When word came that Bruce Timm had a new project for DC’s animated universe, there was much rejoicing. This project, released this past year, was Justice League: Gods and Monsters and featured a decidedly darker take on DC Comic’s “big three” superheroes, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
In this alternate universe, Superman’s father is General Zod rather than Jor-El. Rather than millionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman is Kirk Langstrom (aka Man-Bat in the regular DC Universe). Wonder Woman is Bekka, a child of this universe’s High Father from the New Gods rather than an Amazon. She, along with her lineage, have a much darker backstory than that which is presented in the regular DC Universe.
Interesting stuff for certain, but while I was eager to see the film, I feared that it might prove a little too “dark” to really enjoy.
And the movie most certainly starts that way!
In the opening scenes, those which give us this universe’s origin of Superman, we see what can only be described as a Kryptonian “rape” being the way that General Zod becomes Superman/Hernan Guerra’s father. Now, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT IS PRESENTED IN THE FILM ISN’T AS GRAPHIC AS I MAKE IT SOUND IN THE ABOVE DESCRIPTION, but if you consider what you are presented with, that is effectively what happens.
We fast forward to present time in this world and the three superheroes are shown on a mission. They are arrogant and more than willing to use their powers in gruesome ways. They dispatch a group of terrorists, including some alternate world versions of supervillains, with maximum casualties.
These early scenes are meant to show us that while this version of the Justice League does deal with villainy, their methods are very grim and, naturally, make people very uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, in fact, that many protest these “heroes” and wish they would disappear. The U.S. Government, meanwhile, uses them while looking at them with a very weary eye.
With the opening over, we then move into the movie’s main plot: Someone is targeting well known -and incredibly brilliant- scientists (It helps to have an awareness of who many of these characters are) and making it look like the “Big Three” were responsible for their assassinations.
In investigating the deaths, the Big Three realize they are being framed. Given the unease I already mentioned regarding their status in this world, it won’t take all that much to turn humanity completely against them.
As I said, going into this movie I feared it might be a little too dark to enjoy, and in the early going the movie more than earned its PG-13 rating. Along with the already mentioned Kryptonian “rape”, there is a bit of sexual innuendo presented via the various characters and for this reason I’d recommend anyone thinking of showing this movie to their kids to see it themselves first and then decide if it is appropriate.
Having said all that, JL: G&M wound up being a blast.
Yes, it is grim and yes, it does have some faults (I’ll get into them in a second), but damn if it doesn’t deliver an interesting story that, while it may start a little slow, grips you by the end.
The faults? To begin, as this is a “new” take on the three principle characters, valuable screen time has to be devoted to their backstory and, with the exception of Superman’s at the very beginning, this backstory (for Batman and Wonder Woman) drops on the viewer in rather clumsy ways, IMHO. Why? Because these backstories are presented just as the movie’s central mystery is developing steam and kinda stops things in their tracks. However, because this backstory is necessary to understand the characters as well as this mystery, these scenes prove necessary, though they do stop the movie’s momentum.
The sexual innuendo mentioned above, also, turned me off. Mind you, I’m far from a prude as my novels surely attest, but we are talking about a Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman story…did we need as much sexual banter as was presented in the early going?
Finally, and I have to tread very softly here for fear of getting into SPOILERS, but the return of a central character at the movie’s climax…why did it take this person so long to show up? Had this person appeared a little earlier, it might have avoided quite a mess.
I’ll leave it at that!
Regardless of these flaws, I repeat: JL: G&M was a blast. I enjoyed the hell out of it even as I was engaged into and trying to solve the mystery. When all is said and done the mystery is classic Agatha Christie and I absolutely loved the resolution.
Good job. I most definitely look forward to more!