“Batman and Superman: Battle of The Super Sons” is the perfect gateway into the DC Universe and is one of the best entries in the long-running line-up of direct-to-DVD projects so far. The film also boasts a breathtaking new visual design as being the first ever all-CGI movie truly lends to the stylistic vision director Matt Peters and writer Jeremy Adams were going for. The pre-teen powered plot brings together the first on-screen pairing of the sons of DC’s biggest superheroes as the adventures of Jonathan Kent (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Damian Wayne (Jack Griffo) is off to a promising start that features action-packed sequences, exuberance, and plenty of fun nods and cameos from DC Comics and Superman: The Movie.
“Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons” honours and uses Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s comic run as its source and overall foundation so that this animated movie can portray the authentic versions of the characters. It gives us a cynical Damien Wayne, aligned with an innocent, naive, Jonathan Kent, both are awkward youths finding friendship but their different personalities are complimentary, especially in battle.
11-year-old Jonathan Kent discovers he has superpowers, thus the half-Kryptonian gets thrusted into the complicated world of Super Heroes and Super-Villains — who are now under attack by a malevolent alien force known as Starro. It’s a race against time as Jonathan must join forces with assassin-turned-Boy-Wonder Damian Wayne to rescue their fathers and save the planet by becoming the Super Sons they were destined to be.
WB Home Entertainment
Throughout the 83 years of comics, Batman and Superman have barely aged a day, however, both characters have had major storylines that have had the duo become devoted fathers to aspiring superheroes. The film also establishes the relationships the Super Sons have with their fathers but we also get to see Bruce and Clark raise their children which showcases a father’s strength and empathy, ultimately this movie is about the celebration of fathers and the bonds we share with them.
WB Home Entertainment
The animation is truly next level as it utilises CGI technology with 2D elements to create a stylistic and aesthetic feel, one that utilises each camera movement and each fight sequence as when the Super Sons take on Starro and their fathers, every punch and blow can be felt.
For a movie with a runtime of 79 minutes, Warner Bros. Animation continues to raise the bar in terms of animation, voice acting, and most importantly storytelling. “Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons” acts both as an origin story for Jonathan Kent and showcases the first teaming between Superboy and Robin. We focus on Jonathan discovering his powers and coming to terms with the truth about his father and we get a glimpse into Damien Wayne’s troubled past and dysfunctional relationship with his father.
WB Home Entertainment
As always with any WB Animated project, they assemble a stellar voice cast. Grazer and Griffo bring so much life to their characters. Grazer’s vocal performance portrays warmth and humour and Griffo excels at portraying Damien as overconfident, darker, and showcases a sense of superiority. The rest of the incredible cast gives strong emotion and performances. Troy Baker Delivers a grand Batman performance and Travis Willingham’s vocal performance as Superman conveys warmth, Laura Bailey’s Lois Lane is another standout.
Final Thoughts
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons” has all of the staples of a strong animated feature and its Super too. Jeremy Adams’ screenplay provides the viewers with plenty of action, storytelling. and showcases the compelling dynamics these two young boys have and with their fathers. The film is truly an introduction into an incredible universe full of realatble characters and it also has tons of heart, The soundtrack is incredible with many memorable themes, especially when the score changes as we venture from Smallville to Gotham City. “Battle of The Super Sons is easily one of the best DC Animated movies to date, and I hope we get to see more of Damian, Jonathan, and of course Bat-Cow!!
“Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons”, Is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD via Warner Bros.
The hunt for James Gunn’s Superman is heating up. Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has made its debut, the Director has ramped up his search for a cast to match his script. Recent reports have David Corenswet as the frontrunner to play the man of steel, as well as Nicholas Hoult being eyed for Lex Luthor. We’ve also heard that Gunn’s antagonist role in ‘SUPERMAN: LEGACY’ is reportedly labeled as “APEX” and James Gunn is looking at Black actors for the role.
“You know, listen… I don’t come to ‘Guardians 3’ and say, ‘I wanna write a movie that’s gonna make everybody cry.’ I don’t think about that. I just think I want to tell a story that treats the characters with dignity and compassion and is the best, most surprising, most moving story I can possibly tell. And if that ends up being just moving, because it’s a fun blast of a film or if it ends up being moving because you’re sobbing, or it makes you feel that rage, or whatever it makes you feel, I’m good with all of those things as long as it works.”
Gunn also believes Superman is an emotional character and should embody that human trait.
“And so, I can’t say I’m looking for any particular emotions to bring out through ‘Superman,’ but I don’t want it to be unemotional. I don’t want it to deny that we are, as human beings, emotional characters and that Superman is also that.”
Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon
Plot Summary:
Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
The heroes of DC’s Justice League and Rooster Teeth Animation’s RWBY join forces in “Justice League x RWBY: Super heroes and Huntsmen Part One” an all new Anime-Action Packed adventure that sees our heroes transported to Remnant. It’s a visually vibrant story about teamwork, strength, and belonging. The all-new, feature-length DC Animated Movie finds Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Vixen in new iterations – transformed into teenagers while in transport to RWBY’s world, and presented in Rooster Teeth’s anime-influenced animation – and partnering with the heroes of Remnant (Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang) to battle a mysterious, superpowered creature before it destroys everything they know.
“Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part One” is an adaptation of the seven-issue comic crossover that came out in 2021 and was written by Marguerite Bennett with artists Aneke and Mirka Andolfo. The miniseries introduced fans of manga and superheroes to Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, and Diana Prince of Remant, fighting with team RWBY. The creative team have truly got the best of both worlds with DC and RWBY, crossovers can be risky business but I’m here to say that both these worlds truly blend together seamlessly creating such a fun colourful world of adventure.
Director Kerry Shawcross and his team do justice to both sets of characters by introducing DC characters to RWBY and vice versa. The film does function more like an instalment of RWBY than a standalone so if you are not familiar with this world you’ll miss out on the easter eggs and quirks, however, for me, it served as an introduction and has made me a fan of this world. I love how they’ve incorporated fandoms whilst also visually reimagining the Justice League to suit the world of Remnant, transforming the members into teenagers was truly an act of genius from writer Meghan Fitzmartin. Taking well-established, experienced characters who are in their prime have been taken back to their youth which provides teenaged angst, goofiness, awkwardness, and a new perspective for the League. Seeing each member get their Semblance was such fun as the two worlds collided Superman’s semblance is solar-powered and comes from the sun whilst Batman’s allows him to scan his surroundings akin to x-ray or infrared vision, and now as a bat Fanus, Bruce is able to use wings to fly. Here in Remnant, his crime-fighting detective knowledge is turned into a superpower but ultimately it’s Bruce who feels at home in this world gaining an understanding of what it’s like to be Superman.
Each member goes through a change whether it’s Wonder Woman who now has the ability to conjure and summon her weapons as the RWBY Dust enables her to use the Lasso of truth, The Flash who still retains his powers of speed from his original world, Cyborg has more electricity abilities and Vixen becomes a Fanus but ultimately the film is about overcoming and imposter syndrome as Jessica Cruz aka Green Lantern since her arrival on Remnant is unable to use the powers of the Green Lantern. Jessica’s arc is so vital to the story showcasing that in this world she doesn’t feel that she can stand with her peers without the ring, throughout with the help of Juane she must learn to have confidence in herself. It’s fun to put both teams in these situations as they have to all come together and in the process learn from each other.
The voice cast throughout is in top form. Chandler Riggs voices the teenaged version of Superman managing to carry the sense of authority that comes from the Man of Steel but tempered with the awkwardness of youth. Natalie Alyn Lind, treads a similar path to Riggs with her portrayal of Wonder Woman, as indeed, does Nat Wolff as Bruce Wayne/Batman and all the JL cast members. Alongside them are Team RWBY’s long-running cast Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle (RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (The Detective is Already Dead) as Blake, and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang.
Also featured in the cast is Ozioma Akagha (Teen Titans Go!) as Vixen, Jen Brown (Red vs. Blue) as Pyrrha, Tiana Camacho (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) as Glynda, Aaron Dismuke (Fullmetal Alchemist) as Oscar, Jason Douglas (The Walking Dead) as Jacques, David Errigo Jr. (Ridley Jones) as The Flash/Barry Allen and Rolf, Samantha Ireland (Red vs. Blue) as Nora, Miles Luna (Camp Camp) as Jaune, Shannon McCormick (Get Backers, Day 5) as Professor Ozpin, Neath Oum (RWBY: Chibi) as Lie Ren, Tara Platt (Aggretsuko, Naruto: Shippuden) as Kali, Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern, and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as Cyborg.
The animation this time around was handled by Rooster Teeth which employs a different visual style than most WB DC releases. It preserves the 2D/3D hybrid world of RWBY much similar to the previous 3D CGI feature Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons Review Here. the visuals are energetic with anime influences and references. the action is enough to keep the film exciting as the Grimm are imposing creatures that feel very Kaiju inspired. One thing that truly ignited the film was its score, David Levy has created such a heavy metal operatic symphony that felt energetic and electrifying.
Final Thoughts
“Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part One” was a lot of fun and worked even for someone like me who was completely unfamiliar with the RWBY franchise, it serves as the perfect introduction to Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang whilst also being a great anime-inspired action adventure for the Justice League as we’ve never seen them before. It’s a visually vibrant story that focuses on teamwork, and building strength in yourself and others, whilst also showcasing a tale of belonging, self-discovery and adorable teenage angst. the appetite is well and truly ready for Part 2!
Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One is produced and directed by Kerry Shawcross (RWBY franchise) and written by screenwriter Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II). Producers are Ethan Spaulding (Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge), Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Legion of Super-Heroes). Laura Yates (Boyhood, RWBY, Red vs. Blue) is Supervising Producer. Executive Producer is Michael Uslan. Sam Register is Executive Producer.
Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One is now available to purchase on Blu-ray and on Digital Download.