Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015) Reviews

• Incredibly entertaining!

  crimson_knight_72015-01-21

  Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, directed by Ethan Spaulding, written by Heath Corson as well as Geoff Johnson was an exciting and entertaining animated film. Though Aquaman has made many appearances in the Justice League Animated Series, this was the first time he stared in his own animated feature film that was full of Shakespearian twists. Not too long after the events in Justice League: War, directed by Jay Oliva, Metropolis faces a new aquatic threat as the Ocean Master Orm attempts to persuade Queen Atlanna, of Atlantis, to fight the surface dwellers in an all-out war for the death of their king. Meanwhile, a young man named Author Curry, who will be later dubbed Aquaman, is thrown headfirst into the fray. After learning his true identity as a royal son of Atlantis, an Atlantian named Mera, at the request of her queen, retrieves Author so that he could fulfill his destiny as the new king of Atlantis. However, unlike Queen Atlanna's desire to use her son Author as a beacon that would bridge everlasting peace between Atlantis and the surface dwellers, Orm, also known as Author Curry's half-brother, yearns for the annihilation of the surface dwellers by using the destructive militaristic might of Atlantis. Through the aid of the Super 7, which will later be crowned the Justice League, Author Curry must accept his destiny as the future king of Atlantis and prevent a war that could destroy both worlds. Unlike most Warner Brother DC Animated Films, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis focuses more on a monarchial power struggle which was quite refreshing as it had a classical approach. Be that as it may, there were still plenty of realistic action scenes as Author Curry and the Super 7 fight an abundance of foes. Furthermore, the animation was absolutely stunning! While some might complain about the level of graphic violence, I personally believe this level of carnage creates a convincing atmosphere which has made DC animated films more enjoyable to watch. In the end, this animated feature film was an exceptional addition to the Justice League Animated Movie Series and will make any DC fan an enthusiast of the legendary Atlantian King, Aquaman. A definite 7.

• An enjoyable movie with several distracting plot holes.

  ewf10002016-02-08

  Be warned: spoilers lie ahead. This movie has plenty of action, the animation is good, and the voice acting is topnotch. I enjoyed it, but almost throughout the whole time I was viewing it, I kept getting distracted by annoying plot holes that could have easily been covered by the creators with a little forethought and additional movie time. First, there was the confusion as to which ocean holds the Marianas Trench. Then, when Cyborg goes to the bottom of the Trench to investigate the disappearance of a sub, he has no protective gear except a small breathing mask that leaves most of his face exposed. Sure, his cybernetic components could withstand the pressure at that depth, but at least a quarter of his face is simple human flesh. That part of his head should have been crushed. The mistake is repeated when Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Flash visit Atlantis. Without protective gear, Batman and the Flash should have been crushed by the pressure. And while I could buy that Superman and Wonder Woman would be invulnerable to the pressure, they are still air-breathing beings without gills. Yet, they breathe and talk underwater like Aquaman. Even more jarring is the fact that none of the Justice League members seemed to learn from or remember their fight against Darkseid in the previous movie. In the first film, the team realizes that each member taking on Darkseid singlehandedly was a losing strategy, and that their best chance of winning lay in taking him on as a team. They did that and won. Here, they fall right back into each team member attacking Orm individually and getting their butts soundly kicked. If eight superheroes are taking on one super villain, wouldn't at least one of the heroes suggest that they all jump him together? That is the advantage in having numbers on your side, after all. Also, the team seems to have gotten substantially weaker since Justice League: War. Darkseid is one of the most powerful beings in the DC pantheon, yet the League bounced back from his attacks and kept fighting. Here, Orm slaps them down one by one, and they stay down. Even Superman and Wonder Woman are left helpless after taking just one or two blows. This is completely out of character. Finally, it's a bit odd that Aquaman is the supposed ruler of the seas, yet throughout the movie, he is completely outclassed by Mera (Meara?) in battle. And when a sea monster tries to make a snack out of the team, Aquaman hides behind Superman, letting him subdue the creature. Again, overall, I enjoyed this movie. And I'm looking forward to the next Justice League animated adventure. But I hope the next movie pays a little more attention to detail than this one did.

• the best on-screen version of Atlantis in the history of small-screen cinema.

  allan_kear2016-05-29

  Without any question or doubt, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is the definitive telling of Aquaman's origins. as the bastard son of Queen Atlanta, he has a difficult hero's journey ahead. the twist of Manta coaxing Orm into war is brilliant, and well executed. were there problems? sure. but who cares? the idea of an already engaged Atlantean Princess having been impregnated by a human and having to leave soon after giving birth to her son ups the ante on the whole Hero's Journey that we've been seeing throughout mythology. the one thing about this i don't like is they replaced Martian Manhunter with Shazam, who's not one of the founding members in the comics. but, it's the New 52 version, so what the hell?

