Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out This is a spoiler-free review of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, which will be available to purchase in Digital HD format on Tuesday, May 5 and on DVD/Blu-ray/4K on Tuesday, May 19. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Justice League Dark: Apokolips War may be the 38th release in the DC Universe Original Movies series, but it's arguably the most significant of these projects to date. Apokolips War also happens to be the 15th and final entry in the DC Universe Movies series, a shared universe that began in 2013's Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Apokolips War takes full advantage of that finality, delivering a movie with much bigger stakes and a story that only bears a faint resemblance to its comic book source material. The DC Universe Movies may not have met the standard of something like the classic DC Animated Universe, but at least it goes out in top form. The DC Universe Movies have mostly taken its cues from DC's New 52 comic book line. 2014's Justice League: War was directly based on Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League: Origin. Both the comic and the movie reintroduced the Justice League as part of a revamped continuity and established Darkseid as the team's original enemy. The New 52 essentially ended with Johns and Jason Fabok's sprawling 2015 epic Justice League: The Darkseid War, which featured a rematch between the League and Darkseid and various other cosmic shenanigans. But while Apokolips War is ostensibly based on The Darkseid War, it shares almost nothing in common with that comic beyond the basic premise of Earth's heroes rallying to defeat Darkseid once and for all. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-dark-apokolips-war&captions=true"] Part of the reason Apokolips War diverges so far from the comics is that this film isn't just a Justice League story. The fact that the supernatural Justice League Dark team gets top billing should clue you into that fact. It's intended to wrap up loose ends across the DC Universe Movies, acting as a sequel to everything from Son of Batman to Reign of the Supermen to Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. It's to the credit of writers Ernie Altbacker, Christina Sotta and Mairghread Scott that Apokolips War actually serves all those different masters as elegantly as it does. Pacing is too often the bane of these direct-to-video projects, but for once a DC Universe Movie feels just as long as it needs to be. Even as this film picks up loose ends from half a dozen other projects, it never gets so caught up in its own continuity that it loses its momentum. The advantage of this being the last movie in a long-running series is that there's a much greater level of storytelling freedom. Apokolips War is free to break as many DC toys as it wants without fear of what that means for future spinoffs or sequels. And break it certainly does. Whatever you think the plot may involve coming into the film, the first five minutes prove it isn't that. The story quickly shifts in an unexpected and enticing direction that, for more reasons than one, strike a chord similar to that of the Injustice: Gods Among Us games. The catch is that, like Injustice, this requires viewers to roll with the punches to a certain degree and accept that certain characters will behave in ways contrary to their usual portrayals. Superman's characterization in particular is a bit off compared to where we last saw him in Reign of the Supermen. But this was always a common criticism of the New 52 comics themselves - that too many characters were given pointless, edgy overhauls in the name of appealing to younger readers. At least Apokolips War finds ways of justifying the sometimes extreme character changes. Viewers should also prepare themselves for a level of violence that borders on the ridiculous. The fight scenes are intense and often thrilling, but there's a level of gore to some of these scenes that serves no purpose other than allowing DC to flaunt the movie's R-rating. DC's insistence on marketing these direct-to-video projects strictly to adult audiences has always seemed bizarre, but hopefully that philosophy will change starting with the release of Superman: Man of Tomorrow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/02/justice-league-dark-apokolips-war-exclusive-trailer"] Apokolips War is as dark and gloomy and violent as any DC Universe Movie release to date. However, it's also among the most emotionally grounded. Despite a massive ensemble cast that includes basically every hero who's appeared in this shared universe before, the plot is wisely anchored around a small handful of key players. Apokolips War basically spotlights one character for each pillar of the DC Universe Movies - Superman (Jerry O'Connell), Robin (Stuart Allan), Raven (Taissa Farmiga) and John Constantine (Matt Ryan). Of these four, Constantine's arc is the most fully realized and satisfying. Constantine can be a tricky character to get right within the context of the larger DC Universe, but this movie makes full use of his outsider status and his reluctance to believe in something bigger than himself. Surprisingly, despite the fact that the Teen Titans movies have tended to be the weakest part of the DC Universe Movies, Raven also emerges as one of the more compelling and nuanced characters in Apokolips War. Her ongoing struggle to contain the literal demon inside adds another layer of tension to an already grim script, and the payoff on that front is excellent. Apokolips War also finds room to deliver the final word on the relationship between Damian Wayne and his father, capping off a multi-film arc. And for as dark as Apokolips War can be, it's also more willing than most DC animated movies to have fun with the characters and revel in the sillier side of the DC Universe. A number of smaller supporting characters like Etrigan (Ray Chase), King Shark (John DiMaggio) and Harley Quinn (Hynden Walch doing a pitch-perfect Tara Strong impersonation) help break up the darkness with moments of zany comedy. Apokolips War does share one unfortunate similarity with the previous DC Universe Movies release, Superman: Red Son. The ending comes a little too abruptly, closing the door on this universe before all the dust is allowed to settle and the ramifications of a major decision can be revealed. But that aside, Apokolips War manages to deliver a surprisingly enjoyable and emotionally resonant finale to a shared universe that too often struggled in those areas. Maybe the next shared universe can learn a thing or two.

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