Injustice REVIEW – Over Before It Begins

The idea of the world’s most recognisable boy scout turning over to the dark side has always been a predictable, yet still tantalising premise. Over the years, Superman has broken bad due to various means, often involving some kind of brainwashing/Kryptonite shenanigans. However, there’s something more immediately compelling about the Man of Steel making the choice to walk that dark path himself. The Injustice animated movie attempts to explore this theme, but with mixed results.

Following a scheme created by Joker to torment the Kryptonian, Superman (Justin Hartley) is tricked into killing a pregnant Lois Lane and nuking the entirety of Metropolis. Naturally, he’s a little bit miffed about that one, and decides the only cause of action is to punch a sizable hole in Joker’s stomach. With Superman looking to take more control in order to end acts of violence across the globe, which Batman (Anson Mount) views as the makings of a tyrannical regime, the rest of the Justice League are forced to pick their sides.

As an adaptation of the video game/comic book franchise, Injustice attempts to tell a wide, overarching story that could easily have been spun out over a trilogy of films, and cram it all into a 75 minute runtime. The original Injustice story followed Superman’s slow descent over years from a grieving hero to genuine tyrant. In the film, we don’t get to see Clark Kent’s corrupted endgame, as the story takes place over weeks and months and ends before Injustice (the game) would have actually begun, so to speak. In certain ways, you could say it’s not even an adaptation, but a reimagining with the same name slapped on it.

Injustice wants to tell a story of tragedy: when you fight with the ones you love, you stand to lose so much more, and the same is true here, as the tit-for-tat conflict leads to casualties and escalation on both sides. The joy of alternate universe/Elseworld stories like Injustice is the fact that they can take liberties with established characters and tropes, and Injustice certainly utilises that for some big deaths throughout its runtime.

However, Injustice’s need to cover the key points of the original work without spending too much time in this world and with its characters means some choices and twists are either unexplored to their full potential, or feel unearned as a result. It’s this insistence on finishing the story in one go instead of taking its time that ultimately proves to be Injustice’s biggest downfall. It’s not that Injustice needed lengthy origin stories for its characters, but we hardly spend enough time with them to understand their motivations, and before you know it, the whole thing’s over.

This isn’t to say that Injustice is completely bereft of qualities. The main story, for the most part, is a fine retelling of events, with a few tweaks here and there to keep things interesting. The finale in particular has a couple of interesting twists, including a climactic fight that ends in a more satisfying way than the original source material. The movie also gives a spotlight to some lesser known DC characters, with heroes like Mr. Terrific and Plastic Man able to shine on a bigger stage alongside DC’s biggest hitters.

The animation work and fight scenes are visual treats that also showcase a gorier side to the world of DC than some might be used to. The voice work isn’t quite as good, with some lines feeling a bit wooden in their delivery, but for the most part, the voice work captures the essence of the characters. Justin Hartley’s work on Superman is particularly memorable, with his emboldened sense of righteousness amplified by anguish all too clear in his voice. Gillian Jacobs and Oliver Hudson, as Harley Quinn and Plastic Man respectively, also serve as light comic relief, and help ensure the film doesn’t get bogged down by its own seriousness.

It’s hard not to feel like Injustice was a waste of some serious potential. The video games and comic books became hugely popular for a reason, and it wasn’t just because it allowed you to actually play out Batman vs. Superman. The story holding this franchise together is superb, but this adaptation does a disservice to the work before it by rushing to the end before we’ve even had a chance to get acquainted.

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Verdict

Injustice is a serviceable adaptation of the popular comic book/video game franchise, but tackling years of comics books and games in one go leaves it falling apart at the seams.

5