Warner Bros. Animation continues to glean beloved characters from DC’s robust library for the popular DC Showcase line of animated shorts, this time opting to elevate Constantine, Kamandi, The Losers, and Blue Beetle in the 2021-2022 compilation release, DC Showcase: Constantine – The House of Mystery. The shorts collection will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-ray on 2nd May and on Digital Download from 3rd May 2022.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and inspired by characters and stories from the iconic DC universe, the all-new quartet of DC Showcase shorts are produced by Rick Morales (Mortal Kombat Legends franchise, Injustice). Jim Krieg is the producer, and Sam Register is the executive producer.
While Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth!, The Losers and Blue Beetle have all appeared as enhanced content on past DC Universe Movies, the extended-length Constantine – The House of Mystery makes its public debut as the anchor for this dynamic shorts compilation.
Synopsis
Matt Ryan (Constantine, Legends of Tomorrow) reprises his live-action and animated role as the Hellblazer himself in Constantine – The House of Mystery. In the all-new short, John Constantine wakes up in the eerie House of Mystery with no recollection of how he got there. Fortunately, Zatanna and his friends are all there. Unfortunately, they have a bad habit of turning into demons and ripping him to shreds, over and over again!
Constantine, The House of Mystery Courtesy of WB Home Entertainment
Telling stories through these showcase shorts offers stirring, mature adventures covering all corners of the DC universe. The anthology-style series throws the spotlight not just on the biggest DC superheroes but also on the characters that may be unfamiliar to the general public in surprising genre-defying ways.
After the events of Justice League Dark: Apocalypse war in which Constantine convinces the Flash and uses his magic to guide him in creating a new flashpoint in order to change the cataclysmic events and eventually save the Earth. However in doing so he’s meddled with time and unfortunately a price must be paid and Constantine must pay it.
The punishment bestowed upon him feels like a groundhog Day horror story as he’s trapped for eternity inside “The House of Mystery” a secret domain where none can escape from. Very little is known about this mysterious house, the architecture is indeterminate and changes periodically. The same holds true for inside the house as rooms constantly shift and one never enters the same room twice, One thing for sure though is that the house likes to play tricks on people and the superheroes that enter it.
If anything Constantine is put through the physical and emotional wringer and what he endures throughout his imprisonment is gory and gruesome.
Constantine, The House of Mystery Courtesy of WB Home Entertainment
Throughout the film there’s a mystery to be unraveled and its even more impactful thanks to Robert J. Kral’s incredible, haunting, and eerie score which truly elevate the films more supernatural sequences.
Matt Ryan continues to be the definitive Constantine, portraying him both in live action and animation. He truly made this role his own, with his splenetic humour and arrogance that the Hellblazer is well known for.
finalising the cast are Camilla Luddington (Grey’s Anatomy) and Ray Chase (Licorice Pizza) who reprise their roles from Justice League Dark: Apokolips War as Zatanna and Jason Blood/Etrigan, respectively, while Robin Atkin Downes (The Strain) and Damian O’Hare (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) reprise their roles from Constantine: City of Demons as Negral and Chas, respectively. In addition, Grey Griffin (Scooby-Doo franchise) and Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba, Longmire, Young Guns) join the cast of the short, which is directed by Matt Peters (Injustice) from a script by Ernie Altbacker (Batman: Hush).
Constantine, The House of Mystery Courtesy of WB Home Entertainment
Verdict
Constantine: The House of mystery is a stacked twenty-seven-minute short film that features mystifying elements as well a few explicit scenes. Its gripping, gory and deliciously sinister whilst showcasing visual animation, haunting score and ultimately a mindbending hell-induced nightmare visit to The House of mystery
Constantine – The House Of Mystery is set for release on Blu-ray on 2nd May 2022 and on Digital Download on the 3rd May 2022.
Don’t forget to enter our competition HERE as we’re giving two lucky winners a copy of the new collection of DC Animated shorts, Constantine – The House Of Mystery on Blu-RayTM – UK ONLY!!!
Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom [credit: Warner Bros. / DC]
Genre:
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date:
December 20, 2023
Director:
James Wan
Cast:
Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Plot Summary:
Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.
I know that it’s been a little while since “The Flash” came out in theaters, but I got to say that after seeing the movie again on Max, I think that it’s clear to say that Michael Keatonis the best actor that has played the Caped Crusader.
Keaton played the hero in the Tim Burton-directed superhero flick way back in 1989. Many fans were skeptical of the controversial casting but were happy to have him in the film after it was released and welcomed him back for the sequel in 1992.
Here is why Keaton reigns supreme as the comic-book hero.
HE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR “DARK” BATMAN
Batman 1989 [credit: Warner Bros.]
Before Michael Keaton, the only thing that fans had for Batman was Adam West on the 1960s tv series and while the series had its moments, they seemed more campy than actually dark. West had a more comical take on the character which might have been fine for the 1960s but it doesn’t really honor the source material.
Keaton brought the character into darker territory and allowed Batmen after him to run, but only after he had to walk in the batsuit and it was a breath of fresh air to see it.
HIS ORIGIN STORY IS MORE TRAGIC
Batman 1989 [credit: Warner Bros.]
In the original comics, Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed by the criminal Joe Chill. And the tragic event is what made him the caped crusader. That is a great origin story, however, the 1989 film changes a few things.
In the Tim Burton movie, Jack Napier a.k.a., the Joker kills Wayne’s parents. Albeit, this is before Napier becomes the Joker but it makes for a great connection as to why Batman has such a true and deep disdain for the Joker, thus making their hero-villain dynamic more palpable to watch.
HE TOOK ON A KRYPTONIAN WITHOUT KRYPTONITE
The Flash 2023 [credit: Warner Bros.]
If you haven’t seen The Flash, spoiler alert because Keaton’s Batman takes down the kryptonian Nam-ek in the coolest and briefest showdown in the DCEU, where Batman grapples the Kryptonian by the neck attaching bombs to him and finally knocking the alien to the ground with a final explosion.
Keaton can rest easy knowing that he was the only Batman to knock down a Kryptonian without Kryptonite. Not even Affleck could attest to that.