"Justice League Dark: Apokolips War" Animated Release Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

It's the final battle as a ragtag group of heroes put up one last offensive against Darkseid, winner takes all. It’s all been leading to this! Discuss both the DC Universe Movie animated feature and its home media release right here! Warning: There will be spoiler discussion here so exercise caution!

Click the image above to read The World's Finest review!​

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Release Date: May 5, 2020 - Digital; May 19, 2020 - 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD; August 17, 2020 DC Universe Streaming Service

Synopsis: Culminating a six-year animated journey that began with the release of Justice League War in 2014, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War finds Earth decimated after intergalactic tyrant Darkseid has devastated the Justice League in a poorly executed war by the DC Super Heroes. Now the remaining bastions of good – the Justice League, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad and assorted others – must regroup, strategize and take the war to Darkseid in order to save the planet and its surviving inhabitants. This is truly the war to end all wars, and only the victor will live to enjoy the spoils.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War features the largest Super Hero cast in the history of DC Universe Movies with dozens of actors/characters spotlighted in a grand ensemble of talent reprising their roles from this six-year story continuum. Matt Ryan, Jerry O’Connell and Taissa Farmiga anchor the cast as Constantine, Superman and Raven, respectively – the triumvirate determined to assemble the forces necessary to lead humanity’s final attack. Alongside that trio are the long-running core of Justice League voices - Jason O’Mara as Batman, Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Shemar Moore as Cyborg and Christopher Gorham as The Flash – as well as JL-adjacents Rebecca Romijn and Rainn Wilson as the voices of Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. Tony Toddis the voice of the film’s key villain, Darkseid. The cast also boasts appearances by Camilla Luddington as Zatanna, Ray Chase as Jason Blood/Etrigan, Roger R. Cross as John Stewart & Swamp Thing, Liam McIntyre as Captain Boomerang, Hynden Walch as Harley Quinn, Stuart Allan as Robin/Damian, Sachie Alessio as Lady Shiva, and John DiMaggio as King Shark.

Directors Matt Peters and Christina Sotta helm Justice League Dark: Apokolips War from a script by Ernie Altbacker and Mairghread Scott, who is also credited with creating the story. Amy McKenna is producer, and Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) is co-producer. Executive Producers are Sam Register and James Tucker.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Bonus Content*
-DC Showcase: Adam Strange (Animated Short) – On an asteroid mining colony, mysterious drifter Adam Strange is dismissed as an interplanetary derelict. But when the miners open a fissure into the home of a horde of deadly alien insects, his true identity is exposed. He is space adventurer Adam Strange, whose heroic backstory is played out in flashbacks as he struggles to save the very people who have scorned him for so long. Charlie Weber provides the voice of Adam Strange, alongside with Roger R. Cross, Kimberly Brooks, Ray Chase and Fred Tatasciore. Adam Strange is produced and directed by Butch Lukic (Batman Unlimited franchise), who also conceived the original story – which is written by J.M. DeMatteis (Constantine: City of Demons).
-Darkseid: New God/Evil Classic (New Featurette) – This documentary explores the machinations of one of fiction¹s greatest Super Villains as we learn more about what fuels Darkseid¹s drive to becoming a galactic Atilla the Hun and the importance of Deities in our classic and modern fiction.
-Filmmaker Audio Commentary – Observations and behind-the-scenes insight from Executive Producer James Tucker, Directors Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, and Screenwriter Ernie Altbacker.
-Look Back: Justice League Dark (Featurette) – John Constantine leads a group of misfit characters that use magic to vanquish their opponents. This is the dark version of the Justice League taking on the malevolent forces that go beyond our plane of existence.
-Look Back: Batman and Harley Quinn (Featurette) – Take a peek at the animated feature film, Batman and Harley Quinn, featuring the creators and talented voice cast.
-From the DC Vault: Justice League Action, "Zombie King" and "Abate and Switch" and Teen Titans, "Nevermore"
-A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, Superman: Man of Tomorrow – An advanced look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection.
*Note: Bonus content may vary between 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD editions.

Discuss the Justice League Dark: Apokolips War animated release here!

Please note this talkback is for both the Justice League Dark: Apokolips War animated feature and all aspects of the assorted home media releases. Discussion for both are now housed in one single talkback discussion thread. Spoilers are also allowed, so those who have yet to see the movie may want to avoid this thread until they have.

