Justice League vs. Teen Titans

Like what was said with 'Teen Titans: The Judas Contract' (which to me was the better film), 'Justice League vs. Teen Titans' may not be among the best of the numerous animated superhero/comic book films, and there are some pretty good to excellent ones out there (as well as some disappointments). Can definitely see why it's divided fans and it's towards the weaker end of the films, but there is a lot to like here.

It is not in the same league as the animated 'Justice League' show, the 2003 'Teen Titans' or 'Young Justice', all three wonderful shows and three great examples of how to do iconic superheroes justice. It's certainly far more preferable than the series 'Teen Titans Go!', that was cheap, poorly written and was basically dumbed down childish stupidity that forgot basically everything that made the original series so great.

There are some not so good points with 'Justice League vs. Teen Titans'. The romantic/love interest subplot was forced and unneeded. The expected big fight indicated in the film's title was too short and anti-climactic.

Not all the characters are particularly well handled. For examples, Trigon is far too ordinary a villain with very little to him and he is poorly utilised, Raven didn't seem developed enough and wasn't compelling enough for a character so heavily focused on and the whole Beast Boy's forms stuff was interesting on paper but was very confused and underdeveloped in the film. Taissa Farmiga sounds like she was phoning in as Raven. A longer length may have helped.

However, there is a good deal to like about 'Justice League vs. Teen Titans'. The animation consists of atmospheric colours, detailed character designs and backgrounds and fluidity of movement. The music has an ideal mix of haunting intensity and jaunty infectiousness.

Really liked the dark grit tone the writing, while adding a little levity here and there to stop it from getting too seriously. The story may be standard and doesn't break new ground, but it's fun and absorbing and goes at a snappy enough pace. The action is thrilling and generally the characters and the interaction intrigues enough. The voice acting on the whole is well done.

Overall, decent but could have been a lot more. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Another movie in continuity with the other recent ones playing in the same universe! Keep an open mind and you will feel the time watching it is well spent.

Let's start with technicalities! The animation quality and design of the movie is good to very good if you keep in mind that it is a direct-to-video production - there have certainly been much worse ones around. The visual style is a continuation of the other movies that were released in the last year or two, so if you've gotten used to that, you'll feel right at home. Frederik Wiedmann did a nice job with the soundtrack, and his choice of instruments stands out immediately once the movie gets to the first mystic scenes - I think it is a good match.

The pacing is good. There is not really any part that feels too slow or drawn out too much, and enough action takes place throughout the movie to keep up the entertainment. A few scenes could benefit from a deeper exploration, but then again that would break the available time-budget. The story is entertaining, but a bit predictable. Not as predictable as the stories of some of the other DC movies, but there is still room for more complexity. It is targeted at a broader audience, most likely. The movie is somewhat family friendly, teens should feel right at home.

I'm not really a fan of Damian in a leading role, but in a team the character plays out much better. Sort of like how Batman integrates nicely with the Justice League - both characters can add a bit of spice to the mix once they're able to clearly contrast with other characters. In my opinion this is the first movie in this line that manages to do this, so that is good to see. More of that please. Damian needs to be put on a leash for good! I could not relate a whole lot to the previous versions of the Teen Titans, so I am happy to see a version of them here that feels a bit more mature. Less goofy is good!

There are some parallels between a few appearances in here and in Young Justice - some designs are related without a doubt, some characters share close or relatively close resemblances, but they are different personalities (and have different voice-actors). Wasn't sure how to take this at first, but they're likable. Would take another movie to get to know some of them a bit better, so here's hope we get that chance eventually.

Overall it is an enjoyable movie. Anyone who liked the recent DC movies should give this one a watch.

So this 'movie' wasn't a bad idea on paper, but it's the mediocre-fanfiction level writing that holds it back. I enjoyed a lot of the action sequences and seeing some classic characters in animated form (this animation style reminds me of Young Justice, which is a plus). But let's just get to the elephant in the room... Damian Wayne. Having a kid save the day in an action film this scale is not a good idea, especially when he's not supposed to be the main focus. Son of Batman was acceptable because it was his story and not many of the other villains or heroes were involved, but when Superman, Wonderwoman, the Flash and the Teen Titans face up against a villain like Trigon? I thought this was a movie about teamwork! Instead, Damian is portrayed as a Gary Sue who solves all the problems without even breaking a sweat (inability to be a team player is not a flaw in this case because it doesn't even cause him any problems). This is amateur writing... Yet, the action and animation are pretty solid in this movie. If you'd like to see some familiar characters (such as those from the original Teen Titans cartoon), just give this movie a casual shot and don't expect too much.

The 25th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the seventh film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Interesting story with emotional moments, iconic characters' interaction and smooth pacing with excellent action sequences.

The 25th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the seventh film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Interesting story with emotional moments, iconic characters' interaction and smooth pacing with excellent action sequences.

The 25th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the seventh film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. Interesting story with emotional moments, iconic characters' interaction and smooth pacing with excellent action sequences.

Robin is sent by Batman to join the Teen Titans after his easy behavior undermines the Justice League mission. The Titans then have to face Trigon who is threatening to conquer the world.

With the title Justice League vs. Teen Titans, I expected there would be a fight between the two groups, but in reality it wasn't. Expecting a fierce fight, it actually features a fight action that is not too important to be used as a conflict. The pace at the beginning of the film to build conflict is fairly slow. Too many portions were given to Raven. The fighting action at the end of the film also looks minimal so that this film has a less than optimal finish. If you look at it, the appearance of the Justice League members here is only as an igniter or build a story to provide a development of the power of the Teen Titans themselves. Until it reached the anti-climax, the film did not improve in terms of story. Whether you like it or not, this movie does perform well. With the concept of young heroes as a group under the auspices of Justice League, the film still presents the feel of teenagers in general.

Too much focus on Raven closes the rest of the characters to perform at their best, except with Robin starting to seem to be undergoing changes in her. Appearing with advising dialogue is proof that Robin is experiencing character development. I see Starfire as like an older sister to the Titans. Beast Boy and Blue Beetle are like sweetener roles in this film. The rest of the Justice League, it seems quite helpful in directing the story.