Blu-ray Review: Disappointing DC Universe Entry in ‘Justice League: Doom’

CHICAGO – The DC Universe brand of straight-to-DVD PG-13 films have had a remarkable array of quality. Some are absolutely brilliant, must-see films (“Justice League: The New Frontier,” “Batman: Under the Red Hood”) while others are kind of a mess (“Wonder Woman.” “Green Lantern: Emerald Knights”). In other words, you never know what you’re going to get when you pop in a new entry in the hit franchise. The 13th film, “Justice League: Doom.” is not a lucky one.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Loosely based on “JLA: Tower of Babel” by Marc Waid, a multi-episode arc that was released in 2000, “Doom” is easily the most disjointed and inconsistent DC Universe film yet. The voice talent is spectacular, featuring a number of all-time favorites when it comes to DC animation (Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rosenbaum), but that’s where the praise ends. The story doesn’t resonate and the visuals are mediocre. The major problem is that this take on “Babel” crams way too much into one film, resulting in a story that feels like it has no lead; no driving force for which to really care about. It takes Waid’s idea and reduces it to a series of fights, making a decent action cartoon but not a very good film.

Having said that, I almost want to recommend buying “Doom” just as a final tribute to a great comic pioneer, Dwayne McDuffie, who died almost a year ago, just after scripting this adaptation. The team behind the release put together a heartfelt and informative doc about McDuffie called “A League of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story” and it’s more interesting than “Doom” itself. McDuffie will be missed. I wish his final film was a better one but if the doc about him introduces his work to young fans than it will have been worth the effort.

Justice League: Doom was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 28, 2012
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Synopsis:
The Justice League consists of Earth’s finest super heroes and protectors of humanity. But in the mind of the Dark Knight, it contains potentially the most dangerous people on the planet. Over time, Batman has compiled top-secret contingency plans should any of them go rogue. When these files are stolen by a rising group of super villains, the Justice League embarks on a collision course that will test the very fabric of its alliance. With a stellar voice cast headed by Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Nathan Fillion, this thrilling DC Universe Animated Original adventure will challenge what you know about the Justice League as well as redefine what heroes are made of!

Special Features:
o Guarding the Balance: Batman and the JLA
o Cyborg: His Time Has Come
o Creative Team Commentary
o DC Digital Comic Book - Justice League of America (Issue #43): Tower of Babel
o A League of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story
o Preview of DC Universe’s Next Animated Original Movie Superman vs. The Elite
o Bruce Timm Presents 2 Bonus Cartoons
o UltraViolet Digital Copy

[17]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [18] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [17]