Related Threads:
-Adam Strange Animated Short Talkback (Spoilers)
-Justice League Dark: Apokolips War The World's Finest Subsite (Spoilers)
-Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Animated Release Review (Spoilers)
-Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Pre-Release News & Discussion Thread (Spoilers)
-Batman: Hush Animated Release Talkback (Spoilers)
-Reign of the Supermen Animated Release Talkback (Spoilers)
-The Death of Superman Animated Release Talkback (Spoilers)
-Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Justice League Dark Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Justice League vs Teen Titans Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman: Bad Blood Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman vs Robin Animated Features Talkback (Spoilers)
-Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Son of Batman Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Justice League: War Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)

Note: Remember, we appreciate and encourage discussion, but please keep your posts civil, relevant and insightful. Please do not post any improper or inflammatory material, as we will issue warnings if we believe it necessary. And remember to keep the discussion ON-TOPIC!

Also: There will be heavy spoiler discussion in this thread! Proceed with caution!

 

[Spider-Man]

Really good movie and a fitting way to end this continuity based on how it all started with Flashpoint. Having this be a "Justice League Dark" movie definitely makes sense as I was wondering why it just wasn't "Justice League." The violence got really excessive at times but outside of that I really enjoyed it.

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

That was kind of a lame ending. I knew they’d do a continuity reboot again at the end, that goes without saying, but to have Barry do the same stuff over again seems kind of weak.


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[Troy Troodon]

Looks like I was right about Lois squaring off with Harley.

 

[EmaHalJordan]

My favorite movie in this universe! I would have liked that they did not limit themselves to making only the characters that appeared in the previous films appear!
It would have been a good opportunity even for a one time only, Atom Green Arrow Black Canary Hawkwoman Firestorm Red Tornado and the New Gods!
I hope to see all of them in the new universe! ))
I am very excited, I will see her now for the second time!

 

[Mostezli]

That's Flashpoint done rationally! Barry seriously can't catch a break with that speed force.
How the characters changed over the course of this apocalypse was a treat.
I wished this was a 2-parter, just to get a better grasp of that expertly crafted scope.

My only major gripe was how Superman not only got a shave, a haircut, but also a suit change out of thin air.
What an end to an era.

 

[#TeamMike]

There was so much death in this one it was almost nihilistic. Not a fan of cheap shock value, but it was effective in a few moments.

 

[Marvelman02]

I thought this was a very good ending for the DTV animated universe. There were two logical problems that bugged me - just a little.

1) I saw the Darkseid vs. Trigon match-up coming, but when it finally arrived, I found it a little implausible. I just don't see why the suddenly released Trigon would make crushing Darkseid a priority. What was in it for Trigon?

2) Shouldn't the kryptonite in his blood have been killing Superman? Also, he is surrounded by kryptonite weapons. Shouldn't he have been reacting to them?

There are other criticisms I might make, but they all come down to, "I wouldn't have done it that way," so I don't think they are fair to make.

Very good. I give Apokolips War an 8.5/10.

 

[BigFatHairyDeal]

I remember years ago when b.t. wrote about the Batman Beyond episode "The Call." He acknowledged there were a lot of issues with it, but despite all that, the episode still ended up being a lot of fun. I used that as one of my benchmarks for reviewing DC animation, and I think this particular movie fall in a similar vein. You kind of have to turn off the nitpicky part of being a comic/superhero fan to enjoy, but once you do, a good time can be had.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about bringing us full circle to Flashpoint Paradox. On the one hand, it means you can take risks with the character, but on the other hand viewers know that it's not really going to have any real longstanding consequences. I think for a move like this to be really bold, you have to commit to it for more than the course of one movie.

I was pleasantly surprised that the movie seemed to pick up momentum in the end. The early acts really didn't catch my attention, and I was expecting the end to be a little lackluster. However, I was wrong, and all things considered, the end was pretty memorable and had good emotion and drama.

Now as far as nitpicking goes, oh man, there's just too much. But I still liked this movie, and it was one of my favorites in this particular continuity.

 

[EmaHalJordan]

For me this movie was a nice 9/10!
Great end to this universe, I just hope that Green Lantern manages to shine a little more in the next universe, he did not manage to have a movie of his own or one of the Justice League focused on him.
It's the only thing that left me with a bitter taste.
Epic finale and many expectations about what's to come. Especially when knowing that Martian Manhunter appears in Man of Tomorrow!

