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Justice League Dark
Justice League Dark is a 2017 American animated science fantasy superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video. Featuring the DC Comics team of the same name created by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin, the film is the twenty-seventh in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series and a part of DC Animated Movie Universe. Unlike most installments in the DC Animated Universe Movies series, Justice League Dark features an original premise. The film stars Matt Ryan as John Constantine and Jason O'Mara reprising his role as Batman. It was released on Digital HD on January 24, 2017, and on DVD and Blu-ray on February 7, 2017.
In May 2020 a sequel was released, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
In a flashback, exorcist and con man John Constantine and Jason Blood engage the Demons Three in a poker game for high-end stakes; Constantine offers his home, the House of Mystery, as his part of the pool in exchange for a box of artifacts, including a chipped Dreamstone. When both parties are caught cheating, Constantine has Blood summon Etrigan - a demon forced to share a body with Blood - to dispatch the demons. Afterward, Blood reprimands Constantine for making him summon Etrigan, and the two part ways.
In the present, a magical threat arises causing violent murders to be committed by people around the world, who think their victims are demonic creatures. The Justice League gather to conclude that magic is the source of the crimes, but Bruce Wayne / Batman is skeptical. Later that night at Wayne Manor, Bruce finds a written message on his walls telling him to find Constantine prompting him to seek out a reluctant Zatanna "Z" Zatara. Zatanna is eventually convinced by Boston Brand / Deadman. Zatanna and Boston lead Bruce to the House of Mystery, where they meet Constantine, who is reluctantly working with a team. The group is also joined by Black Orchid, the spiritual embodiment of the House of Mystery, and they decide to investigate the cause behind these supernatural occurrences.
The film is directed by Jay Oliva, and stars the voices of Matt Ryan, Jason O'Mara, Camilla Luddington, Nicholas Turturro, and Ray Chase. It is the first Justice League film and the second DC Universe animated film and the second film by Warner Bros. Animation to be rated R by the MPAA for some disturbing violence. Justice League Dark features an original premise wherein a supernatural force is causing violent crimes across America, and Justice League member Batman consults occult detective John Constantine to form a team of paranormal metahumans.
Justice League Dark received generally positive reviews from critics. The film holds a 78% based on 9 reviews according to the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Dave Trumbore from Collider wrote, "Justice League Dark is a briskly paced, darkly magic adventure that gives some of DC's most shadowy heroes a chance to shine in a story that folds in mythology and mystery, while never losing sight of what it means to be a hero." Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema Craze also praised the film, calling it a "fun celebration of supernatural elements in DC comics."
Renee Schonfeld from Common Sense Media was less enthusiastic about the film, calling it an "intense confusing comics-based tale that has tons of violence."
It earned $3,150,426 from domestic home video sales.
