Injustice

Based on the video game and graphic novel Injustice gets the animated treatment from Warner Brothers and DC Animation.

The plot is simple enough with The Joker (Kevin Pollak) and Harley Quinn (Gillian Jacobs) turning up in Metropolis to cause an outrage of biblical proportions before Batman (Anson Mount) can stop them.

Superman (Justin Hartley) having been tricked into a tragedy and mass destruction, begins to take the law into his own hands handing out summary justice and making decisions without debate or consent.

World governments are cowed and those that try to stop him are dealt with harshly. As a result he splits the sympathies of the Justice League as they either follow and support, or are more sceptical eventually leading to confrontation.

Not having played the game nor read Tom Taylor’s comic book I can’t judge the accuracy of this adaptation however director Matt Peters and writer Ernie Altbacker have created a lean and, at times, a pretty mean film: they don’t hold back on the action or the violence.

They don’t however bury the philosophical elements of a virtually unstoppable force albeit with the best of intentions abusing that power and slipping towards tyranny. This isn’t a new concept as almost every other superhero franchise and universe has had to tackle this question. Injustice has its take though there aren’t any new ideas here.

As expected it mainly falls to Batman to lead those opposing Superman with the Justice League splitting almost in half though key members begin to have their doubts as the events play out. All the major players in the DC superhero universe get a look in and there are also dips into the multi-verse. Batman’s pantheon of villains get a runout too, to the exclusion of the DC Universe’s other villains apart from Mirror Master who’s more commonly associated with The Flash.

The animation is as usual excellent with the characters in particular Superman drawn on militaristic lines which is understandable given subject matter. The actors are very good too though DC may at some point have to think a little more about Harley Quinn and her portrayal. Jacobs is ok but the mad brat routine is starting to wear thin and look and sound tired.

It isn’t overflowing with extras with a discussion between director, producers and scriptwriter being the most interesting. The package is rounded off with some flashbacks to earlier films and two episodes from the DC vaults.

Injustice is available now Blu-ray, DVD and streaming platforms.