Justice League: Doom

It's that time again. It's a new year and DC and Warner Premier are releasing their 13th home release with "Justice League: Doom." A new adventure for the Justice League feels like the return of old friends with the cast of the "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited" animated shows back. This was also the last script done by the late, great Dwayne McDuffie and as always he knocked it out of the park. "Doom" is loosely based on the "Tower of Babel" story arc from the "JLA" comics in the early 2000s. Though it takes cues from that story, it's definitely its own animal. McDuffie took the major parts of the arc, Batman had created secret files to use against the League if they ever went rogue, or something and they were stolen by one of their enemies. This is all just a very elaborate way to get the league out of the way for the real plan. Destroy half the world and rebuild as the villain sees fit. In the comics it was Ra's Al Ghul, here it is Vandal Savage; swapping one immortal villain for another works for me. What McDuffie added was a personal slant to it. Savage contacts a villain that has a personal stake or vendetta against a member of the League, and hence the Legion of Doom is born. I won't spoil anything but I will say the action is fast and well choreographed, starting with a pretty cool confrontation with the Royal Flush Gang. Things only escalate from there and the film follows a three act structure that works perfectly. They set things up in the first act, the second act is the confrontation between the Legion and the League and the results of that lead directly into the third act which is the resolution of the adventure. Kudos to Phil Bourassa for some very cool designs for the Legion as well as in general. Bane's mask design resembling a skull was sweet, and Mirror Master's almost transparent design was just brilliant. Vandal Savage looks suitably superior, and I love the semi-Victorian/militaristic look they gave him. He truly does look like someone who has lived for centuries, and him keeping the tooth/claw necklace from his Neanderthal days is a nice touch. Bourassa was the character designer for "Young Justice" as well as the previous JL film, "Crisis on Two Earths." There's the same Watchtower design, Wonder Woman's Invisible jet is the same, and most of the character designs are the same. So in a lot of ways it feels like a pseudo sequel to that movie, and it can very well be taken that way much like "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse" was a sequel to "Public Enemies" even though the art was different. The big draw here though is the voice cast. Throughout the releases we've had a few people return for voices, but never this many at once. Though George Newburn voiced Superman in "JL" it was Tim Daly that originated the voice in "Superman: The Animated Series" but couldn't return for JL when it first started. He has returned to the role a few times since then to much fanfare, and here he returns again joining the cast he should've been with originally. Also returning are Kevin Conroy (Batman, duh like you didn't know that), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash, but the Barry Allen version), and Carl Lumbly (Martian Manhunter), with fan favorite Nathan Fillion playing Hal Jordan (Green Lantern). Also reprising roles from the show are Phil Morris as Vandal Savage and Olivia D'Abo as Star Saphire. New to the cast are Claudia Black playing Cheetah and Bumper Robinson coming on as Cyborg. Even with changes like the Flash being less of a jokester, the voice cast still felt like an old friend you haven't seen in a while and missed. Everyone falls into their places without so much as a hitch and the banter between the team in the beginning gives us a feeling that they've been doing this together for a bit. It's all the more meaningful when things start to fall apart later. The film is in my opinion one of the best of the bunch. I've yet to truly be disappointed with these though I could use a bit more variety in subject matter (only so many Batman and Superman stories can be told before we start losing fans here DC), this one provides that with all the different characters. Everyone gets a moment to shine, and no one feels glossed over. Some have felt things were tied up a little too quickly, for the tension that was brought to the team, but this is a movie and we need to get to the climax of the story. In the comics this arc was a set up for the next arc so they had time to really explore what the fallout was like, but I think the movie did a fine job with it, especially with Batman's decision at the end. If you've been a fan of these, or are just looking for some good superhero action pick this up. Also there is a scene in which Alfred shows he's the only person that can make Batman look like a petulant child! That scene alone is worth it.

