Justice League: Doom (2012)

Rating: **
Review Date: 3/3/12
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Nathan Fillian, Olivia d'Abo

Being the cautious fellow that he is, Batman (Kevin Conroy) devises a contingency plan to deal with the Justice League if any of them ever goes rogue. Unfortunately, Vandal Savage manages to get his hands on it and assembles the Legion Of Doom to take down the Justice League once and for all. This group of no-gooders consists of Bane, Metallo, Mirror Master, Cheetah, Star Sapphire, and Ma'alefa'ak, who all bear some grievance against the JLA. The execution is swift and surprisingly effective, but an unexpected player shows up to save the day. Savage's plan to destroy the world is thwarted, and a shunned, battered, and distraught Batman decides to leave the Justice League. They may have saved the world, but now everyone knows the JLA's deepest secrets and weaknesses. How do you reconcile that?

While I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing a new Legion Of Doom, I found the execution lacking and was appalled by its logical inconsistencies and the complete disregard of basic physics. I can suspend disbelief for a lot of things, but this movie goes way too far and doesn't even play by its own rules. Curiously, what bothered me the most was that the JLA have apparently mastered faster-than-light travel and communication, but only when it's convenient for the narrative. They also manage to save the world from a massive solar flare by making the entire planet transparent of all things. I know it's all for the sake of fantasy action and drama, but the blatant absurdity was a constant mental hurdle for me.

As you would expect, the animation is good and the voice acting is superb. Kevin Conroy's Batman is as dark, angry, and cynical as ever and he owns every scene he's in. Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) sees the majority of the action, and her fight scenes are wonderful. Nathan Fillian gives a surprisingly poignant performance, even though Green Lantern is an arrogant ass most of the time. While it's an entertaining ride, the overpowered nature of the JLA just isn't to my liking.