As a fan of the Justice League animated series, I was very happy to learn about this DVD movie. Even though the animation is slightly different, and the voices are different, this still has a similar feeling to that series.
The story is a typical alternate universe story that we can find in many DC stories. Our Justice League is pit against the evil Crime Syndicate, and fights ensue. There are a lot of fights, but they’re interesting as they are between heroes we know about, and their evil versions that look cool.
But what really impressed me is the characterization of Owlman. Him being the counterpart to Batman, also my favorite DC character, it felt natural to gravitate towards him. And his goal in this story is totally crazy but at the same time logical. It’s a philosophical argument, very different from the usual “I want to rule the world” villain.
There are some parts that just don’t work though, like the Martian Manhunter subplot. That romantic thread just felt like it came out of nowhere, and it also didn’t go anywhere.
Still, I enjoyed this movie a lot, it gives me hope for future DC animated projects.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I like Dwayne McDuffie a lot, and so I had high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed. It had a lot of typical McDuffie touches, the sexual innuendo with Power Woman, the goofy Wally West Flash, and my favorite detail, the fact that the doomsday weapon was called the “QED”.
I agree completely about Owlman. He was just a great villain. He was wonderfully crazy and scary, James Wood was the perfect voice actor, and the character design looks really cool (that design is basically Frank Quitely’s from the Morrison Quitely one-shot, isn’t it?).
Apparently this was originally written to bridge the shift from the Justice League to Justice League Unlimited. That makes sense, since this shows them building the satellite and ends with them deciding on a membership drive.