Took a little longer on editing this because I had to rework the script since Browntable came out with a video basically touching on the same points/issues we have with the DC animated movie universe. that being said what did you guys think of JLD: Apokolips War, would love to hear your thoughts.

Can we take a moment to appreciate justice League darks best line though: "King shark is a shark"

Honestly the last movie was basically a Constantine movie, featuring the whole cast of the DCAU.

Tbh, my biggest problem is that they really rushed through with this universe, we didn’t get to see other characters shine like Green Lantern, Shazam, and Flash. Stories and characters that were being set up were either scrapped or forgotten about, and didn’t get to see other characters that were hinted to be part of this universe like Green Arrow, Sintero, and Blackfire.

I truly enjoyed the DC animated movies. I can't wait for the new movies coming out.

Let’s hope that most of the DC Rebirth movies will be great, I’m honestly excited for Superman Man of Tomorrow and The Long Halloween movie they’ve announced that will come afterwards.

One thing I really enjoyed about these movies was the relationship between Damian Wayne and Raven. Much better than her and Beast Boy imo

If anything is a take away from the DCAMU is Damien Wayne's growth and his relationship with Raven

TBH, I’m tired of all the connected universe crap. “Red Hood” was a great movie because it didn’t care about connecting a universe. It was about creating an experience and atmosphere that fits one story

I whole heartedly agree, and I think this whole trend of darkening the DC universe is in large part due to the success of batman and his popularity. Seeing how successful he is DC practically made every character versions of him thinking that edginess and dark tones is what makes good story telling. However, Batman is not an Edgy character, he doesn’t look down on society or people he seeks to help them. And DC in trying to make every character like Batman, lost sight of what made his character great in the first place.

It would've been nice to see the entire Knightfall saga turned into a decent 12 cert animated series bringing back the voice actors from the Batman Animated series. We never got an animated Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael in the high tech armoured Bat suit.

I actually like a lot of these movies but I understand why people don’t like them. I like the new Batman voice but no one will be better then Kevin Conroy

I feel like DC completely forgot who their flagship character is supposed to be for an entire decade. Ever since Man of Steel came out everything was just trying to make Superman edgy or the bad guy or an aggressive punk that Batman needs to keep in check(BvS, Injustice, these stupid movies etc.). Almost every version of Superman from the last decade feels more like Uberman from the Earth 2 storyline rather than the actual Superman and I just hope they embrace the hope aspect of Supes more rather than the power aspect and let other characters take the spotlight that aren't a Batman related character or with the JLA, does a Batman related character really need to be in 70% of your movies?

Veronica Cale in Bloodlines: YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST OF ME WONDER WOMAN! Literally the next movie: REBOOT!!!

You can’t hate on the animation cause the main reason they stopped is being the movies weren’t getting paid enough, for somereason live action movies will always get more money than animated dc movies which makes no sense

I liked the DCAMU. But I guess we all have different opinions. lol

I’m glad this exists. It’s sad that that one dude at watchtower database dismisses the criticisms of this franchise as just hating. There’s a genuine decrease in quality in nearly every aspect compared to the movies before Flashpoint. To the point it even affected Young Justice

my biggest problem with this dcau is that almost everyone was trying to be too serious. all the heroes were screwing their faces, making snarky remarks, trying to act to tough all the time, it came across as if the writers were trying way too hard to pander towards the fans that wanted this dark, edgy version.

I actually really loved this movie, and I’m looking forward to the Man of Tomorrow and the new timeline. Hopefully we can get Tim and Jason back. The only real reason they weren’t introduced was because they’re more known than Damian and they wanted Damian to get more fame. Because let’s be honest Tim and Jason would definitely steal the spotlight from Damian

I personally loved this move and I am glad this is the end of the new 52 animated movie universe thing so this could open the door for dc rebirth

Why does dc need animated universe. Like dc stories take a variety tone but the animated universe is all edgy

I agree. The later animated movies are poorly written. The characters are "edgy" and lose everything that make them lovable and interesting.

I wished he talked about Batman: Assault on Arkham (NOT Hell to Pay!) . The film got me hyped for Suicide Squad and helped me recover when the latter ended up being crap.

I feel like that maybe the movies weren’t making money so they cut the budget Nd eventually they jus decided to “Ultimatum” it

I honestly love all the animated movies of DC no exception...sure there are ones better than others but i rly enjoyed them and liked their story not forgetting to mention how shocked i was while watching JLDAW it was just shock after shock but it was an amazing movie seeing villians and heros unite and sacrifice was nice... and looking forward to the upcoming movies too. grt vids btw

Everytime Under the Red Hood clips show up, i get the feels and kinda cry inside. That movie definately had good budget and writing :')

The Death of Superman is an amazing movie that has a wonderful build up. The first fight's aftermath where they comment on the destruction of a car, the bank doors, and the street set up how terrible the final fight is. Superman actually felt like his comic book self/DCAU self. I would set that movie (and maybe the Reign of the Supermen) apart from the rest of these movies. The short clips of the League facing Doomsday shows are long and brutal the two are fighting.

can we get an animated Kingdom Come, already?

Although I actually quite enjoyed darkseid war I do agree with a lot of your takes about the failings of the dcamu post flashpoint

I think the new 52 movies had cool fight scenes..... The batman v robin, JLA and death of superman was all great

I *want* comics and their resulting animated movies to be taken seriously. But for the *story,* *not* for the cheap shock value.

crazy how dc animation had there own thing going on for years and it didn't get nearly enough attention, DC is running the animation category while marvel is running the live action, really wished these movies got more appreciation, well maybe now it is because of the pandemic, I really loved the continuity and story from these dc movies, from flash paradox to Apokolips War, great writing.

I was about to stop your video when you mentioned you were a fan of the new 52. I thought oh no another young kid who doesn’t know anything about comics is going to go and tell me about how we inventing these classic characters to be young hip and dark is the best thing they ever did at DC comics. It’s nice to see you saw the bigger picture even if you may have been taken in in the beginning of the new 52. You should really pass this on to all the X new 52 fans or current fans. Very well said very well reviewed and this is coming from someone who is collected comics for 45 years. Good stuff!

A small part that always bothered me is how they skipped from Dick to Damian. Partly because Tim is not only my favorite Robin, but my favorite superhero. Partly because Damian is one of my least favorite DC characters. Partly because DC has been seemingly trying to erase Tim for the past decade (with the exception of half of Tynion's Detective Comics run, with signs that this may just now be beginning to change).

Even though the movie was dark and sad 😥 it was still very awesome 💯

while you are certainly entitled to your opinion i must disagree. New 52 was not great but i liked the animated series and that the last one was a nice send off to an idea that didn't work.

Amazing video essay! I haven't seen all these movies(I might now given your video) but yeah; you nailed it. While I liked Justice League vs Teen Titans, they never really captured what made the OG movies so great. A lot of that is due to the New 52 aesthetic but also as you said them wanting to be edgier. I find writers who do this miss the point. Sure, some characters, like Batman, can benefit from a darker tone for shock value. But that's the thing; it becomes a gimmick. A cheap one at that. What matters above all is the writing, specifically the characterization, narrative, setups/ payoffs. The older DCAU movies did this very well. The Wonder Woman animated movie(which I find better than the live action one) got this so down pat. Overall, it seemed like WBs did this as an attempt to try to compete with Marvel given the DCEU's mixed reception. Though, it seems now that is being reversed. But really, I do hope that the future animated movies can go back to what made the OG animated movies so great.

This kinda thing happened to the DCEU.

It was really well made. In a way I enjoy it more than the MCU even though it's uneven and the screen time is distributed weird.... still, we know and love these characters, so we dont need an origin story for every little thing.

I hope they don't end it, for that's what's keeping them a float.

This just reminded me of why i dropped western comics and recently got into anime and manga. So far, i haven't missed much. I grew up in the 90s and was introduced to DC via Bruce Tim's amazing shows and the fact that modern DC animated has fallen so short of that great era just shows that it isn't worth my time.

I’m glad we’re gonna get a refresh. I wasn’t a fan of most of these movies. I dug Judas contract for the most part, and liked Death of Superman, even if I hated the BvS manner of the death. But yeah the writing has been so weak, the animation so cheap, some of the acting less than chic. Although you named the standout actors, definitely. Those three were my favorite actors in these movies by a long shot.

Super frame it's good to know I'm not the only one who got into DC around New 52. And I agree it misunderstood characters like Wonder Woman Superman and Teen Titans. Everything you said in this video about the dcamu is correct. DC was never good at interconnected Universe they were always good at stand-alone self-contained stories. the recent dceu movies since Aquaman are starting to learn that.

At least with Doomsday it being violent MAKES sense... and the cowards don't even include Doomsday's signature scene of a bird landing in his hand and him crushing it, establishing Doomsday as a destroy in a concise and symbolic way.

This was a great video man! You absolutely hit the nail right on the head how gratuitous stuff like cursing and violence does not immediately make something mature and serious.

This Video makes me want to rewatch these pre Flashpoint DC Movies Like Justice League Crisis on Infinite Earths and Batman under the Red Hood.

You can also see the difference in tone when the grand finale is a Justice League Dark movie instead of a Justice League movie.

I get the flaws and agree with a lot of them that u have w the DC animated universe, but I still love it. The violence and sadness is abundant, it’s rare to find that on film with these heroes

I felt the same way about the earlier animated movies. Even the best of them, like Red Hood, just don't hold up to the legacy of the DCAU, Batman:TAS, Superman, Batman Beyond, and Justice League. Under the Red Hood has heart, unlike most of them (what else can you expect from Judd Winick) but it doesn't quite make it. One thing the Marvel films manage to avoid is what I call "Deus ex Easter egg," where a crucial plot point depends on a set-up from comic lore rather than within the film itself. Under the Red Hood resolved the mystery of Jason's resurrection with Ra's Al Ghul and his Lazarus Pit, banking on the viewer's prior knowledge of this lore rather than laying the seed and paying it off within the film itself. (Judd, if you're reading this, I love your work, you know that.) After that, the DC animated features descended into increasingly mediocre adaptations of great works whose time has passed, and increasingly empty pieces of bombast, echoing the greatness of the Justice League series ever more faintly. And with each failure, the studio's dependency on empty edgelord shocks grew. The nadir was Killing Joke, a dreadful, lifeless adaptation of a work that was far better left behind anyway. Even its author has voiced his unease with it. Though I think it goes without saying Brian Bolland's artwork stands the test of time admirably. The lackluster animation is an insult to his skill and care. It seems with these latest films that the studio has gone all in on edgelord shock value. But edgyness was only edgy when it wasn't the norm. DC has slaughtered all its sacred cows over and over, seemingly unaware that the sacredness is long gone. Nothing is shocking anymore. At this point, all they're selling is the pretense of shock. It's sad, like an aging, wealthy punk-rocker raging against the man when he's become the man, shaking his golf club in defiance. The edge comes from outsiders, like the 29 year old angry Frank Miller, or freaky hippy mystic Alan Moore. But when the insiders sell the edge as their business model, it's not edgy. Subversiveness delighted my generation because it pissed off the boomers. But now, my generation is trying to sell it to yours. But it's not revolution anymore, it's a product. Are you buying it? Sounds like you're not. Good!

I like a lot of the movies, but I have to say I can't stand what they did in apocalypse war, I mean I can't stand what they did to the heroes I grew up with. They sicken me the way they get joy out of abusing nightwing! I felt flash point was hard to digest but I still liked it because it had resolution to me. Maybe I'm too traditional, but I'm so close to just going back to marvel it's not funny. 😡 I hate what these writers do! If it's not profane language, it's over the top violence.

For one thing I don't mind the violence or the way it was depicted, as long as it comes from the appropriate characters.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP BATMANS VOICE IN THESE, I personally think the voice acting sucks in every recent justice league movie

It's nothing another Flashpoint Paradox can't fix.

You absolutely nailed it! I usually do not comment on KZfaq but this was worthy friend.

I always thought gratuitous gore, ultra violence, and nudity in comic books is beyond unnecessary. Sure, if you want to to tell a "mature" and "serious" story. You can use as long as it's tasteful and makes sense. I don't need to see Starfire and Iron Man being ripped in half with their guts hanging out at the beginning of a comic. Like it was said in the video, it doesn't add anything other than shock value. This is probably why I hate Marvel Zombies so much.

In this shock value rut they are stuck within, Batman cannot be a detective, he has to prove that he can beat Superman once per film.

The animation was what really drawed me to the dcamu. I have no other experience with other DC movies, but I thought some of the character interactions were neat (for example damien and raven).

I’m just glad this cinematic universe is finally over. We can finally have great artwork again and good stories that feel pure and whole, and not just another boring episode. We can actually have REAL animated movies again!

That's the only thing Constantine is good for, destroying everything in order to save his @ss. I really hate that 'hero'. After all that death of course the only way to fix it was to hit the reset button or it was a dream all along.

okay.....but WHY could we not get at least one more teen titans movie in this universe?!? I was really looking forward to a new one and then witnessed them all die within a sad second.

i'd be curious to know what films you've watched post flashpoint you did like. i watched gotham by gaslight today and although i'm not familiar with the comic, i enjoyed it. it had a bit of a rushed ending, but other than that i was definitely entertained

In Apokolips War we see Barry say he remembers the flashpoint and we know flashpoint paradox sets the DCAMU up. At the end of flashpoint paradox, Barry gives Bruce the letter and this is the beginning of the time line of the DCAMU. In Justice League War however, when Barry and Bruce meet while fighting Parademons, the interaction between them makes it seem like they just met. Bruce says to him that he admires his work making it seem that they haven’t met formally yet. So is the timeline when Barry gives Bruce the letter at the end of Flashpoint paradox not the same time line as the DCAMU? If it is the same timeline, why do Barry and Bruce act like they are just meeting in Justice League War?

These movies are the definition of "So dark, you sure you're not from the DC universe?" Basically proving Deadpool right.

I found it interesting that this new DC Animated Universe had Kevin Conroy as Batman in Flashpoint. Then after that move they had Jason O'Mara take over the role. I wonder what the thinking was that caused that change?

So am I the only one who actually really loved this animated universe. The characters being a little darker just made it seem more realistic and I absolutely loved the animation.

DC Animated Universe was great, Loved everything i have no complaints.

I feel like apocalypse war was too short. It wasn't long enough for total satisfaction, I would have liked to have seen they fight on apocalypse rather than a bunch of freeze frames and I would have like to have seen earth's resistance fight back, like we never saw kid flash or wonder girl or the original titians in action also what was with them? They just showed up out of nowhere with no back story and what happened to the original kid flash? And where was green arrow the whole time? We never saw him but he had to exist for Roy to be Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow. And what was with all the useless end credit scenes!?! Jericho coming back to life at the end of teen titans the Judas Contract or wonder woman confronting syther at the end of wonder woman bloodyness or the end credit scene for throne of Atlantis?! And to top it off what happened to deadshot and deadman? They weren't in dark apocalypse, why?

personally i liked the gretty and brutal viloence .. couse at the end of the day you had a bunch of animalistic mosters with the strength of superman ... ofc limps will rip and bodies will tear. Then the whole war this is brutal and it showcased that brutality when facing such a god.

So there is no movie after this one in that Univers 😢🥺

At the beginning, was that the theme for Justice League Crisis on Two Earths I heard?

I always thought that bourassa's style was more suited for marvel than dc.

I am glad this animated universe is over. I hope it doesn't get resurrected. I had more fun watching Batman Meets The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than any of their movies.

A huge issue I had with this series of movies came from Green Lantern of all the heroes. The animators rarely showed him doing anything more than generic green laser beams. Rather than what he's known for, creative constructs that lead to a solution to an immediate problem.

