Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: APOKOLIPS WAR (2020)

Culminating a seven-year, 15-film animated journey that began with the release of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox in 2013, 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.

Since 2013, Warner Bros. Animation has been building a shared universe of direct-to-video movies based on DC Comics. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox created a whole new timeline, which we had a proper introduction to in Justice League: War. While the series has been mostly influenced by the New 52 era, it has also tackled classic comic book arcs and original stories. Now, the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) has reached its endgame with the release of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.

Despite the title, this is much more than a Justice League Dark story. Apokolips War unites everyone from past movies – both Justice Leagues, the Teen Titans, the Suicide Squad, etc. – in a final battle against Darkseid and his forces. It really is the universe’s version of Avengers: Endgame, for lack of a better comparison. While the DCAMU has had its hits and misses over the years, it has saved the best for last.

Apokolips War doesn’t hold back at all. Without going too far into spoilers, there are countless deaths and dismemberments throughout, mostly involving familiar faces. While it is over-the-top, it helps establish the super-high stakes for this story. The heroes go all in, and there’s the uncertainty on whether they’ll make it out alive. That’s the type of storytelling that’s rare for these movies, and thankfully, its execution is great. The 90-minute runtime – longer than the usual 75-80 minutes per movie – helps the story play out without feeling too rushed. Sure, a full 2-hour runtime would be great, but this works too.

Despite its extensive lineup of heroes, most of Apokolips War focuses on a few: John Constantine, Superman, and Raven. But everyone gets a part to play; characters like Batman, Robin, and Lex Luthor have key supporting roles. As usual, the voice cast for everyone is solid, with Matt Ryan once again stealing the show as Constantine. Tony Todd takes on the voice of Darkseid for this movie, and he’s really good.

The technical aspects for Apokolips War all work. The score, the animation, the editing. All very solid. One thing that it does very well is how it focuses on ending the story of this shared universe. It wraps up a lot of loose ends, gives emotional goodbyes, and unites characters who we’ve never seen interact before. Without spoiling the ending scene, it definitively serves as a conclusion to this story, while leaving fans wondering what could come next.

In summary, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a strong conclusion to the DCAMU. While it may be most satisfying for longtime viewers, I recommend this to newcomers too. Violent, thrilling, and full of memorable moments, this has to be my favorite DCAMU movie by a sizeable margin. It’s still easy to have some nitpicks (why call it Justice League Dark if the story involves everyone else?), but otherwise, this is a great movie. The DCAMU was fun while it lasted, and I look forward to seeing what DC does next on the animated front.

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