What happens when the bad guys get access to Batman’s contingency plans for stopping the Justice League in the event that they turn evil? That is the most important question raised in the newest DC Universe Animated Original Movie – Justice League: Doom. Inspired by the JLA story “Tower of Babel”, and written by the late Dwayne McDuffie, this story pits the Justice League against the newly formed Legion of Doom, lead by the immortal Vandal Savage. Can the League overpower this new threat that has been created by one of their own?

 

 

When Justice League: Doom was announced, many fans were excited about the opportunity to see the “Tower of Babel” storyline brought to life via animation. While certain elements from the story were used, Doom is definitely more inspired by the comic, rather than it being more of a direct adaptation in the way that Batman: Under The Red Hood or All-Star Superman turned out to be. Does this detract from the overall story? No – It’s just not exactly what we were expecting. But, JL: Doom is still a fantastic take on the JLA, showing the team during their darkest hour. This is an action packed adventure featuring some of our favorite heroes, with several surprises that keep the pacing of the story solid from beginning to end. 

 

JL: Doom also features an all-star voice cast, including fan favorite actors Kevin Conroy (Batman: TAS) as Batman, Tim Daly (Superman: TAS) as Superman, Susan Eisenberg (Justice League) as Wonder Woman, Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Firefly)  as Green Lantern, and Carl Lumbly (Justice League, Dollhouse) as The Martian Manhunter. We are also treated to Phil Morris (Smallville) as Vandal Savage, Bumper Robinson (Transformers Animated) as Cyborg, Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911) as Bane, Olivia d’Abo (Eureka) as Star Sapphire, and Claudia Black (Stargate: SG-1, Farscape) as Cheetah. For the most part, the voice cast blows it out of the park. It is always exciting to have Conroy back as The Dark Knight, because to many of us, he is the definitive voice of Batman. Daly, Eisenberg, and Lumbly reprise their roles from previous DC animated series’ with ease, making it seem like no time has passed since their last adventure together. Fillion himself gets more of an opportunity to shine as Hal Jordan in this adventure (as great as it was to have him in Emerald Knights, he acted more as the narrator of the film rather than getting much action as Hal). Nathan’s choices for Hal resonate closely with the character, and we get to see more of how Hal ticks. The only voice that somewhat bothered me during this film was Claudia Black as Cheetah, who just felt totally out of place in this film. Don’t get me wrong, Claudia is a terrific actress and did a fine job, but it just felt off when hearing her voice in this role as it just didn’t seem to fit with this specific character. I do want to point out, however, that is a minor bump in what is an overly-entertaining film. 

 

With each of the DC Animated Universe Original Movies, the creative teams have employed various styles of animation, moving away from the typical “Bruce Timm style” that we have associated with the Justice League, due to the television series. Doom definitely takes inspiration from Timm’s animated designs, but also has a very anime tone to it as well. I would best compare JL:Doom to being a mashup of Justice League Unlimited, Batman: Gotham Knights, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. The dark tone is present throughout the film, but there are moments when the anime influences stand out heavily, in terms of facial expression and character interaction. It is also worth pointing out that Justice League: Doom is a PG -13 movie, and features some pretty violent battles between our favorite heroes and villains. The nice thing about giving it this rating is that it gives the creative team some more room to show the darker side of these characters, featuring them beating the crap out of each other. While it does have Batman and Superman, this is definitely geared more towards an adult audience.

 

• Blu-ray Copy of the Feature Film
• DVD Copy of the Feature Film
• Ultra Violet Digital Copy of the Feature Film
• Guarding the Balance: Batman and the JLA – Take a look into the inner thoughts of Batman as he comes up with contingency plans for stopping Earth’s heroes.
• Cyborg: His Time Has Come – Who is Cyborg and why is he getting so much focus these days? Take a look at the man inside of the machine.
• Creative Team Audio Commentary
• DC Digital Comic-Book – Justice League of America #43 “Tower of Babel”
• A League of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story– When Dwayne passed away in 2011, it was a lost to the entire comic book industry. Best known for creating the character Static Shock and writing on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Dwayne brought a ton of heart and conviction to the characters that he loved. This featurette is a very nice tribute to a very talented individual. 
• Preview of DC Universe’s Next Animated Original Movie: Superman vs The Elite – The next animated feature is coming soon to Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Download, and now you can check out this first look. Featuring the return of George Newbern (Justice League) to the role of Superman, this next installment is based on the Superman story arc “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” and will be released in Summer of 2012.
• Bruce Timm Presents 2 Bonus Cartoons
• 1080p Video
• DTS-HD Master Audio

 

Justice League: Doom is another memorable installment in the series of Direct to Video releases from DC Universe and Warner Premiere. It is amazing what can happen when you stack the deck with a stellar voice cast, well conceived story, and stylistic animation. This release ranks up there with Batman: Under The Red Hood and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. If you are looking for a fun adventure with your favorite childhood heroes, Justice League: Doom is definitely a movie for you.

 

ComicsOnline gives Justice League: Doom 4 out of 5 animated stories where Alfred gets to crack jokes at Batman’s expense.

 

Get your copy of Justice League: Doom at Amazon.

 

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