Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a team adventure that serves as an R-rated animated love letter to 70s exploitation entertainment. (The studio sent me a review copy; I otherwise likely wouldn’t have watched it, as I’m not a fan of the period martial arts movies that inspired it.) We’re introduced to Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos) during a mostly wordless James Bond-ian heist sequence. We spent a few minutes figuring out whether it was retro or modern day, until the […]

(This movie came out a year ago, and I just realized that although I made notes, I never actually posted my writeup. The studio provided a review copy.) Batman: Hush didn’t interest me at first, but it became the first of the original DCU animated movies in a long time that didn’t feel like an obligation to watch, something to grind through. That was due to two reasons: the prominent role for Catwoman (although you couldn’t tell that from the […]

I had high hopes for the newest DC original animated movie, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. It has two of my favorite DC things: the Legion of Super-Heroes and Jessica Cruz, Green Lantern. Plus, it had an intriguing theme, that of mental health and struggling with invisible illness. (The studio provided a review copy. In addition to the physical media release, the movie can be seen on the DC Universe streaming service. Since they sell access to the digital […]

Reign of the Supermen, the sequel to The Death of Superman, is my favorite of any of the original DC universe animated movies because it does more than just showcase a series of powered battles. Those are included here, of course, but we also get a lot more focus on the effects of superheroes on our society. After Superman’s death, Lois (Rebecca Romijn) and the Kents are consoling each other on their loss, then Lois and Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson) […]

Now available, to prepare us all for the live-action Aquaman movie out next month (this disc even opens with that trailer, in case you missed the connection), is the Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Commemorative Edition, which reissues the three-year-old animated movie with some new extras. The 4K Ultra HD edition, which Warner was kind enough to send me for review, also comes with a regular Blu-ray disc and a digital edition, while the Blu-ray edition has digital and DVD. […]

The newest original DC universe animated movie is a kind of followup to Justice League Dark, since it stars John Constantine and explores magic and demons, but Constantine: City of Demons: The Movie is probably better seen as a prequel or even an origin story. There are no superheroes here, just a lot of demons and gore. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free Blu-ray review copy. My opinions are mine. Constantine was created by, according to the […]

DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis, the newest original animated movie, is terrific, inspiring adventure for kids of all ages! (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me a free review copy.) It begins with a charming prologue where a young Wonder Woman, before she’s left Themyscira, is playing on the beach with her kanga Jumpa. (The pet is kind of like a super-intelligent horse, with obvious personality, but shaped like a kangaroo. Oddly, the hero refers to herself as “Princess […]

Wonder Woman’s animated movie was re-released last year (with a new extra) to go with the live-action feature film. This year, it’s Aquaman who’s getting a blockbuster theatrical release — so the 2015 Justice League: Throne of Atlantis will have a Commemorative Edition out in November, a month prior. This makes a lot of sense, since the animated film is basically Aquaman’s origin story. This time, Mera makes the cover! That’s an exciting change. Some may also appreciate that this […]