Wayne, and reveals to them that the Mother Box is alien but not Kryptonian. On the alien world, Apokolips, Darkseid orders Desaad to begin the invasion of Earth.
Vic arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs and has an argument with his father, who believes that football is a joke in a world that’s changing with the appearance of the superpowered humans. Princess Diana aka Wonder Woman arrives at the White House, where she is confronted by a mob protesting against her, but she ends it when she forces the man in charge with her Lasso of Truth to reveal that he feels powerful when he dresses up like her. Inside the Daily Planet, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern figure that they might be facing an invasion, just as the Box activates and several Boom tubes open throughout the world, including S.T.A.R. Labs, where the energy explodes, fatally wounding and embedding the Box’ technology into Vic. Taking him to the “red room”, Silas loads Vic into a hi-tech medical bed, connecting his son with various technologies to save him. Countless number of Parademons start appearing out from the tubes, attacking cities and abducting more and more civilians. The Box’ technology ends up connected into Vic and the hi-tech bed, transforming the once human Vic into the cybernetic Cyborg. Just as the Flash arrives to save the scientists, Cyborg’s systems reveal details on Apokolips, Darkseid, and the invasion plan. At his foster home, Billy spots a Shazam. Air Force One gets attacked in the air, only to be saved by Wonder Woman, and later Superman, whom both share an attraction when they meet each other. Soon, Batman and Green Lantern meet up with Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, Shazam, and Cyborg. Cyborg reveals that the invasion is a set up to terraform the Earth. Just then, Darkseid arrives, and proves to be a powerful opponent who makes use of the heroes.
Parademon outside and turns into
Superman gets captured, and Batman stops Green Lantern from going to save him by unmasking and revealing why he does what he does, and how unprepared he is to be in this situation. He convinces Green Lantern to help the team work together as he gets himself captured to save Superman. Green Lantern gets everyone together and they decide to distract Darkseid while they blind him from using his eyebeams. Batman arrives in Apokolips and stops Desaad from turning Superman into a Parademon, but Superman goes on a rampage that results in the death of Desaad. Back on Earth, through a tough fight, the team blinds Darkseid and Cyborg connects with the Mother Box to reopen the boom tubes to send Darkseid and the Parademons back to Apokolips. After the Parademons are gone, and Darkseid still remains, it takes the combined might of all the heroes, including the returned Superman and Batman, to force him into the boom tube before it closes. With the world saved, and the abducted civilians returned, the once feared and hated superheroes are honored at the White House. Grateful to have met each other just like themselves, but debating if they should be a team even if a similar threat happens again, the President asks if they have a name for their group. The heroes groan when Shazam suggests the “Super 7”.In a post credits scene; an Atlantean ship emerges from the ocean and Ocean Master appears carrying a dead body, said to be his King. Seeing the corpses of various sea life affected from Darkseid’s attack; he swears that it is an act of war, and the surface-dwellers will pay.
The Verdict:
(Whistles) Where to begin on this?
After seeing the Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox direct-to-video DC Animated feature in 2013, I had high expectations for this film. Then I saw the teaser trailers and lost some of my enthusiasm from the voices used here. Thank goodness that those voices were slightly changed in the retail version of this feature film. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look up the debut trailers for this film and listen to Steve Blum's samples as Darkseid. I'm glad they did some enhancements to his voice that it doesn't sound like the same cookie-cutter villain voice he uses for every other animated cartoon or anime that isn't Orochimaru (Naruto), The Green Goblin, any modern-day Transformers villain, or Vilgax (Ben 10). Blum's Darkseid isn't as good as Michael Ironside's Darkseid, but really, who is that good?
For the most part, I enjoyed how this film went the route of Flashpoint Paradox, and established from the start that this isn't going to be campy adventure, unlike the JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time DC Animated feature. Don't worry, I'm going to cover that film with a review shortly as well. This film is an adventure to be enjoyed by older audiences with its mature content. For example, Superman and Wonder Woman don't hesitate at all to decapitate their adversaries and that goes double for Cyborg, Green Lantern, and Shazam atomizing foes as well. At times, it comes off a bit excessive when Batman doesn't hesitate to kill these foes after Cyborg reveals that the Parademons are victims to what Darkseid and Desaad have transformed them into. On the other hand, I could let that slide as the action doesn't let up at all in this film.
