User reviews

I'm new to animated feature length superhero movies, so I'm no expert. But I do know a little something about being entertained, and I was with this one. I like the character design, and the animation is good.

What really stood out to me in this one, is Darkseid. Because man he is scary as hell. Just floating along there with his hands behind his back, impossible to beat. He actually kind of scared me. And I'm a huge horror movie buff! I guess the fact that he seems so unbeatable is what makes him scary. Good stuff.

I'm no reader of comic books, and I haven't watched that many of these animated superhero movies yes, but so far this is one of my favorites.

I was particularly excited for this film for two reasons. First, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Justice League Origin, the comic off which the movie is based. Second, I am a huge fan of DC's animated universe since Batman: TAS. While "War" is not as good as "Doom" or "Under the Red Hood", it is a solid addition to a long line of great movies. Pros:

The entire movie was a visual treat. The style of animation is clearly different from other DC movies, but it's not bad, in fact I thought it was more visually appealing. From start to end, the animation delivers a clear and rich experience that definitely makes it more enjoyable.

Some have criticized War for weak plot and underdeveloped characters. They are right to some extent, for the plot is very basic with little information given on motive for Darksied's invasion. However the story is impressively accurate to its source material. So if you don't like the plot, take it up with Geoff Johns. Furthermore, we all know who each of the characters are, so an in-depth biopic of each Leaguer would be a waste of time. The comic is called Origin, and that's what this is, an origin of the Justice League so don't expect a ton of individual character development. My biggest complaint regarding accuracy would be the fact that Aquaman was replaced with Shazam. I'm as big a Captan Marvel fan as the next guy, but it was still disappointing that the king of Atlantis still doesn't get any love even after Geoff Johns did such a great job of finally making him cool. Furthermore, the personalities and even a good bit of dialogue of the characters could have been pulled directly from the pages of the comic. The dynamic between the heroes, especially Batman and Green Lantern, provided many of the best scenes, not to mention the funniest. I laughed out loud several times throughout and did not feel like the comedy, which was definitely more present here than in other films, took away from the experience of a film that is very centered on action.

Cons: Like most other reviewers, my only truly valid complaint involves voice casting. Most of the voices are adequate, and none of them are great. The best represented voices were definitely The Flash by Christopher Gorham, and Cyborg by Shemar Moore. Batman, performed by Jason O'Mara did sufficiently, but after growing up on Kevin Conroy, it was difficult to hear such a different voice coming from the cape and cowl. Steve Blum as Darksied brings a new kind of voice to the uber-powerful new god, but makes him seem more like a monster than a super intelligent being. The worst voice was by far Superman. Firefly star Alan Tudyk voices Superman, but fails to convey any gravitas or personality consistent with Superman.

Overall Justice League War received an 8 from me. While not DC's best contribution to the world of animation, but a fun, comical, and action-packed ride nonetheless. If you are a fan of DC and comics in general than it is definitely worth buying, if not it's still worth at least one viewing.

I wasn't very pleased after watching this. It seems like the superheroes were all being degraded. Look at Wonder Woman in the movie, they showed her as some spoiled girl who only wanted to fight and flash her sword around. That's not how I recall her. She was someone who was powerful but not in the "flash my weapons to get my way" type. It was just sad to see some of my favourite DC heroes be reduced to calling each other poor names and taking things as a joke...except for Batman, who was the only one they really kept close to what his character is typically like. It bothered me that they made almost all of them cocky. I don't think DC has as much pride in their characters anymore after watching this. I wished they hadn't changed the attitudes of some of them because it didn't help at all. J/L:Crisis on Two Earths and J/L:Doom were both better because they had more care for the heroes and the people and they hardly made fun of the Justice League.

I've been watching all of these DC animated films in order of release on HBO Max.

I realize this and Flashpoint Paradox are part of the New 52 universe rebranding, but there's been a noticeable turn toward the grim and gritty. Which I feel just does not work for this collection of characters. It hasn't worked in the DCEU live action iterations and it doesn't work here, although these at least demonstrate a level of competence in storytelling logic. Mostly.

The characterization is garbage though. Why does DC/Warner think we want all of their heroes to be a-holes?

This animated movie is different from the majority of previous. The heroes do not play around as nice as they usually do. There is plenty of animated violence, blood, bruises, broken bones, sliced limbs and more. The PG-13 rating is there for a reason.

