Back in the day, the average person had never heard the word multiverse.
These days, seems like there are 17 different versions of Spider-Man, 25 versions of Superman, hundreds of versions of Batman, and scores of ongoing continuities from both Marvel and DC completely separate from one another.
That’s where we find Injustice.
This isn’t MY Justice League. Not my Batman, my Superman, my Wonder Woman. I don’t know these characters at all but they’re close enough to people that I do know and have known for years. Close enough that it can tell a familiar story that goes in some very unfamiliar directions.
And that’s exactly what I expected. I never played the video game which led to this movie but I did follow the digital comics for a while so I had some idea what to expect.
We start out with a couple of happy, fun scenes but almost immediately jump into an orgy of carnage that might make even Zack Snyder turn away.
Can’t even begin to describe the plot without spoilers—The Joker and Harley Quinn kill Jimmy Olsen and the Flash, then trick Superman into killing his own wife and unborn child, which sets off a chain reaction that literally nukes Metropolis. Superman decides enough is enough and kills the Joker, then sets out to police the entire earth with the assistance of Wonder Woman, ridding the planet of not just criminals but also dictators. A few other costumed characters join them, but most of the rest of the JLA think they’ve gone too far. Predictably, Batman sets out to stop them. Another level of drama comes when Robin (Damian Wayne) sides with Superman over his own father and accidentally kills Dick Grayson!
There are, of course, some interesting philosophical questions here about responsibilities, freedoms, boundaries, and rights. Some are even brought up briefly during a chess game between the Man of Steel and Mr. Terrific. This being an action film, however, they’re glossed over quickly.
Superman reluctantly teams with the ridiculously outfitted Ra’s Al Ghul, who—as one might expect—has an agenda of his own. Every few minutes it seems there’s another gory death of a beloved familiar character but no time to mourn as the story barrels onward toward a climax that’s kind of cool but doesn’t really work, followed by an ending that’s too quick and too pat.
Injustice is by far the darkest version of the JLA yet. When I was a kid, the DCU was the bright side where Marvel was dark. Now, with the recent Marvel movies—good as they are—and the DCU live action movies, and now Injustice, they’re all dark.
But as I said, this isn’t MY JLA. The good thing about comics is that my JLA will always be there. This version offers a fast-moving story with some good action sequences. Injustice is well-animated and all the voice acting—with the exception of Green Arrow (at least to my ear) is on the mark. A number of the characters have silly looking costume redesigns for no apparent reason. I didn’t even recognize one hero at first! The growing number of gratuitous character deaths becomes more than a little absurd after a while, even though most actually do fit in with the epic plot.
I feel sorry for younger fans for whom this IS their JLA, but the multiverse being what it is, there’s room for a little Injustice.
Booksteve recommends…with reservations.
- Extras include featurette, two retrospective features, two episodes of the Justice League animated series ( Injustice For All, Parts I & II)
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Produced by Jim Krieg, Alyessa Ornelas, Rick Morales
Written by Ernie Altbacker
Based on Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year One by Tom Taylor
Directed by Matt Peters
Featuring Justin Hartley, Anson Mount, Laura Bailey, Zach Callison,
Brian T. Delaney, Brandon Micheal Hall, Edwin Hodge, Oliver Hudson,
Gillian Jacobs, Yuri Lowenthal, Derek Phillips, Kevin Pollak, Anika Noni Rose,
Reid Scott, Faran Tahir, Fred Tatasciore, Janet Varney, Andrew Morgado, John DiMaggio
