'Injustice' Review: DC's animated flick is dark, deadly and definitely worth missing
Spoilers for 'Injustice'
'Injustice' as the 'Year One' comic story and the video game made hearts sink. It was brutal, yet had an engaging storyline with the perfect hook. It had some iconic moments featuring DC's key characters. That said, the animated film falls short as far as connecting the plots is concerned. The thought of making the movie is praiseworthy, but in the weight of its own expectations coupled with lack of substance and clunky writing, the adaptation falls woefully short.
There was enough to impress in patches. There was no shying away from killing off pivotal characters that mattered in the comics, and it makes genuine attempts to concise the entire storyline into an 80-minute affair, but it is a letdown. The references feel forced, the grim humor fails, and Superman is portrayed as a merciless freak that sees him chart his downfall to sublime perfection. In the comic, there are lines the Man of Steel will not cross, but in 'Injustice', he kills innocents without remorse.
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The comic was convoluted but deep. It gave a picture of what uncontrolled rage could do to a good. However, it is a bit farfetched to see Kal-El/Clark Kent kill just because he was baited by the Joker and Harley Quinn into accidentally killing a pregnant Lois Lane. There are major changes — The Flash is the first superhero to kick the bucket, and this was one hero who had a storyline of great importance in 'Year One'. His journey throughout the series is a metamorphosis of the character in itself, but here he's killed with absolute disdain.
The same can be said for Green Arrow, Cyborg, and a few other heroes who die valiant, but unforgettable deaths, and safe to say, this is dark even by DC's standards, leading to the question of: Why adapt when there is not much of an intention to stick to the source material. Both the comic and the movie see a solid action-packed sequence at Superman's Fortress of Solitude which sees Arrow die, but his death is just brushed off as a man who is killed by a misguided missile who can't think straight.
Emotion takes center stage and at times, there is that feeling that Superman can be forgiven for his vile deeds after all that he has gone through, but avenging the death of loved ones by killing hundreds is just not Superman. While the comic was deemed to be one of the darkest, it appears the movie was focused solely on making Superman the evil that he was shown as in the game. And if that was all the motive, then it succeeds, because just about everything else fails.
'Injustice' releases October 18 in the US on VoD.