The relationship between the heroes is forced and easily changed by the creators, the heroes fight when it fits the script and than co-operate, when again, it fits the script. For those purposes their behavior has also been changed. Generally the movie describes, more realistic super heroes than the comic books. The heroes in this movie, have ego issues, lower moral standards, shorter fuse for violence and really poor taste of humor.

Besides that the animation is different, I think that was done to set the tone and show that these are different super heroes, not the ones we know. Less square jaws (in that matter less square anything), more details, some 3D computer rendering has been added, generally the animation is rather detailed and smooth, really easy on the eyes.

I will not talk about the voices, some guidelines do apply and in my opinion they did fine, there is no reason to obsess about it.

After taking some points off for the forced behavior and forced story line it is 8/10.

I was not a fan of the New 52. Other than Wonder Woman, I didn't care for the way they did it. This, the origin of the New Justice League, is based on the opening arc where they battle Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips. Just OK.

This adventure has much to love! It has action, adventure, comedy, romance (with Wonder Woman), suspense, and so much more including, of course, the heroes!

Now, everything is fine on Earth. Heroes are chilling, doing their thing. But, it's all interrupted when each of them is stopped and has to find the others to destroy a horrible alien race that will harvest humans to destroy the planet! Will the group of super heroes be enough force to stop the 'the Dark Side'? You have to watch the film to find out the ending!

The movie is surprising in a couple of ways. For one, I did not expect the adult language! And second, there are a couple of new heroes such as Shazam who replaces Aqua Man. The film is extremely intense for a DC Comic animation. I think that this film has wonderful voices though. The only small flaw is the voice of Wonder woman – for such a wonderful character, her voice sounds a bit fake. The script and animation are also done nicely.

My favorite scene is when they introduce this kid that gets into a football game for free, gets front row seats and also steals one of the player's jerseys. It takes you time to realize it but, that scene shows two people that look ordinary, but are not.

I recommend this film to ages 12-18. The movie does have a lot of adult language and intense scenes. I give this film 4 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed by Gerry O, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews, go to kidsfirst dot org.

DC's "New 52". Love it or hate it, it is here to stay. So strong is this line wide continuity reboot that it has now entered the realm of animation in the form of JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR. Adapting the first volume of Geoff John's and Jim Lee's graphic novel "Justice League: Origins", WAR is a brisk animated superhero blockbuster, heavy on action and snappy dialogue. Compared to the bleak and morally ambiguous FLASHPOINT PARADOX, WAR returns an element of fun to DC's superheroes by crafting a tradition, clear cut "Good versus evil" tale.

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and more. Superpowered beings have only recently made their presence known to a suspicious world. Admired by some, but feared by most, they struggle for acceptance while fighting the good fight. A typical night on the job turns into a conflict of epic proportions when Batman and Green Lantern uncover evidence of a clandestine operation carried out by techno organic aliens. Superman gets roped in due to his alien origins and an experiment gone wrong leads to the metamorphosis of Vic Stone into a techno organic "Cyborg". All this culminates in a full scale invasion, pulling in the likes of Wonder Woman, The Flash and Shazam, who just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Facing down the invasion forces the squabbling heroes to set aside their differences and work together.

Perhaps the best part of such superhero team ups is to see how the heroes play off each other. Thanks to an expertly written script and fine acting, our characters share memorable moments of dialogue punctuated with wit and a bit of humour. It feels like Marvel's AVENGERS only that the humour is more controlled, more witty, and less outright comedy.

Miraculously, with so many heroes, our script gives ample development to the characters and fleshes most of them out perfectly. Cyborg's tension with his father, Green Lantern's over confidence in his power and Wonder Woman as the stranger in a strange land are a treat to watch. All the characters are played by an excellent bunch of actors who ease right into their roles. Special mention goes to young Zach Callison who nails Billy Batson as a streetwise but insecure kid, hiding his insecurities behind a showboating little tough guy act. Little sub-plots lend meat to the story such as Cyborg and Shazam's issue with trust, Green Lantern learning some humility, and a budding romance between Superman and Wonder Woman. Superman himself however is a big letdown. His simplistic dialogue, and muscle bound design makes him seem like a clueless one dimensional bruiser.

