BY CHRISTINA RIVERO
When people think of superhero films, Man of Steel, the Avengers, or the Batman Trilogy usually come to mind. These films are characterized by their dazzling special effects and famous actors. However, what a lot of superhero fans don’t know is that the fun doesn’t have to be limited to the silver screen. Often, superhero movies are made on a smaller scale and are released straight to DVD. The most recent animated film to be released was from DC Comics based off of the New 52’s rebooted Justice League titled Justice League: War.
The problem with the Justice League: War is that its characters are almost unrecognizable from the original. I am slowly falling off the DC bandwagon because I respect the character’s origins, whereas the editor’s of the New 52 reboot and the filmmakers clearly don’t. The plot/ storyline was pretty simple to grasp, but this film seemed to magnify the changes and “alterations” of each character in ways that seemed tacky and superficial.
To start with, Superman is not the same superhero he once was before DC’s universe shift. Superman before the New 52 was genuinely sweet. He did anything that promoted the greater good, which in turn humbled him. While watching the film, I noticed that Superman repeatedly saw himself as superior towards other individuals, causing him to be hot headed and more focused on his appearance than the conflict. Some may believe that he has every right to see himself in that light, being that he’s an alien with multiple abilities. However, his character before the reboot would respect others and only try to do what was right. This gave him more character depth; this made him easy to like, and someone to look up to. In the New 52 he is self-centered and shallow.
Other changes that might anger fans include an altered storyline; for example, the battle against the central villain, Darkseid. The battle was overstretched and dramatized because it lacked true action. I understand that Darkseid is not the easiest villain to take down, but I felt the majority of the fight was simply a filler to give the movie more running time.
While some new plotlines, such as Cyborg, had good updated back stories; overall, the movie was not as satisfying as I would have hoped it to be and instead of trying to give me a stronger affinity for the comic book company’s reboot and it made it less likeable. With too simple of a plot, paper-thin characters, and a narrative that didn’t seem to flow at all, Justice League: War is not a movie worth watching. Even with the small slivers of humor incorporated, the movie did not impress.