 

[-batmat-]

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Tagline: "Watch your favorite heroes and villains die gruesome deaths non stop for 90 minutes and in the end we erase everything from existence! It'll be a blast!"

"Everything would change. Again. And some of those changes
may be shite. And we may make the same mistakes again. It won't be perfect... but it'll be a long sight better than what we got now."

Huh...... guess who's really saying that, and to who...

Not a fan. I never liked any of these continuity movies. The first Justice League Dark was the only one I liked. I remember Reign was ok when I watched it. 14 films... not once I ever wanted to rewatch any of them except for JLD.

I really hate being this negative about it but they're my honest thoughts. Here's hoping moving forward they get more creative with it!

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I have mixed feeling on this movie, just like I have mixed feelings on this entire shared universe. The entire six/seven year journey was full of ups (a sense of experimentation, spotlighting lesser known characters) and downs (Disjointed storytelling, questionable design choices, mediocre - at times -actors). I do think the line was getting better and better, but perhaps it is the right time to end it.

Overall, It's a very strong movie. Crazy, fast paced and very emotional. I truly enjoyed the arcs of Constantine and Raven, not to mention another look at the relationship between Batman and Damian.

It was very bleak and nilhilistic. While the ending was beautiful, I would have liked to see how the universe was reshaped, even if just to end on a sense of hope. I don't know... I may have to process the ending a bit more on repeat viewings. Bottom line... it's a more than worthy conclusion to this shared universe and while I wished it was better at times overall, I'm still glad we had it.

Here's to the next phase of the DC Universe movie line.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I think I need a second viewing to fully process this one. I was VERY excited for it and it didn't meet my expectations. My rating: B-.

Pros:
- Solid animation (on par "with Batman: Hush")
- Tony Todd nails it as Darkseid
- The scale/scope of the film feels large and post-apocalyptic, as it should
- All of the action is appropriately morbid for a story of this caliber
- The ending was predictable, but done well IMO. Personally, I don't want another in-continuity series of films. I want this to end and go back to stand-alone pieces with unique art-styles and voice casts. I think over-all those films are more memorable and hold up better.

Cons:
- The opening scene setup what could have been an incredibly epic and gruesome battle sequence. Having it shown as a flashback instead lessons the impact. I was expecting a 10-15 minute opening battle with the most epic DC Superhero throw-down ever seen in animation. I was very disappointed. Show, don't tell, is one of the most single most important aspects of story telling. Cheap flashbacks don't do a film like this justice. Pun intended.

- The amount of characters with non-speaking roles in this thing is just sad. It's one thing to cram all of these heroes into the film, but to never have them speak seems like a cheap cop-out.

- Aquaman, Hal Jordan, Shazam, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter barely had anything to do in this universe beyond their introductions and this film could have given them moments to shine. I feel bad for fans of those characters.

- The John Stewart scene should have been Hal Jordan. We barely know this John Stewart and while it was a great moment, it would have been more impactful had it been Jordan since we actually spent time with him in this universe beyond a glorified cameo. I say this as a fan of both Lanterns.

- The run-time was too short. This should have been another two-part-stitched-together-later and released as a 2.5 hour epic piece. Just too ambitious for a meager 1.5 hour run-time. The film FLIES by.

I hope my second viewing makes me like it more, but man was this a disappointment. It had such potential to be great, but it wasn't.

 

[EmaHalJordan]

- Aquaman, Hal Jordan, Shazam, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter barely had anything to do in this universe beyond their introductions and this film could have given them moments to shine. I feel bad for fans of those characters.

- The John Stewart scene should have been Hal Jordan. We barely know this John Stewart and while it was a great moment, it would have been more impactful had it been Jordan since we actually spent time with him in this universe beyond a glorified cameo. I say this as a fan of both Lanterns.

I agree on all this. The movie is very very good but it is very sad to see these first class heroes without participation.
I can't believe the end of the world is coming and Hal Jordan, Martian Manhunter or Hawkman are just being with nothing to say!

It gives me hope to know that Man of Tomorrow is the beginning of a new universe and that there is Martian Manhunter. It is a sign that Cyborg is returning to the Titans.
Hopefully they do justice to these characters, urgently with a saga focused on Green Lantern! They could also do some Thanagar to focus a bit on Hawkman and Hawkgirl! Any story involving Microverse, and focusing on Ray Palmer!


