I didn't really have high hopes for JL:War to begin with. I have read the comic book Origin, and although i enjoyed it, i didn't really think it could be translated well into a full-length movie. The biggest problem is DC's decision to move away from making fun, intelligent, thrilling JL movies, and just making 1 and a half hour blockbuster animations, filled with gritty "bad ass" dialogue and stupid pop-culture references.
The movie's biggest problem however, is the total mis-characterisation of it's iconic characters, heroes who have been done so much justice in DC's previous efforts (JL cartoons, previous DC Animated features) that it is heartbreaking to watch them here.
SUPERMAN in this movie, is a muscle-head, a total grunt whose only role is to punch this and that, and hit on WW. His dialogue is non-existent, and he really comes out more like a lobotomized Hulk,rather than the most iconic superhero of all time. WONDER WOMAN is a murdering psycho, dressed like an generic anime loli. CYBORG is.. a cyborg alright, but not CYBORG. His origin is different, his character is different, his powers.. You could really replace the three heroes above with original characters. It wouldn't have been agood movie, but at least it wouldn't be an insult to the fans of the JL.Now to the less butchered characters: BATMAN is classic batman.His voice could be a tad monotonous but not really bad, and not really fond of the new costume (that goes for all of them, but batman's in particular makes him look less like a 'weird figure of the night' and more like a metal gear character). SHAZAM-FLASH are the most underused and generic characters they could come up with. We get no backstory at all, no character build-up, they are just there to brawl, although the Flash gets a really badass action scene. THE GREEN LANTERN is the only heroe i really enjoyed in this movie. He's young, cocky, arrogant and borderline psychotic, but you know what?That's Hal Jordan! He is the protagonist of this movie, taking the helm in all the big fights, getting the only character progression in the movie, and his and batman's are the only interractions that come off as real-life people talking. DARKSEID is so badly butchered and underused, that i can;t talk about it without major spoilers but, it is very bad. Any fan of the real lord of Apokolips, get ready for it.
Now, the action was good(not Flashpoint good), although , with 3/4ths of the film being fighting scenes it could get boring at times.The music score was OK, a little underwhelming. All in all, it is an OK movie to watch once, but given DC's past track record, with movies that really push the borders of superhero cartoon animation, if you are a fan, watch the company's previous efforts and pass this one.
The movie's biggest problem however, is the total mis-characterisation of it's iconic characters, heroes who have been done so much justice in DC's previous efforts (JL cartoons, previous DC Animated features) that it is heartbreaking to watch them here.
SUPERMAN in this movie, is a muscle-head, a total grunt whose only role is to punch this and that, and hit on WW. His dialogue is non-existent, and he really comes out more like a lobotomized Hulk,rather than the most iconic superhero of all time. WONDER WOMAN is a murdering psycho, dressed like an generic anime loli. CYBORG is.. a cyborg alright, but not CYBORG. His origin is different, his character is different, his powers.. You could really replace the three heroes above with original characters. It wouldn't have been agood movie, but at least it wouldn't be an insult to the fans of the JL.Now to the less butchered characters: BATMAN is classic batman.His voice could be a tad monotonous but not really bad, and not really fond of the new costume (that goes for all of them, but batman's in particular makes him look less like a 'weird figure of the night' and more like a metal gear character). SHAZAM-FLASH are the most underused and generic characters they could come up with. We get no backstory at all, no character build-up, they are just there to brawl, although the Flash gets a really badass action scene. THE GREEN LANTERN is the only heroe i really enjoyed in this movie. He's young, cocky, arrogant and borderline psychotic, but you know what?That's Hal Jordan! He is the protagonist of this movie, taking the helm in all the big fights, getting the only character progression in the movie, and his and batman's are the only interractions that come off as real-life people talking. DARKSEID is so badly butchered and underused, that i can;t talk about it without major spoilers but, it is very bad. Any fan of the real lord of Apokolips, get ready for it.
Now, the action was good(not Flashpoint good), although , with 3/4ths of the film being fighting scenes it could get boring at times.The music score was OK, a little underwhelming. All in all, it is an OK movie to watch once, but given DC's past track record, with movies that really push the borders of superhero cartoon animation, if you are a fan, watch the company's previous efforts and pass this one.