Injustice – Film Review

On an alternate Earth, the Joker tricks Superman into killing Lois Lane, which causes a rampage in the hero. Superman decides to take control of Earth, Batman and his allies will have to attempt to stop him.

The Injustice series of video games developed by NetherRealm Studios have always held quite a special place in my heart. When the first game in the series, Gods Among Us, was released back in 2013, twelve-year-old me had no idea that superheroes could even be corrupt. It was absolutely shocking to see somebody like Superman be so out of control and blood-hungry. Although I’ve read a lot of comics in my time, the first Injustice game took me by complete surprise and opened my eyes to how dark and gritty superhero stories could truly be.

That’s why I’m extremely happy to report that the new animated Injustice film directed by Matt Peters is seriously great and one of the best DC animated films in a long time. Even though it doesn’t hit quite as hard as the story from the video game, it’s nevertheless a bold and unsettling story of how far one superhero will go to obtain peace in the world. This all starts when the Clown Prince of Crime himself tricks Superman into killing his one true love, Lois Lane.

Whereas somebody like Batman would badly injure the Joker and lock him back up in Arkham Asylum, Superman loses control and punches a hole right through the Joker’s chest, killing him instantaneously. A startled Batman warns Superman not to go too far with his actions and urges him to find that sense of control within himself. However, for the remainder of the movie, the entire Justice League team is split into two different sides, with some siding with Superman’s ideals and the others siding with Batman.

From here, an all-out war ensues, making for a legitimately intense and highly entertaining film. I would’ve liked to have gone a bit deeper into Superman’s thoughts here because they definitely aren’t as well-realized as they were in the game. We understand Superman’s beliefs in this film but not as clearly as in the original source material. There should’ve been more shown to us. In one of the most chilling scenes in the first game, a rage-fueled Superman quite literally kills Shazam (a boy stuck inside a grown superhero’s body) after saying a few choice words to Superman. It’s that moment where we finally see that there is no going back to good when it comes to Superman’s ideals.

There are definitely scenes in Matt Peters’ Injustice that showcase Superman’s rage but I wish there were more. There’s never that moment where you realize all hope is gone when it comes to redeeming him. One thing I will say, though, is that the voice acting is top-notch for everybody involved. Sure, it would’ve been nice to have Kevin Conroy do the voice of Batman here, but Anson Mount definitely does a great job at depicting Batman in a state of lost hope.

And Justin Hartley is terrific as the voice of Superman as well. You can feel the rage seeping from his voice alone, and it takes an extremely talented person to do that. Hartley definitely rose to the occasion, as did Laura Bailey as Lois Lane, Gillian Jacobs as Harley Quinn, and Anika Noni Rose as Catwoman.

Is this new Injustice movie perfect? No, it’s not. However, it is still quite an excellent movie that shows us just how terrifying superheroes can be when their deepest values suddenly get ripped away from them. While I pray that one day we can see this story brought to live-action, rest assured that as a long-time Injustice fan, this film left me satisfied.