| Justice League Dark: Apokolips War | |
|---|---|
 Ultra HD Blu-ray cover | |
| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by | Ernie Altbacker Mairghread Scott |
| Story by |
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| Based on | Characters byDC Comics |
| Produced by | James Tucker |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Christopher D. Lozinski |
| Music by | Frederik Wiedmann |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Home Video |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a 2020 Americanadult animatedsuperhero film produced byWarner Bros. Animation and distributed byWarner Home Video. The film is directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, while Ernie Altbacker and Mairghread Scott wrote the screenplay.[2] It stars anensemble cast includingRosario Dawson,Jerry O'Connell,Jason O'Mara andMatt Ryan. In the film, members of theJustice League,Justice League Dark,Teen Titans, andSuicide Squad join forces againstDarkseid to save Earth.
Based on the comic book storylines "Darkseid War" byGeoff Johns, "Final Crisis" byGrant Morrison, and elements of "Futures End", it is the 41st overall film of theDC Universe Animated Original Movies as well as the fifteenth and final feature film set in the first half of theDC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), generally marking the continuity's conclusion.[3] The film was released digitally on May 5, 2020, and in 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on May 19. It received mostly positive reviews from critics but garnered more mixed responses from audiences.[4]
TheJustice League and theTeen Titans devise a plan to defeatDarkseid, the ruler of the planetApokolips,[a] but are secretly being watched by Darkseid through Cyborg who sees their whole plan. After the Justice League arrive on Apokolips, they are soon defeated byParadooms, hybrid creatures made from Parademons andDoomsday using Superman'sKryptonian DNA. The battle ends with most of the League members and Titans killed, while those who survive are either enslaved by Darkseid or have escaped and are in hiding.
Two years later, Darkseid has placed devices known as "Reapers" which mine the planet's core. Superman is depowered after being tattooed by Darkseid with liquidkryptonite. He is then released so that he can spend the rest of his life knowing that his failed plan cost his teammates lives. The remaining heroes blame Superman for his failed plan. He reunites withRaven, who has been struggling to maintain her fatherTrigon's imprisonment.[b] They seekJohn Constantine for a location spell to trackDamian Wayne to help free his fatherBatman. Although considering himself a coward for fleeing during the initial attack on Darkseid and leaving his wifeZatanna to die, Constantine locates Damian at aLeague of Assassins outpost, and he reluctantly agrees to join the group.
They travel toStryker's Island inMetropolis and meet with Clark's wifeLois Lane who has recruited theSuicide Squad to their cause, now led byHarley Quinn.[c] Clark and Lois' plan is to infiltrateLexCorp and use a Boom Tube to reach Apokolips and kill Darkseid. Meanwhile, the remaining heroes attacking the Reapers are slowly being killed by the Paradooms.Lex Luthor, who was working with Lois to gain intel on Darkseid, is at LexCorp. Lois, Luthor, and the Squad remain on LexCorp to defend the Boom Tube while Clark, Damian, Raven, Constantine, andEtrigan the Demon infiltrate Apokolips. Batman learns of Luthor's betrayal and sends Paradooms and the new Furies after the heroes.
Upon arrival, Clark's group is attacked by the Furies, consisting of cybernetic versions ofWonder Woman,Mera,Hawkman,Starfire, andMartian Manhunter. Wonder Woman kills Etrigan, before Constantine breaks her free using herLasso of Truth; she decides to stay behind to fend off the other Furies. Superman's group later rescuesFlash from a treadmill powering Apokolips. Cyborg, who has been integrated into Apokolips's network confronts them. Constantine frees him from Darkseid's control, which also frees the remaining Furies. Darkseid orders Batman to kill Damian, but he hesitates when being reminded of his parents' death, which breaks him free of Darkseid's control. Furious, Darkseid tries to kill Batman, but Damian intercepts him, dying in Batman's arms. Damian's death overwhelms Raven, the two having confessed their love for one another earlier on Striker's Island, and her emotional instability frees Trigon. Constantine offers his body as a vessel for Trigon, but he refuses and takes Clark's body instead, purging the kryptonite from him, restoring his powers, and kills Constantine by breaking his neck. Now possessing Clark, Trigon attacks Darkseid. Zatanna visits Constantine in the afterlife, revealing that she used a spell to manipulate him into fleeing the battle that killed her as part of a contingency plan prepared by Batman when she died. Raven and Zatanna then revive Damian and Constantine.
At LexCorp, Paradooms overwhelm Lois' team, forcing them to initiate a self-destruct. Lois transmits a goodbye message to Apokolips with Cyborg's assistance. Her death shocks Clark back to his senses and frees him from Trigon's possession. Superman then battles Darkseid. Constantine and Raven combine their magic to give Trigon a physical body so he can continue fighting Darkseid. After sending the rest of the heroes back to Earth, Cyborg sacrifices himself to drag Darkseid, Trigon, and the Paradooms into a void Boom Tube with no destination. Trigon prevents Darkseid's escape as they are dragged into oblivion along with Apokolips.
Despite their victory, Batman reveals that the Reapers have drained 31% of Earth's magma, the planet's rotation was compromised, and billions of people will die before the League can find a solution. As a result, Constantine convinces Flash to run back in time and reset the timeline again.[d] Despite knowing that the world will never be perfect or the same as before, it still has to be better than theirs. Flash agrees and makes another flashpoint, resetting the timeline.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was first announced in July 2019 atSan Diego Comic-Con.[5] Several voice actors from previousDC Animated Movie Universe films reprised their respective roles.[6]
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was released on digital platforms on May 5, 2020, and on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on May 19.[7] It features a showcaseanimated short based onAdam Strange.[8]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[9] Jesse Schedeen ofIGN said: "This film takes full advantage of the fact that it's the final chapter in a 15-movie arc. Its narrative veers into some very surprising and compelling directions, and somehow it manages to pay off on loose ends from across the DCU".[10]
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War earned $5,661,974 from domestic Blu-ray sales.[11]
In spite ofJustice League Dark: Apokolips War being confirmed as the last film in theDCAMU,[3] screenwriter Ernie Altbacker teased the possibility of a new project related to that continuity. He said that "the way we ended it ... it's really like a tough balancing act: It ends something on a bittersweet yet hopeful note, and I'll just say, people who are saying, 'Oh man, we're not going to get anymore of these!' ... you're not losing something, you're gaining something new ..."[12]
The DCAMU's second phase occasionally references events from the first phase.[13] In May 2022,Constantine: The House of Mystery was released. The short film deals with the aftermath ofApokolips War, setting the plot of theJustice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths film trilogy.[14]
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