Justice League Dark (2017)
Dir. Jay Oliva
I wonder how many names were in the hat when the creative team were struggling to come up with a catchy moniker for their new magic-themed 'League' collective. Given what they settled on, the others mustn't have been much good at all. But despite the name, the team itself is an interesting bunch of individuals.
Their genesis in animated form occurs when a spate of supernatural happenings perturbs the regular Justice League. Batman is chosen to enlist the help of folks who understand the workings of magic, in the hope that they'll be able to get to the bottom of the mystery.
It's an original story, not adapted wholesale from any of the existing comic book adventures, so deserves credit for that, if nothing else.
Batman may seem like an odd choice to be tasked with recruiting such a group, considering his steadfast faith in analytical processes and his propensity for dismissing magic, but his grumbly attitude and lack of 'superpowers' adds a further level of discord to the team, in a good way. They aren't pals and their personalities (and egos, in some cases) aren't suited to teamwork. In that respect, Batman kind of fits in, whether he likes it or not. His curmudgeonly attitude even functions as the butt of a few in-jokes.
The Dark Knight is prominent on the cover art, but it's very much Constantine's film. His knowledge, experience, and ass-hole attitude are instrumental in uncovering the truth.
Along the way we're treated to some backstory for the majority of the members, which is helpful not just to newcomers but to everyone, seeing as how the movie's story rewrites and/or repurposes certain things from the comics to suit itself (e.g., Constantine's house).
Overall, it was a pleasant change from the "capes and tights crew", but the personalities included mean it could've been better than it was, if only the writers had put more effort into making it feel more cohesive and less like a series of related events arranged one after another.
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