• One of my favorite animated offerings from DC Comics

  ersinkdotcom2015-02-09

  It's about time Aquaman got the limelight he deserves. Anyone who's kept up with his New 52 title knows the King of the Sea was resurrected with more powers than ever before when DC rebooted its universe. "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis" is the latest explosive animated offering from the comic book giant and Warner Home Video and proves to naysayers our fishy friend has what it takes to be a contender. Atlantian troops assault Metropolis as revenge for the death of their King. But the Queen of Atlantis has different plans and requires the Justice League to find her lost son, Arthur. While they search for him, the Atlantian soldiers, led by Ocean Master, continue their assault. "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis" is all the proof one needs to justify Aquaman's place on the greatest super hero team of all time. Whether on land or at sea, he can use his liquid-centric powers to bring down the law on all who oppose him or his friends. I love the style for the New 52 animated movies and think the change that started even before "Justice League: War" was needed. The voice actors all fit quite well, too. Of course it's still hard to hear someone else besides Kevin Conroy voice Batman, but change occurs whether we like it or not. "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis" is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout. There's some profanity to be found as well. It was very unnecessary and really could've been avoided. The use of adult language is something that will cause some parents not to let their children watch the movie. However, I'm pretty sure no one would've avoided watching it if there weren't any curse words. "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis" is one of my favorite animated offerings from DC Comics. I'm a big fan of Aquaman and it's nice to see him get his due finally. The movie never lets up in the action and adventure departments and moves forward at a breakneck speed. There's never a dull moment and it will leave you wanting more as the credits roll.

• I don't talk to fish.....but I do speak Lobster

  xamtaro2015-01-25

  Continuing the DC New 52 shared universe initiated by JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR, we have the long awaited Aquaman origin story in JUSTICE LEAGUE: THRONE OF ATLANTIS. This movie, loosely adapts the second major arc of Geoff John's critically acclaimed "Justice League" comic run. Like its predecessor, THRONE OF ATLANTIS does some major changes to the story to fit the animation medium. The most drastic change would be Aquaman's hero's journey from a lost wanderer finding his true calling in the world. As the newly christened "Justice League" investigate a mysterious attack against a nuclear submarine, we get glimpse into the life of one Arthur Curry. Grieving the loss of his father, the directionless Arthur has turned to drowning his sorrows and talking to lobsters. Just another drunken bum wandering the harbour. Or is he? As a fight with some thugs show, Arthur is more than human, boasting incredible strength, invulnerability, and able to mentally communicate with ocean life. Destiny, it seems, is not without a sense of convenience. It seems that Arthur is the heir to the throne of Atlantis, the legendary underwater city, and the death of Atlantis' king (as shown in Justice League: War) forces Arthur to realise his birthright. While some see him as the solution to peace between two worlds, his half brother Orm desires only vengeance against the surface world. As tensions mount, a coup from within sparks all out war; a war that only the Justice League can stop. I've said it before that DC and WB Animation's latest line of movies feel like Justice League in the tone of Marvel's Avengers. THRONE OF ATLANTIS continues that but starts to carve out its own identity. The forced humour is toned down a lot but the show still keeps its upbeat sense of superhero fun. The chemistry among the cast is impeccable thanks to the voice direction of veteran Andrea Romero. Some of the more questionable voices from the previous movie (Alan Tudyk as Superman, Justin Kirk as Green Lantern) are replaced with better sounding actors. Nathan Fillon is definitely a welcome choice to reprise his Green Lantern role and Jerry "Sliders" O'Connell takes over as Superman. On the antagonist side is Prince Orm, voiced by Sam "Starkiller" Witwer, who may be the most deliciously over-the-top villain in animation since the 90s Street Fighter cartoon's M Bison played by Richard Newman. For all the natural sounding dialogue and spot on acting, THRONE OF ATLANTIS feels a bit too bloated with too much plot in too little time. As a result, the central character of Arthur Curry is criminally underdeveloped. His story takes some cues from the live action MAN OF STEEL movie but due to a lack of focus, you never really get into his head or his personality. He goes from a man whose life is in a mess, without direction or resolve, to a natural born leader with strength of character and charisma. Also within a single day. Take away the opening and closing credits and this movie has just over an hour worth of content; Underdeveloped content, but beautifully drawn and animated content. Both artwork and animation takes a step up from the last instalment. The art is decently detailed even in the tightest action scenes. Director Ethan Spaulding add some nice stylistic touches to the footage giving underwater scenes a slightly off-focused blurred looked and doing some marvellous work on lighting and shadows. Character designs are less exaggerated than before (Superman shaved off a few pounds) and hew quite closely to Jim Lee's New 52 look. THRONE OF ATLANTIS earns its right to be called a movie thanks to the exceedingly smooth animation of Moi Studios in Korea. Every fight is fully choreographed and animated without short cuts. The part with Aquaman and Mera facing off against the savage "Trenchers" before the Justice League arrive is just spectacular to behold. It isn't perfect though and some animation errors do creep in. There is a scene in a bar where Arthur orders another drink. He raises his hand and freezes there with his mouth wide open but the dialogue carries on. Then there is the attack on the lighthouse where the Atlantean lasers are clearly not hitting where they are aiming at. And I just have to mention the aftermath of the torpedo attack against Atlantis where the smoke and debris are so badly composited on the background that they look like long floating turds. But hey, I am nitpicking here. And it would not be fair to penalise the whole show for a few visual oversights. That being said, JUSTICE LEAGUE THRONE OF ATLANTIS may have been a more enjoyable experience had it been more focused on Aquaman and his origin story. His is an intriguing tale to tell but it ends up being rushed through. At least DC has succeeded in bringing the Aquaman character out of the public opinion rut he has experienced since his days in Superfriends. I want to see more of Arthur Curry, and not relegated to a supporting role in the Justice League. Here's hoping that the character gets the solo movie that fans like me are dying to see.