Top-quality voice narration, great Blu-Ray picture quality, a good story, decent features - there's not much to dislike in this latest addition to the JUSTICE LEAGUE series. The storyline is good, there is plenty of action, and you don't need to be a JL fanatic to appreciate or understand the storyline and characters. And in one of the best improvements - maybe the folks at DC or Warner actually read their e-mails ?? - the Bruce Timm-selected cartoon episodes were upconverted so the picture quality is light-years improved from previous offerings on earlier Blu-Ray releases. The cartoons fill a Hi-Def TV screen naturally and are almost as rich in detail as the movie. If you are like me and a fan of the old "Legion Of Doom" episodes from the 1970's and 1980's, or even the recent incarnation from JUSTICE LEAGUE, then "DOOM" remains faithful to the original: a group of super criminals collaborate together to take down the Justice League and wreak havoc on Earth. That said, you have Vandal Savage and not Lex Luthor leading the group, and the super villains here are mostly 2nd or 3rd level super criminals (I did not know who "Vandar Aag" was since he never appeared in earlier cartoon series). Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, and Michael Rosenbaum all reprise their characters from the JUSTICE LEAGUE series (not sure why Flash is Barry Allen and not Wally West, though I was glad they kept Rosenbaum for a slightly different DC timeline). Bumper Robinson does a good job voicing Cyborg; I wouldn't mind seeing more of him in future movies. The only storyline that was a bit confusing was the relationship between Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire and Green Lantern; this was never covered in the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE series so unless you read GL comic books you might be a bit confused over those scenes, small as they are. That said, there are a few annoyances with the way the disk is outlined. First, I am getting tired of having useless promos and advertisements load before I can get to the Main Menu. Second, don't give me promos about other TV or cartoon series coming out on DVD or Blu-Ray -- if they want to entice people to buy them, put a free episode on the disk, maybe even Part 1 of a 2-part episode. Most people buying the disks are already fans of the other cartoon series so we have either seen the shows or purchased the DVD's/Blu-Ray's. Third, while there is a 2-part JUSTICE LEAGUE episode ("Wild Cards") included, there is plenty of space on the 2-disks to include more episodes from that series or from some of the newer series. A few minor quibbles: If you are going to create a movie called "DOOM", I bet some of the older buyers wouldn't mind seeing the old cartoons from the 1970's or 1980's included, which featured The Legion Of Doom. If there are future movies playing on older cartoon themes, then include those cartoons for nostalgic fans. The artwork is out of the current YOUNG JUSTIC format; I still prefer the art style from the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE series on Cartoon Network. Phil Morris (aka "Jackie Chiles" from SEINFELD) does good work voicing Vandal Savage but considering he actually played the Martian Manhunter on SMALLVILLE I would not have minded him voicing the same character here. Claudia Black ("Vala" from STARGATE: ATLANTIS) does good work here as Cheetah. Pros: Action-packed movie with good story, decent bonus features, DVD disc basically `free' with the Blu-Ray purchase, digital comic included, nice Dwayne McDuffie tribute, upconverted JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoon episodes. Cons: Could have more cartoon freebies, annoying disk interface leading to previews and purchases, ultra-violet feature of little use to anybody but tech geeks, very drab Main Menu interface Overall, a quality addition to the DC Comics/JUSTICE LEAGUE universe, and the improvements outweight my personal dislikes which will not be shared by all JUSTICE LEAGUE and DC Comics fans. You definitely get your money's worth with this purchase, and the decade of continuity from Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano and the other folks behind the scenes is most appreciated. And yes....LOVE those upconverted JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoons - keep `em coming !

I will give my review without trying to ruin the movie for fans of this genre, this review may contain spoilers, but I will do my best to not go in depth. This movie is a loose adaption of comic book writer Mark Waid's accliamed 2000 miniseries Tower of Babel, with a little bit of the more recent New 52 from DC comics. This film was directed by longtime DC Universe veteran Lauren Montgomery who was also responsible for bringing us Wonder Woman and Green Lantern: First Flight, which just happens to be one of my all time favorite animated movies. This movie like all the previous animated movies are a animated feature which are always nice and has the feel to it of the Justice League animated series series. This film also introduces Cyborg which is a character some people might not be familiar with, even though he was a hugely popular character in the animated cartoon series of Teen Titans and has had some good success in comics recently, and is a nice change of pace to the story. This film does a good job of plot twists and those not familiar with the Babel story will be shocked at some of the things that happen. The film is rated PG-13 like the other films that DC has released so parents with younger kids should be aware that it is given this rating not only for intense action and some blood, but several of the heroes weaknesses are used against them in a dark way, and some are tortured, so there is some emotional drama going on that you do not previously see in the other animated films. You also have the usual Superman beating up on villains type of action. The basic premise of this movie is what would happen if villains new about each members of the Justice Leagues greates vulnerabilities and knew exactly how to exploit them all in a plot to get rid of them for a even more sinister plan. Even worse, how did they find out about their weaknesses and come up with the plans necessary to make it happen? You have to watch this movie to fid out. Longtime fans will be excited to know that Justice League: Doom boasts a lot of voice veterans that they will be familar with. Tim Daly (Superman), the great Kevin Conroy (Batman), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash), Carly Lumbly (Martion Manhunter), and the newest addition of Bumper Robinson (Cyborg). For the hardocre fnas it has what they believe to be the best Green Lantern in Hal Jordan voiced by Nathan Fillion, and fans of the Justice League animated series and Justice League Unlimited will recognize some of the villains in Mirror Master and Vandal Savage. My final review is I found the movie highly entertaining and hope that they continue to make movies like this. I do wish that these movies were longer, maybe even feature film length in the 2 hr range, or at the very least the 90 min range escpecially with the PG-13 rating and darker content it is possibly geared more towards adults and pre-teens and they are trying to find the right mixture of violence/action for the adults that they can still watch with their children, with that said, another 20 minutes would have been perfect because they do such a great job of setting things up to it to only feel rushed in other parts. I found the animation to be on par with the previous films, and in Blu Ray it looks even better. I recommend this film!