Of course, what would a good superhero movie be without action? In JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR, the action is intense and wild. Featuring a soundtrack that combines orchestral fanfare with some sinister sounding synths, essentially makes JUSTICE LEAGUE WAR sound more like the sci/fi invasion flick that it is than a traditional superhero movie. Legions of parademons storm the major cities of the world while their leader Darkseid personally confronts the heroes. Moi Animation studio brings their best to the fight scenes. The animation is smooth and dynamic, yet the level of detail remains constant. Director Jay Olivia, who also directed the superman slugfest SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY shows off some beautiful combat scenes, including a cool first-person sequence from the point of view of Wonder Woman slicing her way through a horde.

Unfortunately, the slower scenes in the movie show off some areas where the animation is lacking. With TV shows like Young Justice and Legend of Korra, the art detail in this movie is barely any better than that in the aforementioned TV series. Then there is the ubiquitous CGI used to render vehicles and parademon hordes in the background. They clash rather obviously with the 2D art, a true crime when others shows can successfully integrate cel shaded CGI into the traditional 2D animation. Some character designs are also just as iffy. While most of the characters look fantastic, with a slight Japanese anime touch, Superman looks like a dumb beefcake. Not that his simplistic dialogue helps this impression. His face is too wide, his shoulders are huge, nothing at all like the sleek and handsome Jim Lee art in the original graphic novel

And that is perhaps the greatest sin this movie commits. In touting itself as an adaptation, it makes many unnecessary changes from the original comic. Polarising your audience is never a good thing. Fans of the comic would be turned off by the changes. Not that JUSTICE LEAGUE WAR is not a good movie, it is. It succeeds in re-introducing these well known characters in a new light, and in setting up a whole new universe for subsequent animated movies to be set in. As a pilot film, not bad. But perhaps with the critical acclaim that the graphic novel got, it should not have been too much to expect more advanced animation techniques and better character designs that were closer to the comic art.

DC now has it's New animated movie universe up and running. With a slew of great stories to tap on like THRONE OF ATLANTIS, COURT OF OWLS, ROTWORLD, DEATH OF THE FAMILY etc, here's hoping DC puts a bit more love into the next one.

Justice League: War (2014) is my number one favorite DC animated film in the Justice League franchise. I absolutely love this flick, I think it is the real superhero team with DC superheroes who join forces together, to stop an invasion of Earth by the alien Darkseid. This was the third DC animated film of Justice League that I watched two days ago and I absolutely loved it. This film really has a lot of action. If you really want to see Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Captain Marvel - Shazam fighting Darkseid, fighting these robotic types called Parademons and you want to see them fight, you will see it in here, we have a lot's of action, it is not boring, it is Pg-13, you still do see blood, Darkside is stabbed in the eye by Wonder Woman sword and he pulls it out and blood is coming down the eye, it is spectacular!

Real quick run through the cast: we have Alan Tudyk as Superman which was interesting choice, he's Superman was okay and it was alright. Jason O'Mara as Batman / Bruce Wayne is okay. Jason O'Mara is cast in a lot's of DC animated films as Batman but he is not my favorite voice of Batman, I liked Peter Weller and Kevin Conroy much more as voice of Batman and Kevin McKidd as the voice of Thomas Wayne, that I think he did a decent job playing Bruce Wayne's father. Michelle Monaghan is in here as the voice of Wonder Woman, I know her from Mission: Impossible III and Eagle Eye and she also played in a lot's of movies. Here you have a lots of actors and actresses that I don't know. I think the rest of the cast could have been with some famous actors in it.

I still love this film, I love how Batman and Green Lantern with a box are fighting off Superman, Green Lantern protects Batman and him self. Here we have an origin story of Cyborg / Victor Stone how is he transported in to Cyborg. I was one of the people that I really didn't know much about DC Cyborg, I meet the character in Flashpoint Paradox and I thought he is okay here. Shemar Moore the voice of Cyborg is okay and I really like him. I was surprised that Captain Marvel - Shazam who is just a little kid is a big fan of Victor Stone I was really surprised. A lot of people in here are kidnapped, Superman and Flash have to run for their life's when Darkside fires a lighting voltage with his eyes on them, he misses Flash but he hits Superman and he is kidnapped by Parademons, Batman turns him self to Parademons as part of an assignment undercover in a rescue mission to save Superman and he is taken to Parademons fortress.

