Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

Dir. Ethan Spaulding

It surprised me to learn that Aquaman made his comic book debut in 1941. I'd not given his genesis any thought before now, but if asked I would've guessed that he was a product of the Silver Age. I don't know if the DC universe would be much worse off if he wasn't in it, but the modern (internet) age hasn't improved his profile much. The Throne of Atlantis movie doesn't help his credibility, either.

Before he dons the orange and green duds, he's dry-land dweller Arthur Curry (Matt Lanter). Arthur's father has recently died, leaving the young man lonely and angry as he moves through the stages of grief.

Besides loss and anger, the story explores yearning, belonging, belief, and teamwork, among other things, as Arthur uncovers his true heritage.

Son of Batman (2014)

Son of Batman (2014)

Dir. Ethan Spaulding

Batman's brand of paternal instincts have been explored before with regards the various Robins in both comic book and animated form. There's room for debate on the usefulness of a Robin, but at least they aren't all snot-nosed little shits like the youth in SoB. He puts himself in dangerous situations to prove his mastery and ends up ruining everyone's day.

Does the continuity shake up of JL: War (2014) excuse the uncharacteristic way that Batman behaves? It's one thing to allow an outsider access to the Bat Cave, but to bring him into the world of other people who value their secrecy as much as Batsy is supposed to value his own is ridiculous.

And since when was letting someone who could be saved go ahead and die any different than killing him, in Bruce's mind at least? It's that kind of movie.

I didn't realise until I started writing that the movie's title as an initialism was kind of fitting, given that SoB is a polite way of saying son of a bitch.

Justice League: War (2014)

Justice League: War (2014)

Dir. Jay Oliva

The first Justice League animated movie to be based on the New 52 reboot in the comics is itself a reboot of the DC animated world, picking up the continuity reset of The Flashpoint Paradox (2013). It doesn't waste time giving backstory for most of the heroes. It starts instead in the middle of a chase and goes steadily downhill from there.

It earned my respect for addressing certain criticisms of failings that are almost inherent in superhero stories and for turning them into strengths, but the characters are mostly awful.

None of the protagonists have met one another at the movie's beginning, so it's essentially a League origin story that strives to establish rebooted attitudes and relationships, and lay the groundwork for bonds of friendship that are not yet forged.