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Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a 2020 American direct-to-video adult animated science fantasy superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video and loosely based on the story arc "Darkseid War" by Geoff Johns. It is the fifteenth and final film in the DC Animated Movie Universe, and the 38th film overall in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. It is directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, written by Ernie Altbacker and Sotta and features an ensemble cast including Matt Ryan, Jerry O'Connell, Taissa Farmiga, Stuart Allan, Tony Todd, Jason O'Mara, Rosario Dawson, Shemar Moore, Christopher Gorham, Rebecca Romijn and Rainn Wilson. In the film, following an unsuccessful attack on Apokolips that left many heroes dead, the remaining members of the Justice League, Justice League Dark, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad join forces against Darkseid in one epic final battle to save Earth.
The film was announced in July 2019 at San Diego Comic Con and was released on digital platforms on May 5, 2020 and on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on May 19, 2020, respectively.
The Justice League - joined by new members Lex Luthor, John Constantine, and his lover Zatanna - plan to attack Darkseid by taking the war to Apokolips while the Teen Titans remain on Earth as a home guard. The League forms their plan, but unbeknownst to them, Darkseid was listening and watching them through Cyborg. Upon arrival to Apokolips, they find Darkseid was ready for them, and several of the heroes are killed by "Paradooms" - genetic hybrids of Parademons and Doomsday. Constantine hesitantly flees back to Earth as he watches Zatanna die. Several days later, Darkseid attacks Earth, seemingly leaving Raven as the sole survivor of the Titans after Damian Wayne disappears during the battle. In the aftermath, several Justice League members and Teen Titans are enslaved by Darkseid.
Two years later, Darkseid has conquered and subjugated Earth, with Luthor appointed as his New God representative reporting to a now brainwashed Batman on the devices known as Reapers being sent from Apokolips to mine Earth’s core. The surviving heroes from the attack blame current events on Superman, who now wanders the planet powerless due to Darkseid injecting him with liquid Kryptonite. Still determined to fight back, he finds Raven, who is suffering from survivor's guilt and subsequent depression while struggling to keep her father Trigon from breaking free of her magical prison. After stopping her from committing suicide, the two search for a now war-torn Constantine to help them find Damian in the hopes he can free Batman from his brainwashing. Though he blames Superman for the current state of affairs, he helps them, and Etrigan tags along as well.
The film was first announced on July 20, 2019 at San Diego Comic Con. In February 2020, the voice cast for the film was announced with several voice actors from previous DC Animated Movie Universe films all reprising their respective roles.
A trailer for the film was released on March 4, 2020. The film was released on digital platforms on May 5, 2020 and will release on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on May 19, 2020, respectively. The release will feature a showcase animated short based on Adam Strange.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.84/10. Jesse Schden of IGN movies said "This film takes full advantage of the fact that it's the final chapter in a 15-movie arc. Its narrative veers into some very surprising and compelling directions, and somehow it manages to pay off on loose ends from across the DCU".
In spite of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War being confirmed as the last film in the DCAMU, screenwriter Ernie Altbacker teased the possibility of a new project related to that continuity. He stated that "the way we ended it... it's really like a tough balancing act: It ends something on a bittersweet yet hopeful note, and I'll just say, people who are saying, "Oh man, we're not going to get anymore of these!" ...you're not losing something, you're gaining something new..."
