This DC animated universe continues to be a bright spot in the comic book realm with fan-favorite characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. DC's willingness to push the bounds into bloody battles in these movies earn it R ratings, which is something that the MCU rarely does. The latest installment in their DCEAU franchise is Justice League: Warworld which is the 10th production inside the Tommorowverse storyline. And this time around, the film plays out like an anthology with a Pulp Fiction-style narrative that ties all these short films together with different genres.
The creativity that goes behind these DCEAU movies is getting better, where the writers and filmmakers are allowed to explore more territory than the usual tropes of a superhero narrative. It keeps things fresh and original within these characters. The whole backdrop of Warworld is that the DC heroes have disappeared from the Earth that humans know and are transported to Warworld, a brutal place where fighting and chaos reign. The first story is set in the Western genre where Wonder Woman and Jonah Hex have an old-timey standoff just like the old John Wayne movies showcased. It's Wonder Woman vs the outlaws here as she tries to save the townsfolk. Western fans are going to eat up the animated gore and have Wonder Woman in the Western environment with Jonah Hex.
The next short film centers on Batman (Jensen Ackles)who is back in the time and land of the Dinosaurs where he dons a giant sword and resembles Conan the Barbarian. If that doesn't catch the eye or interest of any comic book fan, nothing will. Batman is brawling with Warlord and Deimos where Wonder Woman shows up to add some elements of a storyline to the overall plot. Bruce Wayne basically becomes Conan the Barbarian here and it's such a joy to see those two IPs at play with all the carnage one might expect from such a mash-up.
The final short film travels to noir territory and feels very much like a super suspenseful John Carpenter film which is set during the Cold War. Special Agent Faraday (Frank Grillo) and his partner Superman in disguise as Clark Kent are notified of an alien visitor who might be hell-bent on destroying the world. The two arrive at a diner where nothing seems right. Even Wonder Woman is acting strange. Keeping in its noir roots, this short film is in black and white, but as the investigation and paranoia grow, just like in John Carpenter's The Thing, the black and white color oozes back into a color-filled world where the Oz-like moment of who's behind this mess of worlds is revealed and the iconic superheroes are back in their normal suits to defend everyone and everything. Justice League: Warworld is a fantastic entry into the DCEAU and should satisfy fans of the saga. It's brutal and earns its R rating.
Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Justice League: Warworld swings its way onto 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Code via Warner and DC. The two discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork looks amazing and might be worthy of a poster-sized image on a wall. It features the three main DC superheroes in their visual getup but also has them in their respective genres above as well. There is an insert for a digital code as well.
Justice League: Warworld comes with a good-looking 2160p UHD 4K image with HDR10. The DCEAU has a certain aesthetic in its animation and it's on display here. It's not Pixar levels of smooth, but it implores a simple animation style that has that nostalgic factor of those '90s era cartoons. The color palette is wide and boasts different areas of color. The Western film utilizes more ambers and gold that blend in with the browns quite a bit.
The Conan bit adds in a bit more greenery and greys to mix. And the last film provides all the primary colors, especially towards the end with blues, purples, greens, and more. The animation is smooth with black levels looking inky and rich. The HDR allows for some of the more nuanced colors to stand out a bit more in the earlier sequences. There isn't much detail in the animation, but the backgrounds look solid for the most part. There are no major issues with this video presentation.
This release comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 audio track that sounds fantastic. The sound effects are robust and loud that allow all of the supernatural elements to breathe freely. Gun blasts, tumbleweeds, dinosaur roars, and the golden lasso all bring the heavy artillery to the surround speakers with a great bang. The transition from speaker to speaker sounds great. The low end of bass has a good rumble that doesn't cross into rocky territory. The score always adds to the suspense and adventure of each film as well. The dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow. There are no issues with the audio here.
Every DCEAU release has had some sort of animated episodes from the vault included, but that's not the case here. Instead, there are only 16 minutes of extras here, which are just some interviews with some of the crew talking about the story and production. Usually, there is more.
Justice League: Warworld is a great and original addition to the DCEAU. Having the heroes thrown into Western, noir, and Dinosaur worlds is a ton of fun. The voice cast is still great and the R rating is earned in this bloody romp. The 4K image with HDR is definitely the best way to view this film and the DTS-HD 5.1 audio option sounds wonderful. The bonus features are lackluster this time around, but there is some good info from the crew on the story. Recommended!
