A poorly executed attack on Apokolips results in the deaths of many of DC’s heroes and Darkseid successfully conquering the earth. Now the remaining heroes must regroup and consider a new strategy in order to take their planet back from the intergalactic tyrant.
Being the sequel to Justice League Dark (2017), Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the final chapter in the latest of DC Animated films from Warner Bros Animation. All of the heroes from the Justice League, Justice League Dark, The Teen Titans, and the Suicide Squad team up in an all-out battle to save the galaxy from the evil cosmic terrorist Darkseid.
What stands out within this film is the unfamiliar territory that it explores. It’s nothing like what has come before in terms of engaging the heroes. It has always been safe to assume that the good guys will always triumph in the end, but this film presents a new challenge that may not deliver that expected outcome. Being a superhero comic book fan myself, I have nothing but respect for this approach. This time around I had no idea how things would conclude, but I’ll go ahead and say that I was at the very least satisfied.
The film is full of characters who have been known for decades. So it’s a breath of fresh air to see them struggling at rock bottom, barely clinging on. This delivers a level of tension that I wasn’t aware could exist in this type of content. Does Superman still have a good heart? Is he as rational as he’s been in the past? How does he handle his emotions during times like these? These are all questions that the film asks, and the answers it provides is quite entertaining.
Another highlight in the film is its R rating. This is somewhat of a new take, and it’s well warranted during a multi-planetary war of death and destruction. When you have characters like King Shark, whose signature moves include biting off evil doers’ heads and limbs, it would be difficult to execute without a rating allowing you to show those moves. And like always, you will get your fair share of Superman, Batman, and a few other core characters; but it’s the else world personalities that they’re tied to that makes this a special surprise.
When it comes to the action it was decent at best, and being honest past DC Animated films have far exceeded the attempts that were put together here. This leads me to the aspects of this movie that I didn’t care for too much. With this being one and a half hours, the runtime could’ve been stretched out much more. While it is filled with characters from all of the previous films, too many of them didn’t have any dialogue at all, and some had only two seconds of screen time. This is extremely disappointing and makes me feel as if the film was rushed. Why a decision like this was made to conclude a multi-film arc story is beyond me.
Also, when it comes to the characters’ abilities and powers, who they’re able to defeat in battle came off as convenient at times. It is a bit of a stretch for some heroes, who are thrashed at the beginning of the film, to be able to hoald their own towards the end with a simple weapon upgrade.
Then again, some audience members may prefer to have a weak beginning in a film and conclude with a strong ending, rather than the opposite; and I can say that the ending of this film is perfect! I was actually overjoyed. It was bold, daring, and a bit shocking that the writers would take it there. While I do have my complaints about this film, I do respect some of the decisions that were made, especially when it came to all the death and destruction. It also leaves things open to start a new set of films, or just to leave it as is. So, while this isn’t the best DC Animated film, and I still wanted more, it’s still able to get the job done and wrap up an epic battle royal of good vs. evil that has entertained thousands of fans over the past decade.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Video Review:
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Trailer:
