Punching Nazis with the Speed Force – JUSTICE SOCIETY: WORLD WAR II

Justice Society: World War II (2021)
Directed by Jeff Wamester
Casting and voice direction by Wes Gleason
Written by Jeremy Adams & Meghan Fitzmartin
PG-13, 84 minutes

Warner Bros. Animation returns with the latest chapter in the of the DC animated universe, Justice Society: World War II, a rip-roaring Earth-1 adventure that exceeds expectations in cinematic scope and storytelling.

Gone are the dark flame-filled skies and hopelessness of 2020’s Apokolips War. They’ve been replaced with bright blue ones and the optimism of new beginnings. Continuing the tonal reboot originating in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, we are presented with a rookie Barry Allen aka The Flash (Matt Bomer) trying to create the perfect romantic picnic for girlfriend Iris West (Ashleigh LaThrop).

Their festivities are soon interrupted by a nearby explosion, prompting Allen to rush off to investigate. He finds Superman (Darren Criss) battling Brainiac (Dain De Paul) and his robot drones in the middle of downtown Metropolis. While trying to intercept a kryptonite bullet hurtling towards Superman, The Flash enters the dimensional limbo called the Speed Force. Once inside he encounters a mysterious entity who pleads with The Flash to remain in the Speed Force and follow the sound of the its voice.

The Flash is transported to World War II Europe, arriving in the middle of a battle between Wonder Woman (Stana Katic) and a battalion of SS troops. After dispatching the troops singlehandedly, in a beautifully animated display of badassery, Wonder Woman spots the disoriented Flash. Believing him to be part of the SS due to the lightning symbol on his costume, she captures The Flash for interrogation. It is here that we are introduced to the rest of Wonder Woman’s team — a truncated version of the Justice Society consisting of Hawkman (Omid Abtahi), Black Canary (Elysia Rotaru), Hourman (Matthew Mercer), and The Flash’s earlier counterpart, Jay Garrick (Armen Taylor). We also learn that not only did The Flash travel back in time but also dimensionally, landing in an alternate version of Earth. Now the Flash must not only find a way home through time and space but also convince these uncannily familiar heroes that he is not a threat.

In order to prove his integrity to his would be captors, The Flash saves a family from execution by German soldiers in a slow motion scene that’s fairly reminiscent of the live action introduction of Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past. It’s an interesting visual concept that actually translates well to animation, allowing the audience to experience The Flash’s sense of distorted time specifically in battle. In a neat touch, one of the soldiers is knocked unconscious from merely the shockwaves of force generated by The Flash winding up a punch.

While The Flash’s fish out of timestream plotline is interesting, the main focus is on Wonder Woman leading the black ops Justice Society against the Nazi threat of world domination. There’s something viscerally appealing about seeing a stylized version of William Moulton Marston’s classic Wonder Woman design come to life kicking the crap out Nazis. Her interplay with the endearingly smitten Col. Steve Trevor (Chris Diamantopoulos) is delightful.

Although using an alternate earth version of the Justice Society allowed the writers to use fewer characters, some of them are more well rounded than others. Hawkman and Black Canary are given some nice moments allowing their characters to form a bond that pays off later in the film. Whereas Hourman’s power limitations, his fear of inadequacy, and possible addiction to Miraclo — the drug that gives him multiple superpowers for sixty minutes every twenty four hours — are barely touched upon. Still, it’s an interesting choice to include him in the roster. The diminishment of Jay Garrick’s speed abilities by having to share access to the Speed Force with the displaced Flash is also mentioned briefly but never really expanded upon. This leaves the audience feeling like it’s a mere inconvenience rather than a possible catastrophic event. Doctor Fate (Keith Ferguson) shows up in the story serving as the catalyst for The Flash to make the journey to Earth-1, although it isn’t specifically made clear if he is part of the Justice Society at this time. There are also surprise appearances from two of DC’s heavy hitters in the film that would serve as major spoilers if revealed here.

The first half of the film is a pulpy World War II two-fisted tale that abruptly turns into an otherworldly adventure as the team is stranded in Atlantis after the submarine transporting them is attacked by German warships. The highly futuristic Atlantean architecture and technology is beautiful, but totally severs the audience from the actual time period that the film takes place in. This is made obvious when a group of sleek streamlined Atlantean battle cruisers attack a very Max Fleischer inspired art deco New York. The storyline for this part of the film is really interesting but the lack of any retro-futuristic design choices makes it seem visually incohesive.

That being stated, the animation and character design is fluid and beautiful with multilayered backgrounds that add a Cinemascope feel to the film and give it an added layer of production value usually not seen in direct to video animation. The fight layouts are amazing, with each battle given distinct choreography that not only highlights the characters’ individual fighting styles but separates them from becoming a generic series of punch ups. This wouldn’t feel out of place on theater screens should it ever get a theatrical run.

The voice acting is top notch with Stana Katic and Matt Bomer shining as Wonder Woman and The Flash respectively. Omid Abatahi, Mathew Mercer, Elysia Rotaru, and Armen Taylor round out the rest of the Justice Society with solid performances under the skillful voice direction of Wes Gleason. Director Jeff Wamester and his team of highly talented animators complimented with a punchy script by writers Jeremy Adams and Meghan Fittzmartin have created a fantastic homage to vintage war movies and adventure serials that is well worth your time.

Having The Flash encounter the Justice Society was a great introduction to the team, but their rich and varied characters shouldn’t have to share the spotlight again if Warner Bros. Animation should ever make a sequel. They’re strong enough to stand on their own, even if Rex Tyler’s powers only last one hour.

Justice Society World War II is currently available digitally on Blu-Ray and 4k HD formats through Warner Bros. Animation.