DVD Review - Justice League: Doom

Star Sapphire (far left), Bane, Metallo,
Ma'alefa'ak, and Cheetah in "Justice League: Doom"

The Justice League faces the Legion of Doom. The Legion of Doom consists of super villains. Each of whom has a personal vendetta against one particular member of the Justice League. Vandal Savage, a caveman-turned-immortal, assembles the Legion of Doom only as a first step to his eventual takeover of the world. The Justice League has six members, but this movie really is all about just one, and that's Batman. It delves a little into Green Lantern, but, at the end, it's really Batman's movie.

This animated film is an adaptation of the comic JLA: Tower of Babel, which is about how Batman defeats the Justice League, despite being the only member of the Justice League without super powers. Batman develops what he calls contingency plans in secret to immobilize Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter. The Legion of Doom steals these plans and uses them to kill the Justice League.

It comes down to a fight, one-on-one between the Justice League and his or her Legion of Doom counterpart, and, aside from Green Lantern and his counterpart, Star Sapphire, you don't get any depth or any insight. You have to be familiar with the Justice League and their villains already. Because of the popularity of Batman and Superman, their counterparts, Bane and Metallo, respectively, may need no introduction, but, Mirror Master and Ma'alefa'ak might be new to some, if you're not an avid reader of the comics.

The action scenes aren't as great as recent releases by Warner Premiere, but the Batman conflict at the core makes it worth a watch.

Four Stars out of Five.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violent action.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 17 mins.