By Will Barber Taylor
Members of the Justice League discover that war truly is hell as they fight their way through a maze of death and destruction on the planet known as WARWORLD!
Getting a Justice League movie right can be a difficult task. Balancing the team correctly; getting the right story that gives enough focus to various members of the team and shows off their different abilities. These are all important elements to telling a good Justice League story. That why the Tomorrowverse’s first Justice League story is an intriguing choice as it serves both as an individual film for each of its three main heroes (Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman) whilst also working as a collective Justice League tale.
This is done through three separate vignettes of the trinity of heroes stuck in starkly different worlds, attempting to find a way home though not knowing how or who they are. Wonder Woman faces Jonah Hex in a wild west themed short; Batman stars in a sword and dragons themed hunt for a sorcerer and Superman attempts to track down mysterious visits from another world in a 40s sc-fi inspired short. By having our heroes endure these strange worlds, finally coming together to break free in the Superman short, it helps to display their individual strengths. Wonder Woman’s strong headed desire to protect and defend the innocent; Batman’s ability to overcome the greatest odds with the least possible support and Superman’s basic human compassion and attempts to balance his own alien origins with his fundamentally human out look on life.
The shorts work to differing degrees. Superman’s is perhaps the best executed in terms of style and because it brings the three heroes together for the first time, Wonder Woman having found Batman in his short and gone off to locate Superman. Superman’s story also feels most in keeping with the character and the 40s Twilight Zone styling feels especially authentic. Wonder Woman’s Wild West themed vignette is engaging enough and presents a straightforward tale that works well with the core of Wonder Woman’s personality. Similarly, Jonah Hex’s role as the antagonist in perhaps the most well realized of the threats the three heroes face in their own stories. Hex feels like a natural fit for a villain to contrast with Wonder Woman and the scene with his father’s pocket watch is perhaps the most novel use of the Wild West setting of the story. Batman’s short is the only one that feels not only out of keeping of character but a slightly unimaginative backdrop. Batman doesn’t really fit in with dragons or magicians and so his inclusion in such a story feels at odds with the character. Equally the threat as presented in the tale is not as well realized as that in the other two. This ultimately has the unfortunate effect of giving the middle of the film a slight drag on it, that slows down the narrative drive and may make some members of the audience lose attention.
The final section of the film in which the trinity of heroes face down their captor Mongul and free J’onn J’onnz is a suitable ending to the film. The trinity work well together and Mongul is presented as a psychotic despot who isn’t all muscle, in keeping with the best portrayals of the character in the comics. Harbinger’s arrival and the transition into the tease for the next film Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths feels slightly clunky but if, as some have speculated, this choice of the next film project in the Tomorrowverse ties in to the ending of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War and Constantine: The House of Mystery then it would be a perfect example of well thought through planning on the part of the DC team.
All of the voice performances are excellent as always. Whilst there are issues with the plot of this film, as has been the case in the past with previous DC Universe Animated Original Films, the voice acting is always of the highest quality and Justice League: Warworld is no exception. Jensen Ackles as always fully inhabits the role of the Dark Knight and brings the steely determination of the character fully to the forefront. Similarly, Darren Criss’ portrayal of Superman is fully in keeping with his youthful version of the Man of Tomorrow, still finding his feet as the leader of the Justice League and the symbol of truth, justice and the American way. Robin Atkin Downes also gives a stellar performance as Mongul. Although Mongul’s role in this film is limited, Downes imbues his portrayal of the tyrant warlord with the right balance of psychotic genius and terrifying brute sense that makes him one of Superman’s deadliest enemies. If Mongul is to return to the Tomorrowverse at some point, Downes portrayal of the megalomaniacal ruler of Warworld is a good enough reason for that return to be a true treat.
Justice League: Warworld is best viewed as being like an anthology film rather than a Justice League film simply because, for the majority of its runtime, that is precisely what it is. It works well as such and is an enjoyable if flawed experiment in a different way of telling a Justice League story. Despite it not being perfect, it is an enjoyable enough romp that manages to reinvent Warworld is an interesting way, present compelling short stories for two of its three main heroes and presents its central villain in all his wonderfully hideous glory. It is therefore another fine addition to the DC Universe Animated Original Film lineup and well worth seeing as long as you know what exactly you are going to see.