Movie review time!

This week's movie: the direct-to-video animated film, Justice League: Doom.

Ah - I know what you're thinking: Direct-to-video usually means "horribly sucktastic."  While this is often quite true, DC comics has managed to buck that trend, having recently released a number of direct-to-video flicks that have been fantastic: Batman, Under the Red Hood; All-Star Superman; GreenLantern: First Flight and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights; and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, just to name a few.   If you are a fan of DC comics, or super hero movies in general, these are must view material . . . which leads to me the newest DC films release, Doom. 

The film, Doom, answers an age-old question: why the hell would Batman be a member of the Justice League?  He's clearly a lone wolf who typically disagrees with some of the methods employed by some of his fellow Justice Leaguers (e.g., the boy scout, Superman).  Add to that the fact that he is a mere mortal with no real "special powers," and you have a mystery that many fans of DC comics have been pondering for years; namely, what are Batman's motivations for joining a group that he has no real business being in?   The film, Doom (loosely based off the arc of DC comics entitled "Tower of Babel"), provides an entirely plausible theory as to why Batman would join the league (you have to highlight if you wish to read the following spoiler): he has established himself as a fail-safe, in case any of the Justice League members go rogue or fall victim to mind-control.  Using that as its premise, the movie proceeds to provide an action-packed story that finds each member of the Justice League falling victim to members of the League of Doom.  It's a bold story, featuring terrific voice acting and a lightning-quick pace that rarely lets up. 

One of the things that always bugs me when I try to talk about comic books, graphic novels, or animated flicks with people is how so many people automatically dismiss these art forms as being "juvenile," "childish," and "shallow."  It's an idiotic assumption to make, and the movie Doom is living proof that people who write comics do, indeed, have brains.  Strip away all of the action - and granted, that's a gigantic chunk of this movie's 77 minute running time -  and what you have is a movie that tackles the theme of absolute power.  "Should any institution, even one that seems to have the world's best interest at hear, be allowed to run free, totally immune from a system of checks and balances?" is the question this movie asks its viewers - pretty heady stuff for such a childish genre, eh?  It even goes on to raise the question, "Whose responsibility is it to police these institutions, if they are not doing so themselves?"   We may not have a Justice League - but we do have an FBI, a CIA, and a government that uses elite special forces squads such as the NAVY SEALS and the Army's Delta Force (which officially does not exist) in order to achieve its objectives.  Who polices these institutions, and keeps them from going rogue?  This theme is just one part of the film, but the fact that it is even addressed at all adds weight to a story that could have settled for being just another mindless action flick.

If I have to find a fault with this film, it would be that it is too short.  There's enough characters and conflicts that I would have preferred to have seen a bit more time devoted to each back-story.  At times it feels as if the writers of the movie are operating under the assumption that the audience is familiar with the DC comics universe; instead of showing us the history of these characters, we hear the history alluded to through dialogue.  I am not fond of this technique - I rarely appreciate it when a movie assumes you possess prior knowledge - but having said that, the story presented in Doom can be enjoyed on its own merit.  All in all, this film has everything that super hero and/or action flick fans could ask for, and I highly recommend it!

Click here for the Justice League: Doom trailer: http://youtu.be/uBrvW9FbfDw