Justice League: Doom

Justice League: Doom - Dir. Lauren Montgomery (2012)

Warner Brothers' line of animated films based on DC Universe has seen some highs and lows. Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman were great origin stories, despite their short running times, while Superman: Doomsday and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies were instantly forgettable. While most of their releases revolve around Batman and Superman, on rare occasions Warner will bankroll a Justice League movie. This should especially please the diehard fans saddened by the loss of Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited.

The first picture, Justice League: The New Frontier, was an adaptation of a mini-series by Darwyn Cooke while the second, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, was based on a script originally written by Dwayne McDuffie for the television series. McDuffie would also pen All-Star Superman, which was released, Feb. 22 in 2011, just a day after his untimely death due to complications from heart surgery. McDuffie had worked at Marvel and DC and was best known as one of the founders of Milestone, an imprint at the latter publisher that spotlighted minority heroes from minority creators. McDuffie was also a mainstay in animation having worked on JLU, Static Shock, and Ben 10 Warner's latest release, Justice League: Doom was the last script written by McDuffie and while it's not as good as Crisis, it is one of their finest efforts.

Doom is loosely based on the "Tower of Babel" storyline, which ran in JLA #43-46 back in 2000. In that series, Batman's nemesis Ra's al Ghul systematically assaults the Justice League using diabolical schemes that were stolen from the Dark Knight himself. It seems Batman has devised various methods to take out his teammates should they ever turn bad. Even if you have read the original comics, Doom still has plenty of surprises since it only borrows the basic concept and spins it in a different manner.

Instead of Ra's al Ghul, we get another immortal conqueror in Vandal Savage, a caveman who was imbued with great intelligence and longevity by a mysterious meteorite. Savage has assembled the arch-enemies of each Justice Leaguer in a new version of the Super Friends staple, the Legion of Doom. Savage's first recruit, the Mirror Master, manages to sneak into the Bat-Cave and hack the Bat-Computer to steal the Caped Crusader's files. Next, they gather Star Sapphire, Bane, Metallo, Cheetah, and Ma'alef'ak to attack the League one by one in nefarious and unexpected ways.

The Justice League line-up here consists of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and the Martian Manhunter. Neither Aquaman nor Hawkgirl are present here. In their place is Cyborg, a former Teen Titan, who has graduated to the big time. It only makes sense for DC to push Cyborg into the forefront with technology becoming more and more integral in our everyday lives.

Justice League: Doom has no connection to any previous movie or series, but long-time devotees will be overjoyed that it assembles an all-star cast of familiar voices. Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy return to voice the Superman and Batman along with fellow stalwarts Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, Carl Lumbly as Martian Manhunter, and Michael Rosenbaum as the Flash. Interestingly enough, this Flash is Barry Allen rather than his successor Wally West, who Rosenbaum played on Justice League. Nathan Fillion returns for a third time to voice Hal Jordan, the most popular wielder of the emerald power ring. Fillion brings his usual charm and snappy patter to the role and it's easy to see why he was the fans' choice over Ryan Reynolds to star in the live-action Green Lantern film. Phil Morris, Olivia d'Abo, and Alexis Denisof reprise their Justice League roles of Vandal Savage, Star Sapphire, and Mirror Master.

Doom starts right off with a big action sequence as the Justice League battles the Royal Flush Gang, a band of playing card themed supervillains. The brisk pace continues as the Legion of Doom attacks the heroes individually before everyone comes together for the big brawl at the end. It's not all punching and explosions. The unique character dynamics between the Leaguers are still here though they aren't as fully explored because of the short runtime. Doom mainly centers on how each team member relates to Batman, who is a bit of a jerk, but a jerk with a point. He's the only one in the League without powers. Thus, he sees the need for contingency plans should someone like Superman ever go insane or is mind controlled. When the League state they would never do the same to Batman, he responds quite curtly, "Then, you're damn fools."

Be forewarned that Justice League: Doom isn't aimed at the casual fan and presupposes you are already familiar with the characters and their relationships. Despite being a big DC fan, I admit I had to check Wikipedia because I had no idea who Ma'alef'ak was. Turns out, he's the Martian Manhunter's evil brother. In any event, Doom is an enjoyable, action-packed romp.

Rating: *** (*****)

Super

Super - Dir. James Gunn (2011)

Shut up, crime!

The idea of ordinary folks becoming costumed crime fighters isn't a new one with the two most recent entries in the subgenre, Defendor (with Woody Harrelson) and Kick-Ass, seeing release in 2010. If you think loonies dressing up as superheroes in real life could never happen, just take a look at Mr. Extreme in San Diego or Phoenix Jones of Seattle. Let’s hope these kooks don’t imitate the ultra-violence perpetrated by the characters of James Gunn’s Super, which bears a superficial resemblance to Kick-Ass.