I know I am probably delirious but did anyone notice the voice from Flash is similar to Chris Evans who plays Steve Rogers / Captain America in MARVEL's Avengers? Seriously the voice from Christopher Gorham is so similar to Chris Evans, but maybe is just me.

I absolutely love this film, this film kicks a lot of ass and gosh this movie is so awesome, that it is the best one ever made but that is my opinion! Our heroes defeat Darkside and they don't kill anyone, they open the other portal dimension and they sent Darkside and his army in other dimension. Cyborg opens the door where all people are captured and Green lantern catch them and they save them and Green lantern puts people safely on the shore. This is the first time people were not afraid of Justice League ever.

Justice League: War is more of a prequel nobody of our heroes known each other before, we get to see each and every single one of them with their stories, and some people, who are already superheroes like Batman, Green Lantern, Superman and Wonder Woman. The best part of the movie is the final battle when all hell breaks loose when Darkseid comes to earth and you know he tries to destroy it and rule the world but a bunch of cool superheroes are in there and they kick his butt.

10 out of 10 is my favorite DC animated flick alongside with The New Frontier and Flashpoint Paradox I love it to death!

Justice League: War is a direct-to-video animated superhero film featuring the DC Comics superhero team the Justice League, and an adaptation of the story Justice League: Origin by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, the first story in DC's 2011 DC Universe relaunch. It was directed by Jay Oliva, scripted by Heath Corson. It is the first movie from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series that is part of a new shared continuity, the DC Animated Movie Universe.

10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Warner Bros. Animation Warner Premiere DC Comics Starring: Alan Tudyk, Christopher Gorham, Justin Kirk, Shemar Moore, Jason O'Mara, Michelle Monaghan, Sean Astin, Steven Blum Director: Jay Oliva Producer: James Tucker Screenplay: Heath Corson Based on "Justice League: Origin" by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee Rated: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hr. 19 Mins. Budget: $3.500.000

...it still isn't the best of DCU.

When I first saw this movie, I loved it (I was 13 or 14 at that time), but when I saw it again yesterday, I didn't knew what was going on, because I saw it completely different than how I saw it for the first time, like most of the jokes that made me laugh once, now I found them a little dumb.

I also noticed what most of the reviewers complained about this movie, which is that almost the entire movie was destruction, battles and action, lacking information about the background of the characters, and you know? You're right. There were important details about the past of the members of the Justice League that were missing, particularly of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash (we never get to know how Wonder Woman arrived to the place were we first see her in the movie).

The most interesting thing for me about this movie was to know the origin of Cyborg, because is very well executed and described, except for the fact that he apparently dominates his abilities even tough it's his first day as Cyborg.

The film is rated PG-13 as most of the DCU animated movies, but I think it wasn't for that much, only for the language.

I must say that I'm a huge fan of DC Comics, especially of the animated movies. And as a fan, I certainly think that this movie was enjoyable, but that, for being a flick that explains the new origin of the JL, it could have been much better than what it was.

Justice League: War is a great origin story for the Justice League that's funny and action packed. The Justice League have really good chemistry and all the performances are really good, especially Jason O'Mara who is an amazing Batman. The humour works really well, the action is enjoyable and the film has good pacing. The animation however, is really good most of the time but does dip in quality in places.

The Justice League has not been created yet, so many of the superheroes don't really know each other. I also feel that some of the characters have very different personalities from how they are traditionally portrayed. Superman isn't the boy scout, Green Lantern seems very whiny, and Wonder Woman is mainly portrayed as a fish out of water. Shazam is also included instead of Martian Manhunter, which I think is a detriment to the group since he doesn't have any redeemable qualities. Showing Cyborg's origin story was cool since I didn't know much about it. The best part was definitely the action scenes with Darkseid since there was so much destruction.

This movie seems to be another retelling of the DC characters' origin, especially Cyborg's. Maybe it's gotten to the point where I've seen so many of these movies that I'm not that impressed with them anymore. Don't get me wrong, this is still enjoyable. It's still not that unique. It makes you wonder what costume Wonder Woman will wear next. I really do like the stuff with her and the ice cream. In this movie, we get to see Desaad, Darkseid's assistant, for the first time. It's weird to see Darkseid as literally a giant. Hey, I remember whose parademons from the end of "Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox"! Dang, I'm just becoming more familiar with superheroes constantly.