This was fantastic! Superb plot, true characterization, witty dialogue, excellent character interaction, great internal and external conflict, all around delight. You definitely have to pay attention while watching or you'll miss the details that let you piece it all together smoothly--like those viewers that somehow managed to miss Wonder Woman flying (chasing Queen) or using her super strength (breaking the ship's mast, throwing Cyborg so hard he totals a vehicle--ripping his arm off--or through her marathon battle with 'Cheetahs') or how her fights with Cheetah actually fit the comics (skill and agility matching not just some sort of male slug fest)--and complain that she is 'depowered'! LOL. This movie has complexity to it--sure it is animated, but don't give it a 'kid level' of attention or you'll be really doing yourself a loss. Just the dialogue alone is superb (like that whole scene with GL, trapped villains, WW and 'interrogation'--or all the witty liners scattered throughout the entire movie), though if you have a good knowledge of the DC universe you'll 'get' a lot more from the rest of the movie's parts (like character expressions, why their 'weaknesses' would hit them so hard, and the cleverness of the villains in using several things to make a hero weakness stronger (like how WW and GL were hit with a first punch of nanotech or Scarecrow style fear toxin in order then to manipulate them into attempted defeat). Honestly, it gets better each viewing--because you pick up more of the wit and plot weaving each time. Two thumbs up!

Vandal Savage is a great villian and this movie does him a decent justice in showing how extreme he is compared to the majority of villians. As well, this movie is a great example of how flawed the JLA really is and that none of them are invincible by any means. Their flaws were legitimately exposed without it being too far fetched, for the most part. As well, it shows the flaws of the villian's in which they always would rather have their counterparts suffer before death, as well, they are proven to be far less extreme compared to those like Vandal Savage. The art is what I expected from a DC movie, not incredible, but still good nonetheless. This story is one of the best and personal favorites and was shown pretty well throughout this movie. Batman once again reigns supreme as it should be. Although he is only human, Batman has one strength the rest don't have in that he literally is a one man fail-safe, as the basis of the storyline, that never lets emotion or trust take place of reason. Ultimately, emotion is a key weakness in all of the heroes and lack there of is one of Batman's greatest strengths. The only gripe is the fight sequence towards the end, as another reviewer pointed out, showcases the JLA all fighting their counterparts once again. Still enjoyable don't get me wrong, but instead, it should've been mixed and matched to show how well the JLA works together and needs one another. All in all, still a good movie and thoroughly enjoyable. As a true Bat Fan, I was impressed with the true showcase to all that makes the Bat so great and the JLA incomplete without him. I highly recommend this DC movie and is at the top of my list.

One of the absolute best DC Animated Movies in my opinion. JL Doom loosely adapts the plot of the famous Tower of Babel storyline wherein Ras Al Ghul manages to hack the Batcomputer and steal all of Bruce Wayne's dossiers on the Justice League team members. It is a classic Batman story about how paranoid Bruce is in regards to his super powered teammates, but the fact that Ras also hits the entire planet with a confusion ray that makes it so no one can communicate with anyone else (hence the Tower of Babel title reference) was a bit much for my tastes. In Doom, Ras is replaced by Vandal Savage who gathers together the various arch-enemies of the JL to enact Bruce's hacked dossier plans. Metallo shoots Superman with a Kryptonite bullet, Star Sapphire uses Scarecrow's fear gas to break Green Lantern's will, and so on. By focusing the plot on the subplot about Batman's paranoia instead of Ras' environmental terrorism, the movie works wonders while managing to do great justice to the betrayal the League feels for Batman's schemes. The ending gets a bit over the top, but it is still classic comic book fun.