I want to clarify that they are details (I seem to be complaining a lot), but the film is possibly the best in years. A great ending, very epic!

 

[Mostezli]

1) I saw the Darkseid vs. Trigon match-up coming, but when it finally arrived, I found it a little implausible. I just don't see why the suddenly released Trigon would make crushing Darkseid a priority. What was in it for Trigon?

2) Shouldn't the kryptonite in his blood have been killing Superman? Also, he is surrounded by kryptonite weapons. Shouldn't he have been reacting to them?

Trigon himself said he wanted to prove who's worthy of conquering, but by the inevitable end it seems like he did it for Raven. It looks like the liquid kryptonite on his skin co-opted for the effects of the red sun.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about bringing us full circle to Flashpoint Paradox. On the one hand, it means you can take risks with the character, but on the other hand viewers know that it's not really going to have any real longstanding consequences. I think for a move like this to be really bold, you have to commit to it for more than the course of one movie.

While the ending was beautiful, I would have liked to see how the universe was reshaped, even if just to end on a sense of hope. I don't know...

While the trinity haven't been killed in the Darkseid war, this actually would be the perfect jumping off point for the Earth 2 story line wherein Mercury blessed Jay Garrick, Nabu's tomb enchanted Kendra Saunders, and the earthbound green warrior Alan Scott became the focus. An obvious pipe dream, but I also wouldn't mind seeing two simultaneous animated dtv universes (the other being Rebirth) along with the usual single comic/story arc adaptation if there are any left to do. Although for Rebirth, that may be more applicable to Young Justice given the demise of Wally.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

Although for Rebirth, that may be more applicable to Young Justice given the demise of Wally.

If they don't actually go forward with a new continuity, my head-canon will be that the Young Justice timeline is what Flash created at the end of this movie. A lot of the same character designs are in Season 3 anyway for visual continuity.

 

[Marvelman02]

- Aquaman, Hal Jordan, Shazam, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter barely had anything to do in this universe beyond their introductions and this film could have given them moments to shine. I feel bad for fans of those characters.

I 100% agree. It often seems to me that nobody in this universe can go to the bathroom unless Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are there to give them an assist. In particular, as a fan of the original Captain Marvel, I am fed up with Shazam being treated as third-stringer.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I 100% agree. It often seems to me that nobody in this universe can go to the bathroom unless Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are there to give them an assist. In particular, as a fan of the original Captain Marvel, I am fed up with Shazam being treated as third-stringer.

I still think JL: Dark should have included Shazam as the main Leaguer instead of Batman. As a magic based character, plus his charming personality, it would have been a perfect fit. But nope, Batman sells more than Shazam so Batman it is.

 

[Yojimbo]

I found the movie to be pretty good, entertaining and satisfying. Tucker and co. got to end the continuity how they wanted, on sense of veiled hope and bring things full circle with a new Flashpoint. Loved how big of a role Constantine and Lois had. Though my one gripe is they spilled too many things in the sneak peek and trailer enough for anyone to put 2 and 2 together so nothing was much of a shocker to me except the Constantine and King Shark thing. I wonder if they developed the ending before or after Thor: Ragnarok came out because there is a great similarity between Trigon unleashed on Apokolips as it meets its end and Surtur unleashed on Asgard to end it.

My only major gripe was how Superman not only got a shave, a haircut, but also a suit change out of thin air.

I presumed he used, whether subconsciously or consciously in that moment of extreme emotion, the residual magic left by Trigon to corporealize the rest of suit from the tatters still remaining on his person. But if I cared to nitpick, it made as much sense I guess as Darkseid suddenly revealing he can use his Omega Effect beams to form a ball and imprison an all powerful interdimensional demon.

 

[Mostezli]

I presumed he used, whether subconsciously or consciously in that moment of extreme emotion, the residual magic left by Trigon to corporealize the rest of suit from the tatters still remaining on his person. But if I cared to nitpick, it made as much sense I guess as Darkseid suddenly revealing he can use his Omega Effect beams to form a ball and imprison an all powerful interdimensional demon.

That was about as artistic license as it gets. With Darkseid forming a ball, I didn't think much of it. The all powerful interdimensional demon was also unlike any other in the room because he was just smoke and apparently those beams actually are known to do more than be homing instakills including some kind of imprisonment and phase change.