FilmSnobReviews

Title: Justice League Dark
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Jay Oliva
Starring: Matt Ryan, Camilla Luddington, Jason O’Mara
Runtime: 1 hr 15 mins

What It Is: Something sinister is inhabiting the people of Gotham, Metropolis and across the world. With those spirits running around Batman (O’Mara) knows he can’t find help from just anyone. When a trail leads him to the Magician Zatanna (Luddington) this eventually goes the way of involving John Constantine (Ryan) and it is then that the trouble gets bigger and at the same time the solution more clear. Will these demons succeed and will this darker version of DC’s super team win the battle?

What We Think: I’ll tell you this to start when it comes to the animated world Marvel cannot touch DC. I really like the risks they take with their animated narratives. Where a film like Batman: The Killing Joke went full R-Rated Marvel cannot manage to squeeze a sufficient animated narrative out of two of its premier heroes Ironman & Captain America: Heroes United that leaves it without question. There’s some great voice work here and the biggest stroke of genius was getting television star Matt Ryan who played the role on the live-action show back here to voice that vagabond, Constantine. For the record I don’t dislike Jason O’Mara’s Batman I just don’t necessarily like it.

Our Grade: B-, It is an interesting film and very unlike anything I’ve seen from DC’s animated canon. Getting Matt Ryan back to voice Constantine was a stroke of genius! This guy is pitch perfect with his snark. I will go ahead and recommend this film to everyone who loves DC’s characters or to those that want to dig deep into their giant cache of characters. I’ve always been a huge fan of Zatanna and in particular, I love her back story. They don’t go into that enough here but perhaps at a later time.