Review: DC ‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ Brings War Home

‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans,’ Warner Animation Studio’s latest DC feature, pits parent against progeny.

When the son of Batman becomes disobedient, the average boarding school just won’t cut it. In ‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ we find the very angsts filled Damian Wayne’s, aggressive and loose-cannon behavior becoming a growing issue. With few alternatives, Batman has former right-wing, Dick Grayson aka Nightwing take Wayne’s current Robin and human weapon of a son to the only babysitters that can possibly stand a chance – the Teen Titans. Under the guidance of the adorably absent-minded alien princess Starfire, the impetuous Robin joins Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Raven and sometimes Cyborg to embark on a very different kind of adventure than he’s accustomed to – one of tolerance and team building.

While not as impactful as its predecessors, ‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ bridges a generational gap while also providing some eye-watering morsels of action.

Cinematics (Cinematography, Acting, Story, Etc.) – 3

Although a bit loose story-wise, ‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ shows some engaging character depth for the up-and-coming junior heroes, but keeps the story light enough to be able to cram in all the action fans of the DC animated films have grown accustomed to. The art style seems to pick up where ‘Justice League: War’ left of with a clean and fluid style that has a detailed enough aesthetic to be really immersive. Many of the usual suspects took on the voice work, and it paid off. With strong actresses/actors like Rosario Dawson (‘Daredevil’) as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Jerry O’Connell (‘Kangaroo Jack’) as Clark Kent/ Superman and Shemar Moore (‘Criminal Minds’) as Cyborg, the peaks and valleys of dialogue always felt fluid. Taissa Farmiga’s (‘The Final Girl’) Raven and Jon Bernthal’s character, which I won’t name (because it’s a spoiler), are by far the best of the bunch.

One voice, that is attached to veteran name, did not appeal to me however – Steve Blum voicing Lex Luthor. If you had an issue with Jesse Eisenberg’s tinny and neurotic Luthor from ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ you might also struggle with Blum’s Luthor who sounds like he’s been amalgamated with Vegeta from ‘Dragon Ball Z.’ I’m not saying it was bad but it did not seem like a strong enough voice to match the presence of Luthor, which is surprising given Blum’s past voice work accolades.

Entertainment Value – 3

‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ is entertaining at its core. There was mostly solid acting, the scenes were active, the settings were diverse, but on the downside the music didn’t always hit the mark. During some of the developmental montages the music becomes a little… uh… it becomes annoying. The production team uses two particularly bubblegum emo/rock anthems that, sorry if that’s your thing, really takes the mature feel right out of the film. All the cinematic scoring, on the other hand, was appropriate for the emotional tone of the film. I hope that in the future, they don’t delve into niche music genres, as it will likely alienate some portion of viewers. All in all the film is fun and mildly entertaining.

Re-Watchability – 2.5

Unlike almost all of the past Warner Animation produced DC movies, ‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ won’t really be a pleasurable experience for repeat. While it is not the best of the pack, it is also nowhere near the bottom of the pile either. If you’re already fan of the well populated animated universe, then this would be a worthy addition to the constellation of films – an added bonus.

Watch the trailer for ‘Justice League Vs Teen Titans’ below:

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