To say DC Animation has and continues to have a huge impact on my life would be a bit of an understatement. While I may have made a bit of departure from the DC Comics Universe during its New 52 tenure, the TV and Animation departments have certainly picked up the slack. That’s not saying that the last couple of DC Animated films (Suicide Squad: Assault on Arkam and Batman Vs Robin) didn’t have their flaws.
I was more than relieved to see a departure from the New 52 and a focus on what really for me made the DC Animated universe what it is today: Bruce Timm. When I heard that he was working on an animated film, which would be something of an Else World’s tale, I was more than excited. Is DC Animation back in full force? Or is this just another diamond in the rough.
Story
If you aren’t familiar with what an Else World’s tale is, it’s essentially a brand new look at the characters that you know of today. While they certainly are the Trinity, aka: Superman, Wonder Women and Batman – their origin stories are all unique. Once more, what really made this so compelling was the overall mystery that unravels.
So, quick background on our main characters: in this universe Superman is Zod’s son, Wonder Women is a part of the New Gods, and Batman is a Vampire. I would go into more depth, but don’t want to spoil the fun of everyone’s backstory.
The main story starts off with a quick battle between the Justice League and some Terrorists. You quickly see that this isn’t the current JL, as they start killing everyone. After the blood bath Major Steve Trevor and his Troops show up and start grilling the Justice League for not waiting to engage. Illustrating the tension between the Justice League and the current Administration.
Need more tension? A creature with Boom Tube tech, starts hunting down various scientists that have been working with the League and murdering them. All while framing the JL for the crime. Wow, there is so much more to this story, but I want to make sure I don’t spoil the mystery.
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Presentation
This movie was strangely comforting, not in the context of the film but it’s art style. Getting to see the Bruce Timm style again really made me feel at home. Feeling both familiar but watching something radically different, it was nice to see a lot of old school DC Universe History. With some very interesting twists to well known back stories.
In particular I liked the usage of rather none mainstream DC characters and the roles they played. There were some very deep pulls, including the New Gods which I didn’t have that much knowledge about. Be sure to check out the special features as they go into depth on the New Gods and their backstory.
Sound
If there is one thing you can always count on when it comes to DC Animation and their films it’s the top notch voice acting. Lead by voice director: Andrea Romano – who always seems to find the perfect voice. I was very impressed with Benjamin Bratt, who voices Superman. During the movie you could hear a transition, of both Zodesque Superman and our Superman. It was very dynamic and really sold the character. The music and SFX were also solid, really tying together an amazing film.
Overall
I have to say I was more than a little surprised by this film. While I certainly watched it because of Bruce Timm, with the latest films from DC Animation being sub par, I didn’t hold any hopes. What I did see was a triumphant return to the quality of story telling that the DC Animated movies are known for. The story is really engaging and keeps you on your toes as you try to solve the mystery.