Rainn Wilson from The Office is perfectly cast as Frank, a short-order cook with a strong faith in god. God's existence is practically proven due to the fact that Frank is married to Liv Tyler as Sarah, a beautiful waitress and recovering addict. Frank's conviction is shaken when she has a relapse and falls into the arms of a slimy drug dealer named Jacques. After an extremely bizarre vision, Frank is literally touched by the finger of God (voiced by Rob Zombie) and creates the superhero identity of The Crimson Bolt. Armed with a mighty pipe wrench of justice, Frank gleefully dishes out brutal punishment to dealers, muggers, and child molesters. He even splits a man's skull open for cutting in line at the movies. Every good hero needs a sidekick and Frank finds one in Libby, an unhinged young woman working at the local comic book store. Libby fashions her own costume to become Boltie, whose first act as crime fighter is to nearly bludgeon a man to death for possibly keying a friend's Jetta. Even Frank (with an obviously tenuous grasp on reality) balks at Libby's gleeful disregard for human life.

Super is pure, low-grade shlock. Not surprising coming from a picture written and directed by a filmmaker who started out with B-movie purveyors Troma Entertainment. Gunn’s previous directorial effort was the underrated horror-comedy, Slither, with Super acting as something of a kindred spirit in terms of violent content. Whereas Slither was consistent in its attempt to create a throwback to early Cronenberg, Super is wildly uneven, shifting from tone to tone on a whim. Super opens with a cutesy animated title sequence (set to Tsar’s “Calling All Destroyers”) while the Crimson Bolt’s initial forays into vigilante adventures feature Three Stooges-level slapstick. That’s after the first few days when Frank spends entire nights sitting behind a dumpster waiting for crime to happen. His most exciting encounter being a cardboard box blown along the street. He vows to pick it up later. Shit gets real once we start seeing gaping wounds and gushing blood. After jumping from slapstick to dark comedy, the movie becomes just plain dark with a finale right out of Taxi Driver.

Gunn is hardly a subtle filmmaker and he tackles the film’s themes with the same blunt force trauma as the Bolt’s pipe wrench. Just as the masked protagonist continues to beat on his opponent long after he has been incapacitated, Gunn beats and beats his points and labored eccentricities. The “finger of God” sequence would have come off fine had it simply ended with a luminous shaft of light peering down on Frank. Instead, Gunn goes overboard in order to include hentai tentacles (badly rendered in CGI) clutching at Frank’s limbs while pulling his scalp open to expose his brain. There’s also a creepy scene involving Boltie seducing an unwilling Frank that’s supposed to symbolize the fetishistic sexual undertones of costumed superheroes, a topic already covered more deftly in Watchmen. When Frank inevitably kills someone, comic book style graphics pop up ala the 60’s Batman show as a further perversion of innocent iconography.

The fact doesn’t completely fail is in no small way due to the cast. Rainn Wilson is excellent as the sad sack hero, able to give a somewhat unsympathetic character a tragic edge. Every great hero needs an equally memorable villain and the Bolt does indeed have one in Kevin Bacon, who is hilarious as the smarmy Jacques. It’s true, everything is better with Bacon in it. Nathan Fillion is pure Nathan Fillion as a Christian TV superhero named the Holy Avenger, who serves as a muse for the Crimson Bolt. Without a doubt, the performance Super will be remembered for is Ellen Page as the homicidal anti-Juno. It’s a change to see Page play someone who isn’t the smartest girl in the room, but her part could have been better served with a little restraint.

The film also features cameos from Linda Cardellini, Zach Gilford, Steve Agee, Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, and William Katt from Greatest American Hero.

Super is a little behind on the times when it comes to deconstructing the superhero mythos. This is a movie desperately searching for a consistent tone, funny one minute and appalling by the next.

Rating: ** (*****)

Serenity

Serenity - Dir. Joss Whedon (2005)


”Come a day there won't be room for naughty men like us to slip about at all.”

With Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon turned a failed movie into a successful television series and a multimedia franchise. Buffy spawned a hit spin-off in Angel, along with countless action figures, games, and comic books. Whedon could go the opposite route by turning his space western series Firefly (which lasted less than a season on the air) into a feature film. Dubbing themselves "Browncoats," the fans of Firefly spoke out loud and clear that they wanted more and DVD sales of the show led to Universal greenlighting Serenity. The results were not quite as successful as Buffy. Not from a lack of trying and it’s certainly not, by any means, a comment on the film’s quality. Firefly and Serenity received a lot of positive reviews from critics, even if they didn’t draw in the ratings or box office. For me, Serenity was one of the most fun cinematic experiences I had in 2005, but the movie narrowly missed making back its $39 million production budget in worldwide grosses.

