Damn it, Barry! During an impromptu team-up with the Man of Steel, The Flash (Barry Allen) finds himself as a man out of time when the Speed Force accidentally causes him to time travel back to World War II. Barry quickly realizes that something is terribly wrong when he encounters a powerful group of superheroes known as The Justice Society of America. Who are these secret heroes, and can they help him to find a way home? Oh, and can they stop Hitler from discovering a new weapon that could change the course of history as we know it?!? Find out all this and more in Justice Society: World War II, the latest DC Universe Movie (now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital).

 

 

Who exactly is the Justice Society? Well, they just happen to be the original superhero team that predated the Justice League by decades! Featuring Golden Age interpretations of Wonder Woman, Hourman, Hawkman, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, The Flash, and more, this group fought against injustice during World War II. For this new adventure, we are introduced to a different iteration of Barry Allen, who is still establishing himself within the animated universe first introduced in Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Heroes are still finding their place in this world, and the prospect of a Justice League hasn’t even crossed their minds. While struggling to balance his superhero life with his personal life, Barry finds himself at a crossroads with the lovely Iris West. What would happen if the bad guys learned about her? How could he protect his loved ones if his life as The Flash became public? While these questions start to arise, Barry is quickly called into action when Brainiac attacks the city. Pushing himself harder than ever before, Barry accidentally travels through time… For the first time. Not only is our hero stunned by the experience, but he is even more shocked to learn that there was a secret group of heroes operating during World War II! The power of Wonder Woman, the cunning mind of The Flash (Jay Garrick), the strength of Hourman, the sonic scream of Black Canary, and the warrior known as Hawkman are ready to save the day with a little help from their liaison Steve Trevor and their news reporter “Shakespeare”. Can Barry help these heroes and return home without altering the timeline (something that we know happens a lot when The Flash is involved)? 

 

Justice Society: World War II features Stana Katic (Castle) as Wonder Woman, Matt Bomer (Doom Patrol) as Barry Allen/The Flash, Geoffrey Arend (Batman: Hush) as Charles Halstead/Advisor, Armen Taylor (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) as Jay Garrick, Elysia Rotaru (Arrow) as Black Canary, Liam McIntyre (Justice League Dark: Apokolips War) as Aquaman, Omid Abtahi (The Mandalorian) as Hawkman, Matthew Mercer (Critical Role) as Hourman, Keith Ferguson (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends) as Dr. Fate, Darin De Paul (Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge) as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ashleigh LaThrop (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Iris West, and Chris Diamantopoulos (Episodes) as Steve Trevor. It was great to have Stana Katic and Matt Bomer return to the DC Universe Movies series, as they had previously portrayed Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman in Superman: Unbound. The duo continued their chemistry in their new roles, providing a fresh take on their respective heroes. Katic channeled a bit of Gal Gadot for her version but made sure that she included her own spin on the character as well. I would liken this to Troy Baker’s version of the Joker, which honors Mark Hamill’s iconic voice work and allowed the character room to grow to match his own style. Bomer’s version of The Flash felt like it was lifted straight off the page and nailed the tone and inflection of the scientific genius turned superhero. Armen Taylor’s Jay Garrick was another favorite for this adventure, as The Flashes worked flawlessly together to resolve their Speed Force dilemma. Aquaman, the King of the Seven Seas, also got a different interpretation thanks to Liam McIntyre, channeling more of a Golden Age version of the character that we hadn’t seen before in animation. Lastly, this adventure gave us the best version of the Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor relationship to date (yes, way better than WW84). Stana Katic and Chris Diamantopoulos shine with quirky and endearing moments between the star-crossed couple.

 

The creative team for this release included Director Jeff Wamester (Guardians of the Galaxy TV series), with a screenplay by Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, DC Super Hero Girls) and Jeremy Adams (Supernatural, Batman: Soul Of The Dragon), Producers Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Supervising Producer Butch Lukic (Superman: Man of Tomorrow) and Executive Producer Sam Register. From an animation standpoint, the new style introduced in Superman: Man of Tomorrow worked well for The Flash and the Justice Society, complimenting the characters and their abilities with clean lines and a colorful palate. 

 

4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray Special Features:

• DC Showcase – Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! (New Animated Short) – Jack Kirby’s beloved DC comic creation comes to life in a most spectacular way. Without spoiling it, Kirby’s artistic style has been beautifully translated for this animated adventure, making this story a MUST WATCH for any DC Comics fan. After seeing this installment in the DC Animated Shorts, I hope to see the creative team continue to adapt more varied art styles when taking some of these classics to the small screen. This short was stunning, to say the least. 
• Adventures in Storytelling: Justice Society: World War II (New Featurette) – The film’s creative minds chat about the methods used to produce the touchstone sequences in Justice Society: World War II. 
• A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC UniverseMovies collection, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One. In case you missed the announcement, we are getting Jensen Ackles (Batman: Under The Red Hood, Supernatural) as Batman for a TWO-PART adventure. 
• Look Back – Justice League vs. Teen Titans (Featurette) – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Justice League vs. Teen Titans, a 2016 thriller that follows Damian Wayne’s induction into the Teen Titans. 
• Look Back – Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (Featurette) – An intriguing glance into the production behind 2019’s Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, which finds Amazon Princess Diana helping a troubled young girl enlisted by a deadly organization known as Villainy, Inc., whose criminal members have their sights set on invading Themyscira. 
• From the DC Vault: Justice League: “Legends, Part One”
• From the DC Vault: Justice League: “Legends, Part Two”
• Digital Copy of Justice Society: World War II via Movies Anywhere.

Overall
For years, the Justice Society has gotten the short end of the stick while the Justice League has been in the spotlight. These Golden Age Heroes laid the groundwork for superhero teams as we know them, and it is nice to see them take their rightful place in both animation (Justice Society: World War II) and live-action (Stargirl – Season Two launching soon on The CW). The creative team cleverly used Barry to introduce the audience to this “lost” team of heroes, and seamlessly integrated an important life lesson for the Scarlet Speedster while they were at it. I hope that this is just the first of many outings for the Justice Society, spinning off into their own adventures a la Teen Titans and the other DC Original Movie releases. Also, I can’t wait for more interactions between Darren Criss and Matt Bomer in future iterations of this new animated universe.

Over the years, the DC Universe Movie series has continuously given fans the greatest interpretations of their pantheon of characters and their respective histories, and the release of Justice Society: World War II is no exception.  

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Justice Society: World War II – 5 out of 5 adventures, and that’s a Flash Fact!

 

 

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