The culmination of the DCAU to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War last year was an exciting moment for fans of this series. Not only did they get to witness a knock-down, drag-out finale to a storyline that had been running for years, but it also cleared a path for more innovation moving forward. The results so far have been pleasing, as new beginnings such as Superman: Man of Tomorrow and Elseworlds tales like Batman: Soul of the Dragon have reinvigorated the line. Justice Society: World War II rubs shoulders with Man of Tomorrow as they build upon that origin story while simultaneously offering up something fresh. As someone with a bias for The Flash, it is easy for me to say that innovation in this line can usually be tied back to him in one way or another. The Barry Allen (Matt Bomer, Doom Patrol) of this story is attempting to balance his superhero life with having something in the realm of a normal relationship with Iris. Of course, when a Brainiac attack occurs he springs into action to help Superman, only to have his super speed inadvertently propel him into the past. This is where the fun really starts.
The specific time in the past is World War II where Wonder Woman (Stana Katic, A Call To Spy) is leading a group of notable heroes against the evil Nazis. President Franklin D. Roosevelt has been convinced by Steve Trevor (Chris Diamantopoulos) that assembling the Justice Society to combat Hitler is the best course of action. Along with these two, the team consists of Hawkman, Black Canary, Hourman, and Flash (the Jay Garrick version). Much of the fun comes from Barry acting as the audience surrogate as he finds himself smack in the middle of this crazy situation. In all honesty, it is very satisfying watching these heroes lay the smack down on some Nazis, but the story does offer more than this when the dust settles. After some initial confusion over exactly who is on which side, there are some bigger questions at hand such as, if the Justice Society was such an essential part of the war effort, why has Barry never heard of them? Also, the Society soon finds out that they have more than Hitler to worry about as nefarious figures crop up with some familiar faces.
The strength of this story is the way in which it uses its ensemble, but the film occasionally struggles to bring all of them together in the most cohesive manner possible. As the leader of the group, Wonder Woman is given one of the stronger arcs, which also ties in quite nicely to Barry’s overall purpose within the story. There is an immense responsibility for both of these heroic figures to put their powers to good use, but the desire to want a fulfilling personal life humanizes them in a really affecting way. Although not superpowered, Steve Trevor makes the most of his time on screen with his charming romance with Diana. Black Canary is not as far along in her willingness to open herself up, but you can feel her longing to connect with Hawkman. Even Hourman, who admittedly has one of the less exciting powers on the team, is dealing with that fact as the limitations of his usefulness start weighing him down. The one character that feels almost like an afterthought is Jay Garrick, who is just kind of around for most of the film.
All of these individual pieces are quite strong, but as the narrative rolls along it can feel a tad bit pieced together and unnatural. This by no means wrecks the film, but the transition from sequence to sequence does not feel as fully polished as it could have been. The only other minor issue is the lack of a truly memorable villain. The team kicks butt and experiences some loss in a really impactful way, but there feels like there should have been one more clearly-defined villain over who we have. If the narrative has a few minor stumbling blocks, the film makes up for it with the direction of the action sequences. The movie never goes too long before providing something thrilling, and each section is staged well with its own identity. The voice ensemble are all extremely enjoyable in their roles, but Matt Bomer proves to be the MVP of the film. Justice Society: World War II finds the DCAU bringing in some classic characters for a fun entry filled with Nazi-pummeling and emotional moments. This fast-paced tale should satisfy long-time fans and newcomers alike. This new era of the DCAU is working well, so let’s hope they take advantage of the open-ended nature of this film’s conclusion.
Video Quality
Justice Society: World War II comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p transfer that is incredibly bold with an amazing amount of depth. This disc provides some noticeable improvements over the Blu-Ray in certain areas including more vivid, natural colors and the elimination of any digital artifacting. The World War II setting lends itself to a muted color palette, but the use of HDR yields some very pleasing enhancements to the dynamic colors on display, especially in the modern day scenes that bookend the film. The disc provides much deeper black levels for a cleaner viewing experience free of black crush or banding. Whenever explosions happen on screen, you practically feel like the red and orange is jumping off the screen thanks to the HDR. The dreary setting blends over somewhat stylistically to create a universe less vibrant than other DCAU films, but the way in which this presentation handles the subtle gradients is just excellent. This disc provides excellent line detail and more distinct shading, which gives the characters greater definition. The Blu-Ray disc looks great, but those with a proper display will likely find the 4K UHD Blu-Ray a more enjoyable experience.
Audio Quality
This release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that really holds its own during this occasionally bombastic film. Dialogue is often accompanied by a soaring score from Kevin Reipl or all manner of sound effects, but all of the information comes through clearly without getting muddied. The track engages all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of destruction that really transports you to the middle of the action. This is especially apparent when Flash is zipping around the screen and around your speakers. There is an immense amount of activity in the low-end which will cause your subwoofer to get a thorough workout throughout this presentation. There are no obvious sync issues or other anomalies present. Warner Bros. has delivered an incredibly strong track that showcases the impressive sound design of their DCAU films.
Special Features
- DC Showcase Short – Kamandi – The Last Boy On Earth!: An eighteen-minute short film based on the 1970s comic series created by Jack Kirby. The titular character is on an adventure through a post-apocalyptic land alongside mutant Ben Boxer, tiger prince Tuftan, and hulking gorilla-man Zuma. There is an interesting contest element to this one that leads up to a nice hint towards a larger DC property. You have to appreciate a throwback property like this getting its due.
- Adventures In Storytelling – Justice Society: World War II: A thirty-minute group discussion which features five members of Justice Society’s creative team: director Jeff Wamester, producer Jim Krieg, supervising producer Butch Lukic, and co-writers Meghan Fitzmartin and Jeremy Adams. All the participants seem comfortable with one another as they reflect on their journey getting this story to the screen, obstacles and triumphs during production, favorite characters, scrapped ideas, the romance in the film and more. This is a fun piece for fans.
- Sneak Peek – Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One: A nearly eleven-minute look at Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, which is due out in June. I often wish they would include these interviews on the actual disc of the films they are covering once they are released, as you get some fun appearances from the cast and crew. This one looks like it will be great.
- Justice League Vs. Teen Titans Preview: A nearly twelve-minute promotion of the 2016 DCAU movie Justice League Vs. Teen Titans.
- Wonder Woman – Bloodlines Preview: A ten-minute promotion of the 2019 DCAU movie Wonder Woman: Bloodlines.
- From The DC Vault: You can find the two-part “Legends” from the Justice League animated series. These episodes are fun and look great in high definition.
Final Thoughts
Justice Society: World War II is another fun entry into the DCAU that only shows a few weak moments in an otherwise solid narrative. The film offers up a great number of fascinating characters that all get a moment to shine, but the script does not always feel as cohesive as it could. Nevertheless, if you want to watch some of DC’s most interesting characters beat down some Nazis and indulge in some Elseworlds fun, this is the film for you. Warner Bros. has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a stellar A/V presentation and a number of fascinating special features. Whether you are a steadfast fan or new to the series, this entry should provide a good deal of entertainment to all. Recommended
Justice Society: World War II will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD on May 11, 2021. The film is currently available on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
