DC Entertainment has been dominating the animated movie department for the last few years and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. In 2014 they kicked off the new arc alongside the comics New 52 with the feature Justice League: War that reintroduced the world the Justice League. Much like the comics it led directly into the follow-up with a cool sequence that promised fans they weren’t finished with this story yet. Now with the king of the sea getting ready to make his live action debut what better time to bring that sequel, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis home once again with an all-new Commemorative Edition.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis follows the aftermath of Justice League: War where the world is seemingly at peace, but when Cyborg discovers an imminent threat in the depths of the ocean it rallies together the newly formed Justice League once again. Meanwhile, wandering thousands of feet above the ocean floor is drifter Arthur Curry, a man with strange powers who may be the last chance to bridge the ancient Atlantean world with our own. Now the Justice League must band together as they face off against warmongering Orm, an army of sea creatures, otherworldly weapons and perilous odds with mankind’s only hope of escaping from the darkness lying with the guiding light of a man – Aquaman!
This latest entry continued their long running success with these films. Sure they change up the stories a bit from the source material and it irritates some fans, but they still work. Aquaman is one of those characters that has been the brunt of a lot of jokes over the years, but since the New 52 launch had been made cool again and this film is no different. Here he is a bad ass character that has little to make fun of and the perfect film to prepare fans of the live action film to come in the future. Once again it features a great voice cast including Matt Lanter, Shemar Moore, Jerry O’Connell, Jason O’Mara, Christopher Gorham, Sam Witwer, Rosario Dawson, Sean Astin, and Nathan Fillion who all do a good job with their characters.
As expected there are tons of action moments here letting every member of the Justice League shine, but this is Aquaman all the way. Where Justice League: War served as an origin story of the Justice League, this does the same for Aquaman. Here we get an all-new tale of how he not only became a member of the League, but also Aquaman himself and the King of Atlantis. They have managed to inject a couple of levels the to the story to not only successfully tell this story, but also keep it a cohesive sequel to the previous film. The animation is great as always with some really epic shots underwater and pulling out all the stops with the characters.
DC and Warner Brothers continues to make the good decision of making these films PG-13 which allows them to go all in without watering it down and that is no different here. Sure this film can be seen by the younger fans, but it is really violent and sports some language that some might find unfitting for the young ones. While some might complain about this, you have to understand that this is how the books are written and the movies should be this way as well.
The 4K Commemorative Edition is beautiful to look at making the already excellent animation pop off the screen. This is the way to see a film like this and a must have for fans of Aquaman or comics in general. In addition to the film this release also includes tons of bonus content including commentary, featurettes, bonus cartoons, a sneak peek at the next feature Reign of the Supermen and more. Return to the sea and grab your copy of Justice League: Throne of Atlantis available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Review by Bobby Blakey - Bobby reviews way more movies on his own website than the genre-specific ones I post here. Check out Bobby's awesome website and his live show he co-hosts with his wife, Drusilla, at Hollywood Matrimony.
