Movie Review: Justice League vs. Teen Titans - A Return to Glory (SPOILERS)

The Teen Titans have had it rough the last five years. When DC rebooted their comics with the New 52, from what I heard and what little I read of the "Teen Titans" book written by Scott Lobdell, it left a lot to be desired. With DC's Rebirth initiative this year, here's hoping that both Titans and Teen Titans books fare better. And then you have the animated series "Teen Titans Go!". Ugh. Don't worry, I'll be writing something on that very soon. So when "Justice League vs. Teen Titans" was announced for 2016's animated film slate, I was somewhat concerned, considering the New 52 influence the films had been going with. The line-up I was expecting was Tim Drake as Red Robin, Bart Allen as Kid Flash, Cassie Sandsmark as Wonder Girl, and Conner Kent as Superboy (I would post a picture of the four of them in their New 52 looks, but it's hard to find a good one). But then they released a group shot from the film...

 
...and I was over the moon with excitement! I can almost forgive Tim Drake getting the shaft again. You had the main five from the show (with Dick as Nightwing), Blue Beetle there due to what I believe to be a combination of his popularity from the "Young Justice" series and somewhat filling Cyborg's tech-guy since he's part of the Justice League, and Raven had her classic look instead of her stupid New 52 one.

(what the f***ing godd*** s*** were they thinking with that?)
But back on point, I just knew that this movie would bring some respect back to the Titan brand. And it did, as well as being the best film yet in this shared animated universe, and one of the overall best animated films to come from DC.

First and foremost, despite the title, this isn't really a versus movie. It's more of a Teen Titans movie guest starring the Justice League. They do fight though, but it's due to the League being possessed by demons. The Titans get majority screen time and the film does a great job showing them interact and getting a feel of who they are, as we are introduced to them through the new member Damian/Robin. Probably the best dynamic from the movie is the potential romance between Robin and Raven, who have a lot in common with having harsh upbringings and trying to hold back their instincts to be good. Beast Boy is as funny as you'd expect and I assume he's the youngest, which shows. Blue Beetle's Scarab is of course sentient, and what's nice about this version is that it beeps and lights up when it says something so the others know, which is much nicer compared to how they just assumed he was talking to himself in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" and "Young Justice". Starfire is pretty different from her animated series counterpart, less ignorant of Earth's ways and older, acting as the mentor for the team. Sometimes the Teen Titans are compared to the X-Men because of the aspect of young heroes trying to control their powers, and that aspect comes into play in the film. For fans of both the "Teen Titans" and "Young Justice" animated series, you'll be very happy with what you see in these characters. And while I wouldn't deny that the voice actors from the show are iconic, the voices they have in this film are pretty damn good. I won't go into each of them one by one, but I applaud the casting director for their choices.

Story wise, it's another adaptation of the Trigon storyline with Raven being used to open a portal that would allow him to attack Earth. If you watched the animated series, you're probably already familiar with it like I am. Watching the film, I wasn't comparing the two versions, and I don't think I should. They were both very well done in their own ways.
Getting into major spoiler territory, as Trigon used Slade in the series, he has a confidant in this film as well: Ra's al Ghul (what a twist!). For those who remember in "Son of Batman", Ra's was killed by Deathstroke. While I suspected him to reappear at some point in the future, I didn't expect it here. Apparently he made a deal in hell to work with Trigon to build the kind of world he wanted to while he was alive. He tries to recruit Damian to the cause and orders him to kill Raven, since she's the only one who can stop Trigon. Damian refuses, which helps build his character even further.

The action in the movie is top notch as expected, and while it can get intense, it doesn't get as bloody as the more recent previous films released. I guess it kind of helps when they're mostly fighting magic demons and the undead. It was just a nice change of pace.

Something to note about this movie is that to my knowledge, this if the first animated DC film to include actual songs with lyrics, and it's pretty damn good. The first one is played during when Starfire takes the Titans to a carnival to help them bond and have fun with each other and includes a kind of montage of everyone.

I was taken back at first, but you know, it works. I mean, with a movie about teen characters, it wouldn't hurt to include something someone their age might listen too. If this was live action teen drama (show or movie), it would be expected.
There's also another song used when the characters play a Dance, Dance, Revolution type game, which is another entertaining scene. First Beast Boy beats Blue Beetle, but then loses to Damian and ends up getting worn out from the experience. Having the team go to a carnival was a great thing for this film to do, because even though they're heroes, they're still kids, and they should do some kid things.

