Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: The Justice Society of America, a group of superheroes aiding the allies in World War II, acquire an ally from the future who sends them on an adventure that changes history.
Review: I have a list in my head of my favourite DC Animated Movies. I’ve enjoyed them all to varying degrees, but my Top 5 Favourites have been the same for some time now. After viewing Justice Society: World War II, I’m happy to finally say my top five favorites are going to change because this is one of THE BEST DC animated movies I’ve seen in a while.
Let’s start with the opening. It’s a beautiful and cheeky callback to the films of classic cinema where the credits would roll before the movie began. It’s something I’m glad they’ve stopped doing, but I couldn’t help but smile at the little nod to that bygone era of cinema, especially considering the aesthetics of Justice Society.
The animation is some of the most beautiful DC has ever put out, a gorgeous blend of classic cartoon style through a modern day lens. The fight sequences were stellar, especially the ones with Wonder Woman, voiced by Stana Katic (Castle). You could tell they were inspired by the first Wonder Woman live action movie by Patty Jenkins.
The hits keep on coming here with a great story too. And it is one I wasn’t previously familiar with as I haven’t read the comics it’s based on, but this worked in the movie’s favour. When you don’t know what to expect, it always makes viewing a film that much more exciting. The balance between comedy, drama and action is also pitch perfect as well, and I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times.
The voice casting is solid here, with a few of the actors being old hands in the DCAU. I previously mentioned Stana Katic as Wonder Woman and we also have Matt Bomer (White Collar, Doom Patrol, The Sinner) who has previously voiced Superman/Clark Kent. Here he’s Flash/Barry Allen and he’s joined by Omid Abtahi (American Gods, The Mandalorian) as Hawkman, Geoffrey Arend (Devil, Super Troopers) as the Advisor, Liam McIntyre (Spartacus, The Flash) as Aquaman, and Elysia Rotaru (Supernatural, Arrow) as Black Canary, just to name a few. Everyone involved brings big energy to their roles and in doing so, bring their characters to life beyond your basic animated fare.
The only negative I could come up with is a lull in pacing that occurs in the middle act. Other than that, I honestly didn’t have much issues with this epic tale.
I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again—I love what DC has done with their animated movies since moving away from their previous linear storytelling. Now that all of the movies don’t have to be connected, they have opened up their animated universe to the same kind of diverse, dynamic, and wonderful stories that exist in their comics. Keep it up DC. In my opinion, if they use this model in their live action movies, they could give Marvel a serious run for their money.
Sommer’s Score: 7 out of 10
Want more of my thoughts on Justice Society: World War II? You can check out my video review below:
For more recent DC animated fare you can check out my review of Batman: Soul of the Dragon by clicking here or my review of Superman: Man of Tomorrow by clicking here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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