DC Comics has released its newest
animated film, Justice League Dark, which
was anticipated for some time for several reasons. It’s a rated R version which
is a step up from most of their films which are usually G or PG-13 and the film
is rated R for good reason. Justice
League Dark is exactly what the title implies because this was full of
death, blood and adult language. This is the 3rd film starring the
52 version of DC’s superheroes but even though they’re in the film, they aren’t
the main characters. The main character is none other than John Constantine while
superheroes like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman make an appearance.
John Constantine is a character
made famous by the film adaption back in 2005 starring Keanu Reeves. Coming
from the pages of Hellblazer, John
Constantine is a man of mysticism who acquired his gift after serial encounters
with the supernatural. This lead to a series starring Matt Ryan recently that
was cancelled shortly after its first season but hasn’t stopped Matt Ryan from
reprising his role in DC adapted shows like Arrow.
He’s also the voice actor for Constantine in this film as he leads a new league
with the assistance of Batman against a supernatural foe. A league comprising
of Zatanna, Estrigan, Boston Brand (Deadman) and Swamp Thing.
A series of supernatural events
start gaining the attention of the Justice League and all the evidence leads to
the conclusion that this is more than the league can handle. Batman is lead to
Constantine and persuades him to investigate the matter. For those who don’t
know who any of the characters, there’s plenty of backstory on each character
so you can be brought up to speed. A known enemy makes a surprise appearance
and the film is left wide open for a possible sequel if this film does well financially.
Is it worth the buy?
The action kicks off and is
constant in the film with several battles but it becomes a problem with casting
spells and speaking in tongues. There’re moments where you could get lost in
the battle and it makes you wonder what just happened. The characters involved
are known from their appearances in certain shows such as Justice League and several other DC shows except for Swamp Thing. Swamp
Thing hasn’t made an appearance since his motion pictures that came out in 1982
and the television series in the 1990s. When the defender of the swamp finally
arrives, it’s enough to bring goosebumps but it’s short lived which is
disappointing because Swamp Thing is only in the film for a few moments.
Justice
League Dark is a decent action animated film but it has its flaws which
kept this from being a great introduction to a new breed of heroes. The story
was short and somewhat sweet but if you’re not a fan of mysticism or any of the
characters above, then just pass this at the stores. It was good to see Swamp
Thing back but it was like seeing Joker in Suicide
Squad, I wanted to see more of him but unfortunately, he wasn’t considered
important enough. This is still worth the buy if you’re a fan of DC and the
characters involved but if you’re unsure then it’s worth renting. I still have give
this film a 7 out of 10 because if you’re a DC fan then you should enjoy this
but if you don’t know much then you might get turned off.