I guess I should talk a little about the Justice League, since it's their kind of their movie too. The line-up is a little smaller, only featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg (who ends up helping the Titans more). The Superman/Wonder Woman relationship is played up a little more and really well done, even better than in "Throne of Atlantis". If there's anything else to talk about with the League, it's the subtle references the movie makes to some of their own comic storylines.

• When Clark gets possessed by a demon and trying to fight its influence while on a date with Diana, he ends up pushing her away as he starts to lose control. And when he shows up to fight Atomic Skull, he's becomes very violent and nearly kills him. This kind of reminds me of the "Doomed" storyline when Superman was infected with spores from Doomsday and started to become the monster, with Wonder Woman being very concerned for him and trying to save him.
• When Batman arrives to weaken Superman with Kryptonite, Wonder Woman is surprised that he would have a such a weakness and that Batman has it. In the comics, right before "Trinity War", Batman confronts Superman and Wonder Woman to let them know that the Kryptonite Ring he kept in the Batcave had been stolen. Wonder Woman gets mad that he would have such a thing while Superman knew about it, trusting Bruce to use it wisely.
• During the film's climax, Superman is able to use Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth to expel a demon from her body. At first, I was a little confused how Superman would be able to use the Lasso's powers, but then I remembered from "Forever Evil" that the Lasso can be used by someone who truly cares for Diana, which is why Batman was able to use it to free her and the rest of the League from the Firestorm Matrix.

While I do praise this film, there were a couple things I didn't like.

• The Justice League vs. the Legion of Doom in the film's beginning. It isn't so much the fight itself though; hell, the Flash taking on Weather Wizard was the most entertaining the speedster has been in these movies since "Flashpoint Paradox". For those who remember from "Throne of Atlantis", there was a post-credits scene of Lex Luthor approaching Ocean Master imprisoned at Belle Reve, recruiting him. This implied the next movie would be focused on the League vs. the Legion. It kind of feels like a waste though to relegate them to the opening scene of a film, even if something does happen to tie it to Trigon. Also, Ocean Master isn't even there. So yeah, that post-credits scene was a total waste.
• When Trigon's demons attack the carnival, some of the Titans go through some Power Rangers/Sailor Moon kind of changing sequence into their costumes (even including not one, but two gratuitous shots of Starfire's ass). It just seemed like a weird thing to do, especially when this could have been a perfect opportunity for a fight in civilian clothes (though Beetle gets a pass since he can armor up at any time).
• Despite Nightwing being part of the group announcement shot, he's only in it for two scenes. First he drops Damian off at the Tower, and then he's Skyping with Starfire later on. I guess Dick's spotlighting from "Batman: Bad Blood" didn't last too long.

So to wrap this up, "Justice League vs. Teen Titans" is a fine entry into the DC animated film library. I highly recommend it those who have been keeping up with these films, as well as to fans of "Teen Titans" and "Young Justice". After nearly three years of "Teen Titans Go!" being on the air, it's nice to see these heroes actually acting like heroes.
In some ways, I think this film could have worked if it focused solely on the Titans. The Teen Titans certainly have brand recognition. But it was probably a good idea for them to be introduced alongside the League because if it's successful enough, it could lead to more Teen Titans movies. In fact, one of the featurettes on the Blu-Ray said that it was their intention to put out more Teen Titans films alongside the Justice League and Batman ones. They even set up a tease with a mid-credits scene showing Terra riding on a rock and heading toward the tower. The first thing that would come to mind would probably be "The Judas Contract" (which was actually planned way back when DC first started putting out the movies). But wait, Deathstroke was killed at the end of "Son of Batman"...right? Well, you know what they say. No one stays dead in comics. Plus, he still has an axe to grind with Damian, and could use a little redemption from that movie.
As for what's next for the Justice League...no clue. I'm still on a Titan while writing this, so right now, they can go nuts with the League for all I care.

RATING: 9/10

Unfortunately, I'm not done looking at the Teen Titans just yet. I have to get off cloud nine and plunge into some filth, as I will soon be posting my personal analysis of the Top 10 WORST Episodes of "Teen Titans Go!". Wish me luck.