The animation was very slick. I think this might be the first time any animated superhero movie included the word "shit". Well, everything is PG-13 including the cartoon movies nowadays! The fight scenes are always great and while the characterizations aren't that perfect, we still get some good study of the characters. Are these movies ever going to run out of different animation styles? Just how many different times can you reimagine Batman and Superman? ***

Forget all you know about this larger than life superheroes, the New Justice League is not as organized and serious as they used to be. They suffer a big influence from their front neighbors in Marvel. An imminent alien invasion is threatening the city and a group of outcast superheroes need to learn how to work together to save the world, sounds familiar?.

DC is trying hard to keep his characters up to date and some changes are been made. The new Superman is very impulsive and has no respect for city property damage, very similar to his Man of Steel counterpart. The same goes to the new comedic styled Green Lantern based on the Ryan Reynolds version. Probably the worst part is Wonder Woman who is now basically Marvel's Thor.

On the bright side, the animation and voice acting are both great and Batman (the obvious main character) are perfectly portrayed. Justice League War is entertaining and relevant for kids, just for the old comic book geeks like me, may be a little disappointing.

This film is hands down awesome. The past DC animated films have been spectacular, but now it's time to move into the new era of the New 52! From here on out all animated DC productions shall be slanted to the new story arcs of the New 52. Watch Justice League Flash Paradox beforehand to transition from the past to this, a new rebooted era where many of the superheroes have yet to meet.

My only con that I have to mark for this film is the fact that Captain Marvel is called Shazam when if fact that is the magic word he says to transform, common mistake, but DC had yet to make this oops since they started any animation series. So to the new guy on their staff, kick yourself. Because I'm sure you're gonna hear a lot more :-P

In this pre-Justice League movie, most of the heroes meet each other for the first time and learn how to work together as a team. There is lot of Parademon action which gets redundant, especially since they are no real match for these heroes. Things really get interesting when Darkseid shows up. They all fight well against him but he doesn't make it easy for them. He even makes Superman seem weaker. Sometimes Superman tends to steal the show but this movie focuses more on the other heroes combining their abilities against this powerful enemy. Green Lantern is once again the stand out hero but Batman is also very impressive. Simply being strong and having lots of abilities is not the key to winning in this movie, so it's fun watching the heroes strategize and work together.

A brilliant movie to I really enjoyed to watch and even laughed out loud at some of comedy, it was just a good mix of action and Green Lantern being funny. Though I feel as if the characters didn't really feel like themselves, and superman's questionable design.... why is his neck and head so WIDE? But I still love the design of all the character and can't wait to watch more of DCAU.

So this is an animated movie based on the "NEW 52" DC series that is going on. And I gotta say this movie does kick a lot of ass. There isn't a lot of meat when it comes to the action and character development. But most of the heroes in this movie is well known and a lot of people probably already know their origin stories. So yeah, all the superheroes have their own personality but if it's development your looking for...Well it falls short in that department. Even when it comes to the actual plot, a lot of things are left unexplained. This animated movie seemed like what a mainstream live action Justice League would be like within the hour and 30 minutes margin. My only gripe is the the superheroes portrayed in this movie lacked that heroic spirit, in another words. They are mostly cocky and prideful, but seem to lack integrity and wisdom. Like superman for instance, he is portrayed as this muscle headed jock that just wants to show off his strength. Maybe they wanted to bring out the Golden Age Superman. The movie also takes on a more adult tone to it not mature but more adult, but not to the point where it would effect kids. Justice League: War has cool artwork going for it and despite it's flaws, it's still a pretty entertaining flick.

7.4/10

I am not impressed with the latest re-envisioning of DC characters. Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman are HORRIBLE. The voice acting is OK but the dialog is horrible especially for Wonder Woman. I was disappointed to see how the story illustrated Superman. Since when is Superman a spoiled uncontrolled arrogant punk. That is Captain Marvel. I saw nothing of the reserved and respectful Superman which I grew up with. Green Lantern was a little bit too cocky. His powers were a bit too scaled down for me.

The story was OK as a whole but the new character from the NEW 52 did not resonate with me.

Thanks.