In Justice League: Warworld, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman find themselves in new and unfamiliar locations. For Wonder Woman, it is the Wild Wild West; for Batman it is an age of barbarians and wizards; while for Superman it is the 1950s.
All three heroes seem to exist in different time periods; all three are far more brutal than usual; and all three appear to have limited knowledge of their own lives. But what the trinity of heroes are also unaware of, is how closely connected they are, even though they are currently centuries apart.
However, when Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne suddenly appear in a diner in the 1950s, where Agent Clark Kent is investigating reports of a UFO sighting, the three realise they may have something in common. But in order to understand the link, they will have to work together to uncover the truth about their new, confusing realities, as well as the truth about who may be manipulating their lives from the shadows.
Directed by Jeff Wamester, Justice League: Warworld features the voice talents of Stana Katic, Jensen Ackles, Darren Criss, Troy Baker, John DiMaggio, and Robin Atkin Downes. The film is the latest entry in Warner Bros.’ collection of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, and is new to buy on Blu-ray and digital from July 25th.
As with previous DCAOM titles, Justice League: Warworld utilises a number of iconic characters and draws inspiration from classic DC comic book stories of the past. However, rather than focus on one comic book tale for inspiration, Justice League: Warworld blends various stories and ideas together, to create somewhat of an amalgamation.
The end result is something which is fun and imaginative, and allows DC’s trinity of heroes to exist in unusual scenarios which prove to be a delightful break from the norm. However, while the film is very enjoyable to watch, and is certainly creative, it does suffer from structural problems, which impact the overall pace of the picture.
I’ll deal with the pacing problem first, which largely exists because of the way Justice League: Warworld is structured. The film is set out in four distinct segments, which initially seem very disconnected, and this makes the picture feel episodic rather than cohesive.
The four segments include a Wild West setting with Wonder Woman; a barbarian setting with Batman; a 1950s setting with Superman; and finally, a modern day setting which combines all three characters. All four settings are great, and I’ll talk about each momentarily, but to begin with, the first couple of tales start out as standalone pieces, and this really impacts the flow of the film.
The stories only begin to converge once the Superman segment is in full swing; however, in order to get to this part of the movie, and to fully understand why the trio of heroes are in different time periods, far too much screen time is devoted to non-essential material. Yes, it’s nice to see Wonder Woman fighting cowboys or Batman battling prehistoric creatures, but ultimately these sections of the movie don’t drive the story forward.
As much as I enjoy the material on display, there really is no need to spend 20 minutes with Wonder Woman in the Wild West, and then another 20 minutes with Batman etc. What would work better is a few minutes with one character, to establish the scenario, a few minutes with another character, and then some crossover sequences to make it clear how these time periods are connected.
A lack of cohesion between the early segments, as well as a bit too much indulgence in the material, is what (narratively) gets this film off to a bumpy start. Sure, it all makes sense in the end, but some editing at the beginning would really help the flow.
OK, that’s the negative part out of the way, now onto the good stuff, and this good stuff lies in the first three segments of the film. Sure, most of the Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman stories feel padded out, but they are filled with some great ideas.
In terms of Wonder Woman, it is immensely fun to see Diana Prince dealing with gunslingers in the old West. All the way through this sequence, I couldn’t help but wish this was secretly a pilot for a new TV series, in which Diana dispenses justice across the American frontier, and this is something that made me smile.
With regard to Batman, his segment is a real sword-and-sorcery kind of thing, played out like a mix between Conan the Barbarian and A Princess of Mars. It is far removed from a traditional Batman tale, but it includes some wildly fantastical monsters, and I loved every moment of it.
Once again, I would happily watch this Batman story repurposed as a TV show. I could see this as a limited series, with Bruce Wayne on some mighty quest to slay a beast, defeat a demon, or free a village from tyranny.
And then as for Superman’s segment, well, this section of Justice League: Warworld is also very enjoyable. Told in black-and-white, and taking inspiration from an episode of The Twilight Zone, the story is a sci-fi-tinged, paranoid thriller, which leans very much into the sort of movies and television shows that were produced during this era.
Is the Superman segment as strong as Wonder Woman’s or Batman’s? I’d argue no, but as it plays a key role in driving the story on, it feels a bit more important than what has come before.
As for the final segment of the movie, this is essentially where everything is explained, and when Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman discover who they really are. Sure, it isn’t as imaginative as the previous trio of tales, but with the introduction of more characters, including the alien bounty hunter Lobo, this section of the film brings everything together quite neatly.
Add to all the above, a strong voice cast, plenty of action, some nice dashes of humour, as well as some solid animation, and Justice League: Warworld has a lot going for it. I believe it would probably work better as a four-part mini-series, rather than a movie, but there’s no denying the fun that is had when DC’s most iconic heroes come together for a genre-twisting makeover.
Had director Jeff Wamester, and writers Jeremy Adams, Ernie Altbacker, and Josie Campell found a way to rework the overall structure of Justice League: Warworld, then I would easily be calling this film a sure-fire hit. There’s a lot going on in this film, and a great deal of imagination, so it’s a real shame it takes so long to come together.
However, the overall presentation of Justice League: Warworld is strong, and I did have a good time with it. So, while it isn’t perfect, and it will always feel like a film that should be a bit better than it is, the DC geek in me is happy with the majority of what’s on offer, and it does deliver plenty of entertainment.
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