A story set in a universe where Superman is the son of General
Zod, Batman is a vampire, and Wonder Woman is a New God. ACTION/SCI-FI
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Justice League:
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It's always exciting to me when DC's cartoon department does something new and intriguing, especially when they mess with the mythology. I didn't think I'd like Gods and Monsters as much as I did, mostly because I'm used to the standard rule of thumb; The one where Clark Kent is Superman and Bruce Wayne is Batman. However, the take that this film has on the characters is neat enough to drive a cool story set in a different world where certain characters' lives never went in their destined directions, like Mr. Freeze never getting frozen or Darkseid making peace with Highfather. For comics fans, this film is chock full of Easter eggs.
The voice talent isn't perfect, but it works for the most part. I thought that Benjamin Bratt and Tamara Taylor did a fine job as Superman and Wonder Woman respectively. While I usually enjoy Michael C. Hall's performances, I don't think he was the best choice for Batman. I felt that the changes they made to the origin stories of the Big Three were fascinating, particularly Wonder Woman's. Making her the granddaughter of New Genesis's Highfather and engaged to Darkseid's son Orion was a brilliant way to tie her origins to the New Gods. I wish that Superman had inherited a bit more of Zod's ruthless personality, which the film tried to convey but didn't quite hit. With Batman, they just gave him the same origin as Man-Bat, which just seemed kinda lazy at first but made sense as the story progressed. I won't say Gods and Monsters is one of the best DC animated films in recent years, but it is definitely engaging and a must-see for comic fans. There are some things I wish it had done better, like having a stronger villain with a better motivation. The character of Lois Lane was criminally underused, as was any character connected to Batman. It would've been neat to see this universe's take on Alfred, the Joker, or Robin. Still, I enjoyed it for its constant nods to existing characters and the way it did its best to try something new. |