Verdict
Summary
The second free-for-all apocalyptic DC Animated movie to come around in a year’s time (the previous one was Justice League Dark: Apokolips War), Injustice is pretty shocking and R-rated for fans of the DC stories and heroes that used to be fairly PG-rated once upon a time but have resorted to harder edged themes and graphic violence to get their stories across.
Plot:
The Justice League splits up when Superman goes ballistic after Joker kills Lois Lane and their unborn child.
Review:
Clark Kent and Lois Lane are expecting their first child when something unthinkable happens: Joker decides to play the ultimate gag on Batman: He has Lois taken and implanted with a bomb in her chest, but that’s just the icing on the cake – Joker detonates a nuclear bomb in Metropolis and kills 11 million people with the blast to distract the Justice League. Superman is powerless to stop Lois from getting killed (she dies in his arms), and the nuclear attack is devastating to the world. Superman doesn’t do what Batman would do (which is the sick butt of Joker’s gag): He goes straight to Joker and punches his heart out, killing him on the spot. This is just the beginning of the drastic changes that turn Superman from a blameless hero and into a despotic, murderous dictator over earth. Superman goes on a full rampage against any conceivable threat to earth – he and the heroes that side with him (like Wonder Woman and Cyborg, for example) – remove every missile, nuclear bomb, and war machine from the planet and mandate peace on earth FOR ALL. Batman, Green Arrow, Catwoman, and Plastic Man (among others) oppose Superman and must get very creative and covert with going about their plans to overthrow the unstoppable and increasingly unhinged Superman, who in one scene murders an entire warehouse of unarmed ravers who call him out on his wickedness (and because they wear Joker attire). The battle between sides is going to get extremely bloody, and not only will Batman’s team need to bridge dimensions to call forth alter Supermans to fight him, but they’ll need to find a way to humble him and bring him back to sanity.
The second free-for-all apocalyptic DC Animated movie to come around in a year’s time (the previous one was Justice League Dark: Apokolips War), Injustice is pretty shocking and R-rated for fans of the DC stories and heroes that used to be fairly PG-rated once upon a time but have resorted to harder edged themes and graphic violence to get their stories across. For a movie that kills off The Flash in his first and only scene, you know you’re in for something different. For a franchise that has spanned countless stories, live action episodes, movies, and videogames, Injustice is a difficult pill to swallow for all its pessimism, but thankfully it’s a standalone entry and can be seen apart from all that have come before it. Directed by Matt Peters.
The 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray / Digital combo pack was released in mid-October and comes 2 bonus cartoons, and “Adventures in Storytelling – Injustice: Crisis and Conflict.”
