Geekscape Reviews: ‘Justice League vs. Teen Titans’

If you’re just joining DC Universe’s Animated Movie Universe, then you’ll have a lot of catching up to do. Depending on who you ask, catching up on DC’s Animated Movie Universe can be a chore or it can be a great way to pass the time in between episodes of The Flash. Now, if you’re all caught up, then next up on the list is the highly anticipated Justice League vs. Teen Titans. 

Fresh off the anomaly that is Batman v Superman, DC fans may be looking to what’s next. Among some of the past DC animated movies, I have to say that Justice League vs. Teen Titans has one of the strong openings. The movie starts with the Legion of Doom launching a full fledged attack on the Hall of Justice. The action is about what you’d expect from a DC animated movie and it does not disappoint. In fact, it reminded me of some of the Justice League animated series episodes. The nostalgia for someone who experienced nearly every iteration of DC animated movies or shows will indeed pop up from time to time during this movie in particular. For example, those who watched shows like Young Justice and the Teen Titans show from the early 2000’s may see some familiar faces.

The roster for the Titans has been shaken up a bit to include Blue Beetle and Starfire as the team’s mentor. While it does feel like the Titans of old, it was a welcomed experience seeing this revised Titan group interacting with characters from past movies in this DC Animated Movie continuity. The blend of characters DC is setting up in the world is great and it keeps moving forward. The roster of Titans include Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Raven, and Robin. However, it’s important to note that Robin is indeed Damian Wayne, who was introduced in Son of Batman (2014).

The title of this movie is a little misleading. There really isn’t a “war” that goes on between the Titans and the League, but there are skirmishes here and there. The actual plot of the movie is hidden well, and the title makes no reference to what the plot is actually about. While I’m not looking to spoil you, I will say that this movie in particular is very much a Teen Titans movie, rather than just another Justice League Story. Another thing this movie does right is wasting no time in telling us how the Titans were formed or how exactly they factor in with the League.

Ultimately, this movie acts as a sort of springboard for future Titan releases going forward. Their introduction into this universe in no way feels shoehorned or convenient. Instead, while moving the plot and character development forward, this movie also features some resolutions to character arcs that were started in Son of Batman and other movies from the same continuity. While it doesn’t replace Young Justice, or any of the other animated shows, this is the close as we’re going to get.

Aside from that, there are a couple of very suggestive scenes involving Starfire. These two scenes may make you uncomfortable if you’re watching with kids. Other than that, this movie’s action and story should satisfy kids and adults alike.

Overall, this animated movie could have been better, but it definitely wasn’t the worst among the bunch. Perhaps my favorite thing about these string of movies is that they’re not all one-shots, and are instead part of a much larger story. At no point in these movies do I feel we as an audience are taking a step back to explain a Leaguer’s origin, or go over something for the 100th time. It’s a solid buy for any die-hard DC fan and a fun adventure for anyone looking to get into some of the DC lore.

For those of you wondering, here is the chronological order in which the DC Animated Movies were released:

Flashpoint Paradox post credit scene

Justice League War

Son of Batman

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis

Batman vs. Robin

Batman: Bad Blood

Justice League vs. Teen Titans

During the panel Q and A that took place after the screening, creators remarked that Teen Titan centric movies may be in the pipeline. This would mean that we would have separate stories involving the League and the Titans, but still existing in the same universe. This would also mean potential team-ups in the future and major crossover events.

Justice League vs. Teen Titans is available now via digital download and available on Blu-Ray/DVD on April 12th!