Justice Society: World War II, the newest DC Animated film, follows in the footsteps of a loose sense of continuity with an art style similar to Superman: Man of Tomorrow and is better off for it. The thick lines and bright colour pallet make it feel more connected to the comic book medium than the DC Animated Movie Universe ever did, despite its deep narrative connection to the New 52.
The story itself is reminiscent of The Flashpoint Paradox, in that Barry Allen is used as a vessel to take the narrative out of the conventional DC continuity, but that is where the similarities end. The story lacks the dystopian weight of Flashpoint and capitalizes on the sense of humor so often associated with the character without ever making him feel like the comic relief like he did in the Justice League: Unlimited series in the 2000s.
Flash is the perfect main character for Justice Society: World War II because he effortlessly fits into a story where he is made to feel out of place while also leaving room for the ensemble cast to shine through. Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice Society all get their time in the spotlight with short but significant moments in the movie’s runtime.
The plot itself is action packed with various settings and locales making the story feel similar to the pulpy serials of the era the movie is set in. The tradeoff for this style is that the final act doesn’t feel like it has built up to the final moments of the movie due to the constant change of scenery and episodic nature of the story. There is an underlying mystery that carries the plot through the inciting incident to the climax of the movie; but the mystery undermines the serialized nature of the story as the Justice Society feels more reactive than proactive towards the obstacles they face in their own movie.
Stana Katic as Wonder Woman strikes a good balance of compassionate and aloof, especially when paired with Christopher Diamantopoulos’s Steve Trevor, who manages to fawn over Wonder Woman without losing his own identity in the process. Matt Mercer as Hourman evokes a sense of tension and urgency by virtue of his powers only working for one hour every day. Both Omid Abtahi as Hawkman and Elysa Rotaru as Black Canary perform their characters with gruff stoic exteriors who have found a kindred spirit in the other.
Armen Taylor as the Golden Age Flash acts as a weary foil to the more eager Barry Allen but lacks the opportunity to do more than give warnings about the space time continuum or exposition about whatever pseudoscience the audience needs to understand. Although he lacks the opportunity to do more he does make the most of it. Matt Boomer as the modern day Flash evokes humour into the quippy dialogue while seamlessly straying into a serious tone when required.
As I said at the beginning, the lack of interconnectivity is welcomed after nearly a decade of failed attempts to copy the Marvel Formula. The story greatly benefits from this as well as the unfamiliar setting since it allows the movie to raise the stakes in an authentic way. As the story moves on, there are genuine twists and turns that are rare to find in modern superhero movies and all the more welcome for it.
The art style feels so much like a comic book because it’s thick lines and pronounced color pallet gives the false impression that there is a single person in charge or the penciling, inking, and coloring respectively because each of these jobs are so significant to the finished product. Each character is extremely muscular but has a unique body type which ensures that they don’t feel like blueprints for mass produced toys.
It also manifests in the animation, where each of the heroes utilize their body type and express an aspect of their personality when they fight. The bulkier Hourman fights with a ruthless aggression, while the combat trained Wonder Woman is as tactical as she is vicious, while Black Canary fights like an experienced street brawler, and so on and so forth.
There are already rumors and speculation on whether or not DC are worldbuilding a new animated universe in the wake of Justice League Dark: Apocalypse War, but I frankly don’t care if they are one way or another. So long as they tell self contained, unique, and original stories like Justice Society: World War II, I welcome this new chapter in the Animated movie lineup with open arms.