I've been watching DCAU since the early days of BTAS, which was when I was first introduced to Bruce Timm. Once Superman The Animated Series came on board, I was hooked! I am a HUGE Superman fan. Aside from Batman: Under the Red Hood, the last few DCAU flicks have been not up to the usual level. Something was missing.... Justice League: Doom is what I have come to expect from the DCAU! Whoever decided to bring back the old favorites, like Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Susan Eisenberg made the right choice. The inclusion of these actors makes up for the some of the movie's detractors. I was not impressed with the way the characters looked. The angles of their faces felt very odd and I think a more natural look would have been better. On the flip side, there were some very good scenes, like the one where Green Latern protects the earth. I really liked the Dwayne McDuffie feature that is found in the special features. I love his work and will miss his writing. I wish there were a few more special features, but I'm okay with what was given. The movie itself was a joy to watch!

La Liga de la Justicia: Legión del Mal es una de esas películas animadas del universo DC que sorprende por su tono maduro, su narrativa bien construida y sus impresionantes secuencias de acción. La historia se centra en lo que pasaría si la información más confidencial de Batman cayera en manos equivocadas… y el resultado es tan emocionante como preocupante. Los personajes están muy bien desarrollados, con un enfoque más profundo en sus vulnerabilidades, especialmente en cómo cada miembro de la Liga enfrenta su peor temor. La animación es sólida, con un estilo oscuro que combina perfectamente con la trama. Destaco también el trabajo de voz (en inglés), que le da mucha fuerza emocional a cada escena. No es una película para niños pequeños, ya que tiene un tono más serio y reflexivo, pero para los fans de DC y las historias bien contadas, es totalmente imperdible.

This is a perfect product for anyone who loves dc comics, the justice league or the individual characters that appear within the story, the story is a loosely based upon the JLA Tower of Babel with a few expections with characters and plotlines, it's well worth buying if you have purchased other related dc comics animated tv shows or films, the creators of the film are using the Justice League lineup from the current new 52 plotlines with the expection of switching Aquaman for Martian Manhunter, 100% minute to minute action and a fine piece of animation at it's best, well best purchasing

Viene en castellano latino y se reproduce en reproductores blu-Ray de España sin problemas, se ve muy bien y es entretenida

No me ha gustado porque no he podido verla,no me funciona.

I have been an avid fan of JLA and all things Bruce Timm for some time, but this truly was a superb effort. The animation was top notch, the story solid and most importantly the voice work beyond reproach as it featured the originals for the most part, Tim Day (Superman), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Carl Lumbly (Martian Manhunter), and of course, the incredible Kevin Conroy (Batman). Nathan Fillion is Green Lantern and has been since Emerald Knights..in the opinion of many, should have been Hal Jordan in the live action version, though I will reserve judgement there..the addition of Cyborg is very much a 52 relaunch plot device, but is nonetheless a solid performance by Bumper Robinson. The tone fluctuates between quick, humorous wit, and dark peril. The pace is quick and I can say without fear that the 75 minutes goes by in a blink. Your attention never wavers when either villian or hero are on screen. The Batman portion of the tale is uncompromising and brutal and unquestionably portrayed and depicted by folks who know their Batman..you do not have to be a long time fan to appreciate this most recent foray, but if you are you certainly feel respected. This is a solid effort, perhaps the most solid movie version to come forth since Public Enemies: Batman/Superman. Make no mistake, however, this is an ensemble piece and worth the time of any DC Comics or Comic fan overall. Simply outstanding.

Based on JLA:Tower of Babel and dedicated to Dwayne McDuffie who sadly died after writing this film,Justice League:Doom tells the story of Batman who has created contingency plans to defeat each member of the JLA from Superman to Martian Manhunter, at first this sounds like a good idea say if the League ever fall under mind control, but it turns out to be a near fatal mistake when these plans are stolen by The legion Of Doom Lead by Vandal Savage, it results in the justice league nearly being destroyed and puts the League and The Legion of doom on a collision course with each other and concludes with a desperate battle that will decide the fate of the earth, Over all I really enjoyed this film, great animation at high quality and great heroes and villains such as Superman (voiced by Tim Daly), Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy), Wonder Woman (voiced by Susan Eisenberg), Metallo (voiced by Paul Blackthorne) Bane (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) and Chettah (voiced by Claudia Black). If you like a DC Animated movie with a dark story line,great action sequences and a super cool voice cast then JL:DOOM is the film for you. Over all I think it is a worthy step up from Crisis On Two Earths and was worth the Price so I give Justice League:Doom a 8 out of 10.