Review: TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT (2017)

The Titans are on the hunt for the villainous Brother Blood, not realizing that they might have a traitor among them.

Led by Starfire, the Teen Titans – Beast Boy, Raven, Blue Beetle, Robin and the just-returned Nightwing – have built a cohesive team in their never-ending battle against evil; but their newest teammate, the mysterious and powerful Terra, may be altering that dynamic. Meanwhile, an ancient evil, Brother Blood, has awakened, and familiar foe Deathstroke is lurking in the shadows – both waiting to pounce.

Ultimately, the Teen Titans will need to battle their enemies and their own doubts to unite and overcome the malicious forces around them in this twisting tale of intrigue, adventure and deception. [Warner Bros.]

The Teen Titans made their long-awaited DC Animated Original Movies debut last year in Justice League vs. Teen Titans, bringing the fan-favorite team into the world created by Justice League: War. Now, fast forward one year, and the Titans are back. This time, they have a movie all to themselves in the form of The Judas Contract, an adaptation of the acclaimed comic book story of the same name.

I never read the Judas Contract comic, so I can’t really compare it and the movie. But as a film, The Judas Contract works pretty well, and it’s one of the better installments in this DC Animated Universe.

In my Justice League Dark review this year, I expressed a desire to see more animated DC titles explore other characters in this universe. Fortunately, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract does just that. It focuses solely on the titular team, and none of the main Justice League members (not even Batman!) make any sort of appearance. This is a big step in the right direction, as it shows confidence on WB Animation’s part in non-Batman films.

Judas Contract does a good job exploring the Teen Titans team dynamic. Dick Grayson and Starfire’s relationship is on point, while seeing characters like Blue Beetle is always a delight. Just about every Titans member gets a substantial character arc and at least one moment to shine – with the exception of Raven, who I felt was underused here.

The animation in Judas Contract is pretty good, on par with the other New-DCAU installments. The action scenes are dazzling and colorful, while the costume designs are good. However, if you haven’t been fond of the character designs in past films, I don’t think this one will change your mind. Judas Contract also has a good score by Frederik Wiedmann.

The voice acting in Judas Contract is very good. Stuart Allen, Taissa Farmiga, Brandon Soo Hoo, Jake T. Austen, Kari Wahlgreen, and Sean Maher reprise their roles from past movies as Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Starfire, and Nightwing, respectively. They all do well with what they’re given, and they fit their characters. Meanwhile, Christina Ricci is good as new Titans member Terra.

The two big bads in Judas Contract are Brother Blood and a resurrected Deathstroke. Gregg Henry does a great job voicing the former, while the late Miguel Ferrer is just perfect as Slade Wilson. Speaking of Deathstroke, he is a lot better here than he was in Son of Batman. He’s formidable and an all-around worthy opponent for the Titans. However, without going into spoilers, he has a subplot with one Titans member that is just…weird. I don’t know if it was something that was in the comics, but regardless, I didn’t like it.

The overall story in Judas Contract was pretty good, as it provides some interesting plot twists and solid character development. However, I would have liked to see Brother Blood and his motivations to be explored a little more. But, you can only do so much in an 80 minute movie.

Nitpicks aside, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is another enjoyable installment of the New-DCAU. It provides good character development, solid animation, and an intriguing storyline. It puts its focus on the titular team and group dynamics, and it doesn’t have so much as a cameo from Batman or another Justice Leaguer. Hopefully, this will inspire Warner Bros. Animation to continue pursuing films exploring lesser known heroes in the DC Universe. Fans of the Teen Titans will definitely get a kick out of The Judas Contract, and fingers crossed we’ll see plenty more of this team in the future.