It is 500 years in the future and humanity has migrated into deep space after exhausting the resources of their native Earth. The majority of the planets are under the rule of the Alliance while many of the worlds in the outer rims formed the Independents to fight against their authority. Short and sweet, they didn’t win. While this may be the future and people fly around in spaceships, this isn’t Star Trek There iss still poverty and crime, especially in the colonies out in the boondocks. Aboard the spaceship Serenity, Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a veteran in the war for independence, ekes out a living through smuggling and robbery. His crew includes; Zoe (Gina Torres), Mal’s right-hand woman who has served with him since the war; Jayne (Adam Baldwin), a not-too-bright mercenary who loves grenades and big guns; Wash (Alan Tudyk), the ship’s pilot and Zoe’s husband; Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the ship’s engineer with a cute and bubbly personality; Simon Tam (Sean Maher), ship’s doctor and a fugitive from the Alliance along with his sister, River (Summer Glau), who was experimented on by the Alliance and left with a fractured mind. The full range of her abilities hasn’t been explored yet, but she is known to have telepathic powers and extraordinary fighting skills. In between the film and the TV show, two members of the ship left to pursue their own paths. Inara (Morena Baccarin), a beautiful Companion (courtesan) for the privileged, left to train and teach other Companions. Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), a preacher with a mysterious past, now tends to a different flock on the planet of Haven.

Attempting to make their way through the fringes of the galaxy, Mal and crew rob an Alliance payroll. Before they can finish loading the jackpot, the city is swarmed by Reavers, primal, cannibalistic savages that were once men. Against Simon’s wishes, Mal took River along to utilize her powers to sense danger beforehand. Incensed, Simon decides to take his sister and leave Serenity for good. His departure doesn’t last very long as the Alliance is dead set on retrieving River. They’ve dispatched one of their top agents, The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to go after Mal and anybody who’s ever had contact with him. Apparently, River has a deep, dark secret hidden somewhere in her mind that could undermine the Alliance’s control. The only clue that Mal has to go on to save everyone he cares about is the name, Miranda.

Being a continuation of a TV series, the main question for Serenity is, will people who’ve never watched the show be able to dive right in? I can’t say for sure. There’s a rich history to the universe that Whedon has created, but it’s not really necessary information. This is about the little guy standing up to the big guy. Whedon does a splendid job kicking off the movie with a bang while getting in important exposition. The film starts with a young River attending class. This is actually a memory as we cut to scientists experimenting on River. Simon breaks her out of the facility, but this is revealed to be a holographic recording being watched by the Operative. Whedon keeps the audience on their toes as he feeds them information without relying on pedestrian methods like flashbacks or intertitles. In one of the film’s best scenes, Whedon uses a single continuous shot that takes us through the ship and introduces us to each of the main protagonists. Right away, we get the gist of who they are and what they’re like. It all might be a bit disorienting for non-fans and they might not grasp some of the nuances of their relationships.

Unlike Star Trek, the universe of Serenity isn’t a pristine and sterile place where Replicators can magically give you whatever you want. It’s dirty and grimy and nothing works when you want it to. There is a definite inspiration taken from Star Wars and, specifically, Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. Like the Falcon, stuff on Serenity breaks all the time and pieces fall off frequently. Malcolm is certainly the kind of swashbuckling scoundrel that Solo was in the original, non-special edition film. I’m talking about the Solo that shot Greedo first before he could shoot him. In fact, Mal has no qualms about shooting an unprepared and unarmed Operative.

As Malcolm Reynolds, Nathan Fillion displays an easy-going charm and a quick wit that makes him a fantastic leading man. But, the hero is only as good as his villain and in the case of Malcolm Reynolds, he has an amazing villain. The Operative isn’t your standard baddie who twirls his mustache and makes overly dramatic gestures. He hardly ever raises his voice either. He’s cold, calculating, and foremost, a complete fanatic. He feels justified in murdering women and children. That this will actually bring about a better world. Yet, he has no delusions about the horror he inflicts and takes no pleasure in it. The Operative is one of the most multi-faceted antagonists I’ve ever seen in a movie and Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a wonderful performance. With films like Serenity, Four Brothers, and Children of Men under his belt, he’s definitely an actor to watch out for. I’d also like to make special mention of Jewel Staite who is absolutely adorable in this film and lights up the screen with her smile, even when she’s covered in engine grease. Staite perfectly embodies the sweet-natured Kaylee.

Thanks to Fox’s erratic scheduling, I only caught two episodes of Firefly during its brief run. It wasn’t until I bought the DVDs that I was able to enjoy the show and I anxiously anticipated their jump to feature film. Serenity is an exceptionally fun film that’s jam-packed with a little bit of everything. Action, adventure, comedy, drama, eye-popping battles in space, it’s all there. George Lucas could learn a thing or two (or three or four) from watching this film. Serenity is the kind of Star Wars movie the prequels should have been. Whedon places the focus where it rightly should be, on the characters, not the special effects. Whedon specializes in creating an ensemble of memorable characters and their relationships with one another. He backs that up with sharp, original dialogue.

Rating: ****