The latest animated instalment from Warner Bros. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War marks the epic conclusion of DC’s popular shared animated movie universe, as the 15th and final film in the continuity. Originally introduced in Jay Oliva’s brilliant Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox back in 2013, the films have gone from strength to strength, culminating in an epic showdown with Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips.
Directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War centres on a devastated Earth following Superman’s failed attempt to stop Darkseid in a catastrophic war. With numerous superheroes annihilated or enslaved, the remaining survivors, lead by Constantine (Matt Ryan), Superman (Jerry O’Connell) and Raven (Taissa Farmiga) must band together to take a final stand against the tyrant in order to save the World.
There’s no doubt that this is DC’s answer to Avengers: Infinity War. The no holds barred post-apocalyptic tale impressively weaves together threads from Flashpoint, Justice League Dark and Son of Batman in an epic conclusion. The film wastes no time in the exciting yet shocking opening, diving straight into the action with frenetic pacing, culminating in an exciting showdown with many impressive battles. Featuring plenty of cameos from members of the Justice League, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad, the film will prove hugely satisfying for long time fans of the shared universe. It is surprisingly dark though, with plenty of brutal violence and shocking gore at times! The only downside is due to the sheer size of the cast, it definitely didn’t feel as if there was enough Swamp Thing and Justice League Dark.
Boasting the largest superhero cast in the history of the DC Universe Movies, many of the renowned voice actors such as Jason O’Mara, Rosario Dawson and Christopher Gorham return to reprise their iconic roles from the six-year continuity. Standouts include Matt Ryan, Jerry O’Connell, and Taissa Farmiga, who lead the core of the cast as Constantine, Superman and Raven. Fan favourite Matt Ryan continues his fantastic portrayal of John Constantine with an excellent emotional character arc for the occult detective, with Taissa Farmiga wonderfully capturing Raven’s inner battle with her father, Trigon. Other highlights include Hynden Walch’s hilarious Harley Quinn who I genuinely wanted to see more of, along with Ray Chase’s down-on-his-luck Etrigan.
Verdict
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is impressive in both size and scope; rounding off the DC Animated Movie shared universe with a bittersweet conclusion. Packed full of team ups, nods to DC lore and genuinely epic moments, longtime fans of the universe will undoubtedly revel in this film. Bring on HBO Max’s live-action adaptation of Justice League Dark!
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