1. I loved the dark and brutal universe but I’m goth as all hell so slightly bias. 2. Agree with the story issues could have used more movies to establish more. 3. You worded everything very well. You have a care for the materials as all fans do for or against. And that’s what really matters. 4. If any fans or stans for the edge talk shit, ignore them. If anything we need to promote channels like this that actually show who the fans are. Passionate people with a love for heroes.

Another great video! Well done bro 👍🏻

I really want them to show how far flash traveled and what was the result as a continuity for rebirth

Honestly I hope it’s kind of a reboot snd that we get this again but I really really hope they introduce Tim drake and Jason Todd as well as damian because we’ve never seen a whole batfam like ever besides comics

I hate the fact that after a while, they try to bring back to the Superman, Batman and those few founding members of the JL. I get the idea that those characters are popular and iconic that it is safe to just do movies about them and people will recognize and follow, but it's getting boring now. I do not completely hate the way the new movies are being done. I quite like the art style actually, and how consistent it is (just my opinion), and some characters were portrayed just fine, except superman like you mentioned (he is like a completely different type of the hero most of us have known). I just wish they had tried to do something else like slowly change the characters and create the diversity in their movies or not finish the whole story too early by killing all of the characters (by any mean). What I mean is, just give some space for new characters to appear and grow, make the universe more diverse instead of trying to experiment the same old ones over and over again. Just try to do something like Justice League unlimited back then.

My biggest grip was there was too much batman

I honestly don't understand why people dislike justice league dark apokolips war. I liked it.

Though this wasn't prevalent throughout the entire film, I noticed that some of the art direction seemed noticably softer in Teen Titans the Judas Contract. I think that may have been an animation supervisor brought on for specific parts of the film, but I think even a softer aesthetic worked well, even if it was only temporary.

Under The Red Hood is still my favorite. Glad to see it getting more appreciation and love.

I can agree that the quality has definitely dropped off in recent dc animated movies, my main complaint being that yeah they are trying to fit a 2 or 3 hour movie into an hour like you said. Assault on Arkham is probably my favorite one still, I loved that art style and its cool to see it continue on in other movies as well, but that doesn't mean it fits for all, also the shock value I feel works in some of the movies like sucide squad or maybe a dark batman movie...but superman? nah, that guys always keepin it clean.

I wonder if there are any plans to adapt the Dark Knights Metal series next that would be interesting to see

This proved to me this animated universe was not planned out in the slightest.

All my favorite characters died in like the first five minutes!

I actually like all animated movies...and I don't expect anything that's why I like it

3:14 My video was buffering at the right moment

Good to see you got the OG Two Face Lego set when you were a kid too

I really HATED the "New 52". I am glad to see the last of it.

You should cover the ones that were released outside this Animated series. Like Àssault on Arkham, Gods and Monsters, JL vs Fatal Five

🙌👏🙌👏🙌👏 I hope dc takes your advice in future movies

The problem is that superman is a boring hero that's why new 52 tried to reboot that with more edgier version

8:55 is such a mind-fuck when you’re watching this half asleep

Yeah thanks I'm still watching those movie but the gratuitous violence is sooooo cringe and childish in those movies and yes the change of style between each DC movie was one of the best thing about their old line. I still very much like the first Justice League Dark movie since Constantine is already kind of an edgy character he did work in the movie even if it's still crowded. Hoping they get over their casual gory violence phase and give us some more great films in the future.

I feel if they advertised it more, the movies would probably make more money. Meaning more budget 🤷🏽‍♂️

I've enjoyed DC animated movies,(52 style). Because of all the reasons you named that makes them bad. This is how I get my fix from bad comics. The muscles, the fight scene, and the swearing.Yes I get what your saying and that's cool an all but for an hour and a half or so this is adult animation at it best. My opinion.😁

This doesn't make me wonder if they will make a brand new animated movie DC universe or if they will adapt of a famous DC storylines to these direct to DVD films

The original DCAU Batman movies (Phantasm, Sub Zero, Batwoman, Return of the Joker) were all pretty good.

Agree with the animation quality.... buuut the art style itself is super sick in my opinion. I have a soft spot for the crisp/clean art style. But I admit that it looks like most of the budget went towards it rather than the animation/creative composition