Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox - A Review

1.5 Stars - Meh

I guess it was bound to happen that they would make a film based on the Flashpoint event, the event that created the New 52. The trouble is that Flashpoint wasn't very good and neither is this film.

There are a lot of interesting ideas in Flashpoint, but they aren't explored very well, especially in the confines of a film where you don't have a lot of time to properly look into things. The Superman is woefully underused, Hal Jordan's short storyline is pointless, Wonder Woman and Aquaman's backstory isn't given enough focus and the really cool relationship between Batman and the Joker is barely touched on. Also where did Citizen Cold go exactly?

The animation is fine and the voice acting is at DC's usual high standards, but the story is awful. Since the whole thing takes place in this parallel world that we know will be returned to normal by the end there are no stakes and you're just waiting for the inevitable to happen, and it just feels slow and boring as a result.

Flashpoint Batman's still kind of cool though

In short, I'd say give this one a miss.

Superman: Unbound - A Review

3.5 Stars - Okay

The latest of DC's direct to DVD animated films Superman: Unbound is based on the miniseries Superman: Brainiac by Geoff Johns. Which I haven't read, so I can't comment on it as an adaptation. This tells a version of Superman's first meeting with Brainiac, along with Supergirl learning to be a hero and Lois whining to Clark about their relationship.

The action is good and Brainiac makes for a decent threat, but there's nothing especially interesting here. Brainiac is kind of over the top evil, Supergirl doesn't seem to get much development, Lois and Clark's relationship issues are just dull and there doesn't seem to be any loss for anyone.

The animation is good, once again going for a unique looking style, different to the other DC films, and they're really pushing the boat with what they can get away with in a 12a film. There's a fair amount of blood and Lois Lane gives Brainiac two middle fingers.

well kind of... she only has 3 fingers it seems...

In short, I'd say worth a watch, but not a patch on the excellent Superman Vs. The Elite

The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 - A Review

2.5 Stars - Not Great

It is strongly argued by many that The Dark Knight Returns is the greatest batman story ever told. I disagree with this opinion, I find the constant narration to be repetitive and dull, the satire of the newscasters to be irritating and taking up too much time and the writing on Batman and Superman to really lack understanding of the characters. However I will not deny the story's importance in returning Batman to the public conciousness as dark and brooding hero, unlike the campy Adam West view people had (for the record Adam West is the best live action Batman...)

This film somewhat improves upon the source material, doing away with the narration and cutting a fair amount of the news satire, however the mistakes within the story and the handling of the characters is still there, which makes it somewhat lacking as a Batman story.

However the animation is still top notch and the voice cast delivers some decent moments, though often Peter Weller sounds bored and seems to not put anything into his lines, the same with Michael Emerson at points towards the climax of the Joker section.

Even I can't deny this looks pretty badass

In short, not my cup of tea, but might well please fans of the source material

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part 1 - A Review

4.5 Stars - Pretty Damn Good

Dark Knight Returns part 1 is an adaptation of the first two chapters of the story of the same name by Frank Miller. I should start out by saying that I have read that story and I like elements of it, but as a whole I think its not very good. The film however is.

The main things to be noted are that the animation style is very stylised and interesting to look at, bringing the look of the comic to life; the voice acting is superb with Peter Weller making a fantastic Batman and they don't skimp on any of the dark themes that the book had.

A lot of material is cut from the book, chief amongst them being Batman's inner monologue and a lot of the news footage. This is to the films credit since it feels a lot better without them.

how can you mess with Batman when he's also Robo-Cop?

In short, a good film, I'll be interested to see if part 2 can keep it up.

Superman Vs. The Elite - A Review

4.5 Stars - Really Good

The man with the giant chin vs. the guy with the Union Flag on his chest + friends.

Superman Vs. The Elite is an adaptation of The Action Comics story What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way? and it is really entertaining.

I don't know how it holds up as an adaptation to the comic having never read it, but the original comic author, Joe Kelly wrote the script so I imagine it is faithful.

The story regards Superman's moral battle with a group of 'heroes' called The Elite who advocate the use of lethal force to deal with their problems and view themselves as above the law, while Superman continues to fight for the belief that everyone deserves a chance and even those who are irredeemable don't deserve to die.

It is this issue that holds the film together and doesn't feel annoying as it easily could, because the thing is the Elite's ideas at times don't seem so wrong, the writing doing a very good job in making these characters more morally ambiguous than outright evil.

The Voice cast is stellar, with George Newbern reprising his role as Superman giving it the dignity it deserves. That said some of the Americans' faux British accents are a little annoying.

I was surprised by this film's language, them using terms like Wanker fairly often, not a complaint, just seemed weird in an animated film.

Badassery awaits

In short, this is one of the best animated films that DC have put out in recent years, definitely worth a watch.

Green Lantern Emerald Knights - A Review

3.5 Stars - Pretty Good

It has Mogo in it, so if you're a Green Lantern fan you already like it...

Emerald Knights is an anthology film of various stories about the Green Lantern Corps including an adaptation of Alan Moore's legendary story Mogo Doesn't Socialise . The stories are well written and the voice acting as top-notch as you would expect from a DC animation product.

Some of the animation feels a little iffy in places, but for the most part it is competently done and the action scenes are entertaining and tense enough to keep the interest.

An annoyance is Atrocitus' design in his segment, but this is just a fan's griping and doesn't reduce from the character.

Socialising is overrated

To sum up, fans of Green Lantern will really like it, others might not be as keen.

Justice League Doom - A Review

4 Stars - Well Done Dwayne

All your old friends from the Justice League series back together... except it's Hal Jordan, not John Stewart... And Michael Rosenbaum plays a different Flash... and it's the Superman from his own show, not the Justice League one... and there's no Hawkgirl... and Cyborg's in it... well at least Batman and Wonder Woman are the same...

Justice League Doom is based on the Tower of Babel storyline from the comics... which I haven't read, so won't be able to compare it to. Its plot revolves around a group of villains trying to take out the justice league one by one, using contingency plans made by Batman and modified to be lethal by Vandal Savage.

The voice cast are a treat with majority of the cast being voiced by DC regulars, who by this point know the characters really well and always bring something special to them. Kevin Conroy in particular, this marking his 20th anniversary year voicing Batman for DC, has made Batman as badass as he always does.

This also holds a very special place in the DC Animated films, as this was the last script by Dwayne McDuffie, a wonderful talent who will be missed, this film was really good and a fitting end to a wonderful career.

Dwayne McDuffie (1962-2011)