The fight with Darkseid was impressive from start to finish. It went from a heavily one-sided affair from the start to a believable team effort in its final moments, where the League literally had to throw everything and the kitchen sink to get him through that last boom tube at Darkseid, who was still a more than a challenge for the League after being blinded. Speaking of that moment, someone needs to ask Batman where did he get more grenades/Batarangs from after he attached his utility belt to Darkseid's chest in a Hail Mary play? What did he do, pull out his emergency Batarangs that are shoved up his ass?
If anything I could be nit-picky about is Green Lantern's wisecracks and sorry attempts for jokes. I don't know about anyone else but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Darkseid beat the shit out of him for it. Hal, leave the jokes to The Flash. At least, he can get away with it. At least when Shazam was making jokes and being a hotshot, we could all point that towards his obvious immaturity. I had to laugh a bit at the oh-so subtle nod towards Superman and Wonder Woman's possible romance that is the norm in DC Comics' rebooted New 52 comic book continuity. It was even more obvious at the end of the film where both Steve Trevor and Lois Lane are standing there in the background, watching it happen. Another thing that I could be nit-picky about is the fact that Batman walks away from this fight without any scratches or bruises, whereas Green Lantern has his arm broken like a twig. I know everyone loves Batman, but in a situation like this, it would hit the point home more if even mere mortals weren't spared from getting hurt. Batman was even walking around just fine after getting tossed around by Superman earlier in the film. Come on, there's only so much I can believe Batman can walk away from - no matter how much I like him as a comic book character. All I ask is that these films don't get as outlandish as the comic books have gotten with Batman to the point that they are afraid to even harm him in anyway. You want proof, go read how Batman "survived" being rendered to ash by Darkseid's Omega Effect in the comics...
For those wondering about the point of the film where Shazam blurting out the name of their team as the "Super 7" and everyone facepalms, it is a clever jab at Marvel Comics' upcoming Mighty 7 animated series.
I had a blast watching this film from start to finish. To say that this was DC Comics and Warner Bros.' first DC Animated features to hit DVD and Blu-ray in 2014, they are definitely off to great start. With the teaser during the end credits, it's a clear sign that there will be a sequel to this film. If it's anywhere as good as this film, then keep 'em coming, DC. I happily give Justice League: WAR a 9 out of 10.
After seeing the Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox direct-to-video DC Animated feature in 2013, I had high expectations for this film. Then I saw the teaser trailers and lost some of my enthusiasm from the voices used here. Thank goodness that those voices were slightly changed in the retail version of this feature film. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look up the debut trailers for this film and listen to Steve Blum's samples as Darkseid. I'm glad they did some enhancements to his voice that it doesn't sound like the same cookie-cutter villain voice he uses for every other animated cartoon or anime that isn't Orochimaru (Naruto), The Green Goblin, any modern-day Transformers villain, or Vilgax (Ben 10). Blum's Darkseid isn't as good as Michael Ironside's Darkseid, but really, who is that good?
For the most part, I enjoyed how this film went the route of Flashpoint Paradox, and established from the start that this isn't going to be campy adventure, unlike the JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time DC Animated feature. Don't worry, I'm going to cover that film with a review shortly as well. This film is an adventure to be enjoyed by older audiences with its mature content. For example, Superman and Wonder Woman don't hesitate at all to decapitate their adversaries and that goes double for Cyborg, Green Lantern, and Shazam atomizing foes as well. At times, it comes off a bit excessive when Batman doesn't hesitate to kill these foes after Cyborg reveals that the Parademons are victims to what Darkseid and Desaad have transformed them into. On the other hand, I could let that slide as the action doesn't let up at all in this film.The fight with Darkseid was impressive from start to finish. It went from a heavily one-sided affair from the start to a believable team effort in its final moments, where the League literally had to throw everything and the kitchen sink to get him through that last boom tube at Darkseid, who was still a more than a challenge for the League after being blinded. Speaking of that moment, someone needs to ask Batman where did he get more grenades/Batarangs from after he attached his utility belt to Darkseid's chest in a Hail Mary play? What did he do, pull out his emergency Batarangs that are shoved up his ass?
For those wondering about the point of the film where Shazam blurting out the name of their team as the "Super 7" and everyone facepalms, it is a clever jab at Marvel Comics' upcoming Mighty 7 animated series.
I had a blast watching this film from start to finish. To say that this was DC Comics and Warner Bros.' first DC Animated features to hit DVD and Blu-ray in 2014, they are definitely off to great start. With the teaser during the end credits, it's a clear sign that there will be a sequel to this film. If it's anywhere as good as this film, then keep 'em coming, DC. I happily give Justice League: WAR a 9 out of 10.
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