The Injustice movie works... Kinda

Injustice has got to be one of any DC fan's favourite alternate earth storylines. It catches you with awe as it tells the story of "What if Superman was evil?" and with immense effort, it brings about one of the most terrifying forms of the Man of Steel. I never hoped to see a Injustice movie as I always thought it would be stupid to retell a story again in animated form.

But when DC announced that they would be making a movie based on the Injustice comics, I was not interested. Why would I be? The studios were either gonna change something major with the story and mess it up like Batman: Hush. Or they would make an absolute page to screen story which would bore me.

But I was pretty surprised by how they changed the story to give it a less depressing ending if you could call it that. Be noted that, the earth in which this version of Injustice is different from that of the games and comic books. So this is my spoiler-filled review of Injustice.

The Story aka the actual injustice:

The story is largely similar to the original material with only a major change in its ending where they seem to remove the grim dystopia of the comic book storyline. Sure, it is still dark as it twists the paragon of hope into a tyrannical version of himself. Batman is a character that I love and is a major part of Injustice's story but in the movie, He seems to be written in his stereotypical brooding mood. He tries to stop Superman and he does succeed but the way they ended his story seemed less fitting.

But this is a Superman story and he is given most of the screentime. His story is actually interesting as unlike his comic book counterpart, He is still a good guy. He shows remorse for his actions and when he goes totally evil, he is shown in a blurry light as they don't really show how much of a monster he has become.

Harley Quinn is annoying in this film as her normal charm that is present in all her other media is lost here but on the other hand, she can be replaced by Plastic Man as he stays true to his character. What this movie truly lacks, as I said before, is writing the characters in their most basic personalities. This is much evident in Wonder Woman and Batman. The other major antagonists are Amazo and Ra's al Ghul who are not even that important to the story. The Head of the Demon only exists to create Amazo and bring a close to the Deadwing side-story.

The change in the ending is good. With Superman getting to fight Himself from another Earth has got to be one of the best fight scenes animated. Lois stopping Clark is oddly poetic as she was the trigger that started this whole mess of blood. Superman's "How did it come to this?" is the best delivered line in the whole movie.

The other suffering faced by the story is the decreasing roster of characters who could've made the story much more exciting and impactful. But these missing characters are killed off in the story and some are not even given anything to say. The Flash, Aquaman and Shazam's lack of screen-time is the most disheartening thing this movie has done.

The Art does its Part:

The art design of characters is very similar to that used in the new Mortal Kombat animated movies. To be honest, this movie borrows a lot of assets from its bloodier, gorier counterpart. With blood splatters effects that spray on the screen that is overused in the MK movies and just cut-aways from the gorefests, Injustice strives to be DC's most bloody animated movie.

The character design works for some characters on the bulkier side and compliments cartoony figures like Plastic Man. But some designs feel out of place like Batman and Catwoman whose body design is similar to that of Supes and Wonder Woman respectively.

The fight scenes are very well animated with brutal punches, kicks and laser beams. The superman fight scene is one of the best superman fights. These scenes are something to boast about as they are indeed that great for the style of animation they use. Some shots are damn near perfect and some are comic-book cover-worthy.

Conclusion:

The story of Injustice is a modern classic and this movie pays homage to that with great character moments. It helps us see Supes in a different way than we have seen him in the Injustice games. It can stand on its own with a good story and great animation. This is a far better watch than what DC has been pushing out the last year.