Movie Review: Justice League DARK - The Apokolips War (2020)

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So, there are gonna be some spoilers. Let me sum up the overall plot just a bit.


At Superman's urging, the Justice League, fearing an all-out invasion by Darkseid, decide to strike first in an attempt to destroy Apokolips itself. The attack fails utterly, and Earth is devastated by Darkseid's forces. Two years later, with the planet facing complete annihilation, a now-powerless Superman, alongside Raven of the Teen Titans, has a plan to defeat Darkseid for good. To do that, they're going to need the aid of John Constantine, who seems determined to drink himself to death.


Hoo boy. That was definitely a thing that happened. The Apokolips War is a relentlessly-grim action-vehicle that out-Snyder's Zack Snyder, and asks the all-important question, "How many recognizable characters can we kill with extreme brutality?" Add the odd bit of humor here-and-there, and some (largely stilted) touching moments, and there you go. The whole thing is driven by what the plot-demands, and the characters are just there for the ride.

From the opening minutes, I'm wondering what the hell is going on with these characters. Superman is actually pushing for a strike to destroy Apokolips? WTF? One of the questions I asked myself was why are Aquaman and Mera going on this mission when they should be part of the home-guard? They are the monarchs of the oceans, and would do SO much better on their own turf. But, I digress. Anyway, It quickly becomes apparent that the whole thing is going to go completely and utterly pear-shaped.

And it does. Bring on the gory deaths and dismemberment, because we've got an "R" rating, and we're gonna take advantage!

A lot of characters end up getting lost in the carnage-shuffle one way or another, and if you have a favorite character who isn't one of the more common choices, you're probably going to end up frustrated. Hal Jordan? Killed. Zatanna? Dead. Aquaman? Death by traumatic bisection. Mera gets her head squeezed, Martian Manhunter gets roasted, and poor "I never matter" Hawkman gets his wings ripped off. Wonder Woman loses her left arm, and Shazam loses his right leg. On the Titans front, they pretty much all snuff it, save for Robin and Raven. Oh, and the Green Lantern Corps, and the Guardians? Yeah, screw them too, because GL rings are nice things, and we can't have nice things.

Basically, its a blood-soaked checklist. And after a while, it just gets tiresome.

In the end, the heroes win, but its a Pyrrhic victory. Not only have they lost many of those who survived the initial battles, but Earth is essentially irreparably damaged, and John Constantine convinces Flash/Barry Allen that its time for another Flashpoint. In the end, Barry runs, hits that reset button, and the credits roll.

On the voice-acting front, we get top-notch work from a very well-cast Tony Todd (Darkseid), not to mention John DiMaggio (King Shark AND Trigon), Taissa Farmiga (Raven), Hynden Walch (Harley Quinn), Ray Chase (Etrigan), Rainn Wilson, who finally comes into his own as Lex Luthor, and Matt Ryan, who quite simply is to John Constantine what Ryan Reynolds is to Deadpool.

To be fair, I've just focused on certain aspects here, and your mileage is definitely going to vary. In the end, I was entertained to be sure, but I cannot honestly say I "liked" it. It was definitely action-packed, but the whole exercise felt hollow.

"Suck it, bitches." 

Two-and-a-half stars. **1/2

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