Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM

Vandal Savage explains his plan
JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM (2012). Director: Lauren Montgomery.

In this direct-to-video animated feature, the members of the Justice League -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash etc. -- engage the Royal Flush Gang in a fight and wonder where the criminals got their rather high-tech weaponry. Turns out the JL's real enemy is Vandal Savage [a character first introduced way back in the golden age of comics], a former caveman who has lived a thousand lifetimes, accumulated vast knowledge, and naturally wants to control the earth, planning to destroy half of it first with a solar flame. Headquartered in his Hall of Doom, Savage has gathered together a group of the League's arch enemies into a group he calls the Legion of Doom: Bane, The Cheetah, Metallo, Star Sapphire, and others. A sub-plot has the league members discovering that Batman secretly had contingency plans for stopping each member should they ever go rogue, which doesn't sit well with most of them. With good music and good [if not great] animation, and an exciting climax, Justice League: Doom has lots of super-hero vs super-villain action and is a good bet for comic book fans, and Justice League fans in particular. Voice actors include Kevin Controy (Batman) and Tim Daly (Superman). NOTE: You can read more about the Justice League in The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict: Until that much-announced live-action Justice League movie comes along ... ***. 

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