Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

Movie · 2020 · Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 30m · R · English

Curator score: 6.2/10 (92.8K ratings)

The war to end all wars.

Overview

Earth is decimated after intergalactic tyrant Darkseid has devastated the Justice League in a poorly executed war by the DC Super Heroes. Now the remaining bastions of good – the Justice League, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad and assorted others – must regroup, strategize and take the war to Darkseid in order to save the planet and its surviving inhabitants.

Ratings

Director

Matt Peters, Christina Sotta

Production

Warner Bros. Animation, DC

Cast

Matt Ryan, Jerry O'Connell, Taissa Farmiga, Jason O'Mara, Rosario Dawson, Stuart Allan, Rebecca Romijn, Rainn Wilson, Tony Todd, Shemar Moore, Christopher Gorham, Ray Chase, Camilla Luddington, Hynden Walch, Liam McIntyre, Roger Cross, John DiMaggio, Sachie Alessio, Matt Lanter, Sean Astin

Where to watch

Max

Curator Review

Verdict

A brutal, high-stakes DC animated apocalypse that goes harder than most superhero films, with real consequences, big swings, and a surprisingly effective sense of finality. It’s messy and rushed in places, but if you want a no-holds-barred crossover event with horror-tinged spectacle, it delivers.

Best for

  • DC animated universe fans
  • viewers who like grim superhero stories
  • fans of ensemble crossover action
  • people who enjoy high body-count apocalypse plots
  • comic-book viewers who want big emotional stakes

Skip if

  • you want a light or hopeful superhero movie
  • you dislike graphic violence and bleak endings
  • you need tight character writing over plot momentum
  • you’re not familiar with the surrounding DC animated continuity

Overview

This is the kind of superhero movie that treats the end of the world as a starting point. It barrels through a shattered DC universe with a nasty, relentless energy, and that willingness to let things get ugly is a big part of its appeal. The film feels like a culmination and a demolition derby at once, with familiar heroes pushed into desperate, often horrifying situations.

Worth noting

Its biggest strength is scale: the movie keeps escalating, and it rarely blinks. The action is sharp, the stakes are genuinely severe, and the darker corners of the DC mythos get to take center stage. Constantine, Superman, and the broader ensemble all get moments that remind you why this animated line built such a loyal following.

Bottom line

That said, the film is also overstuffed and sometimes emotionally blunt. It moves so fast that some character beats land more as shocks than as arcs, and the brutality can feel punishing rather than cathartic. Still, for viewers who want a maximalist, R-rated-ish superhero apocalypse with real consequences, it’s one of the most memorable entries in the DC animated catalog.

Top Letterboxd reviews

andy levy (3.5★) · 909 likes

king shark is a shark

teodorsbox · 746 likes

Constantine used to fuck and/or be fucked by King Shark. This is canon.

Vishwas Verma 🟠🟢🔵 (5★) · 491 likes

THIS IS DARK!! I am stunned. One of the craziest shits by DCAU. I am putting this movie with Batman: The Dak Knight Returns Part 1, 2, and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. 'Justice League Dark' the title itself implies that this film is about John Constantine. This film shows his actual powers that make him a worthy member of the Justice League as well as the DC Universe. Superman has some of his best moments. Trigon is super bitchy… more

Dakota Joaquin (4.5★) · 491 likes

A fun experiment on what would happen if main characters didn’t have plot armor

Lerm (3.5★) · 384 likes

This seems like the kinda story I would put my lego characters through as a kid

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Topics

animated superhero, dark fantasy, apocalyptic action, ensemble cast, cosmic villain, graphic violence, supernatural, end-of-the-world, comic-book adaptation, bleak tone

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