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I just saw this film for the first time last night.


It's got plenty of great action scenes. And James Woods is wonderfully sinister as Owlman, the evil alternate version of Batman. It's not the best of the DC Universe films, but I thought it was quite a good one.

Anyone else seen it?

No I've not seen it yet. Must check it out.

Yeah, it was good. Was this Owlman (in his older comic appearances) maybe one of the influences for Nite Owl II?
New Frontier (2008), and Doom (2012) are also enjoyable.

QuoteWas this Owlman (in his older comic appearances) maybe one of the influences for Nite Owl II?

It's possible. The first Owlman appeared in 'Crisis on Earth Three!' (Justice League of America #29, August 1964). And obviously Nite Owl II first appeared in Watchmen in 1986. Supposedly Nite Owl II was inspired by the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, who first debuted in 'The New Blue Beetle' (Captain Atom #83, November 1966). But I think the similarities between Kord and Dreiberg were more to do with their backgrounds and personalities than their appearances. Dreiberg's costume certainly resembles the Silver Age Owlman's more than it does Kord's.


The Owlman in this movie – who is essentially an updated version of the Earth-Three Owlman from the Pre-Crisis era (both being members of the Crime Syndicate of America/Amerika) – is based on the antimatter/Earth-3 Thomas Wayne Jr. Owlman from Grant Morrison's JLA: Earth-2 (2000). In that comic he sported a distinctive feathered cape design similar to the one worn by Nite Owl II. It makes me wonder if the more high-tech armoured Nite Owl costume in Zack Snyder's movie was perhaps influenced by this version of Owlman.


Speaking of Owlman, I thought it was interesting how the movie ended with (SPOILERS) Batman breaking his no kill rule by strapping Owlman to the QED bomb before teleporting it to an uninhabitable Earth, and allowing Johnny Quick to die in the Flash's place when he vibrated at super speed. (END SPOILERS) All in all, it was a pretty coldblooded depiction of the Dark Knight. But I liked the film a lot.

QuoteNew Frontier (2008), and Doom (2012) are also enjoyable.

I enjoyed New Frontier, but I haven't seen Doom yet. I've been slow collecting the DC universe animated movies. There are still a few I haven't seen.

^ I highly recommend the shorts on some of those discs. The ones for Jonah Hex, Green Arrow, the Spectre and the Superman/Captain Marvel thing are all pretty good.

I just watched The Spectre short last night. I loved it. You could tell the special effects guy was modelled on Tom Savini. And one of the props that attacked him was clearly Reagan from The Exorcist (1973). The music was quite similar to John Harrison's score for Day of the Dead (1985), though that may have been a coincidence. And the possessed car was definitely a nod to Christine (1983). As a film buff, I love spotting those kind of references.

I've got the DVDs that the Green Arrow and Jonah Hex shorts are meant to be included on, but they're not there. Either they were exclusive to the Blu-Rays or they just weren't included on the Region 2 releases. I've got The Spectre short on my two-disc edition of Crisis on Two Earths. And I've got the Catwoman short on the Batman: Year One DVD. But Jonah Hex and Green Arrow – they just aren't there.  >:(

QuoteI've got the DVDs that the Green Arrow and Jonah Hex shorts are meant to be included on, but they're not there.

Let's say that if one has purchased the official DVD, there's no harm done in resorting to other means to get some missing special features.

QuoteLet's say that if one has purchased the official DVD, there's no harm done in resorting to other means to get some missing special features.

It's awfully tempting...

I thought this was alright, but it does feel like an overlong episode of an existing TV series instead of a standalone film.

I'm not usually keen on stories involving multiverses, but it was interesting how the Crime Syndicate were evil versions the Justice League. The plot didn't really leave a huge impression on me, other than Martian Manhunter and Deathstroke's daughter almost being romantically involved, the other Earth's Lex Luthor being the only surviving member of the Justice League, and Batman tricking Johnny Quick to send him back to another dimension stop Owlman. I thought whoever voiced Batman (it was one of the Baldwin brothers, if I'm right) did a poor job though. Flat and dull. On the other hand, James Woods was good as Owlman; I didn't even recognize his voice. Whereas Batman is the introverted, cynical type - Owlman was the same but extremely nihilistic. The Flash felt like the Spider-Man of the group, always had a big mouth and flippant. Interesting that Ultraman came across as your typical wiseguy too.

Overall, a good enough one-time watch but not quite the best animated movie that DC has to offer.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Mon, 11 Feb  2013, 23:25
I just watched The Spectre short last night. I loved it. You could tell the special effects guy was modelled on Tom Savini. And one of the props that attacked him was clearly Reagan from The Exorcist (1973). The music was quite similar to John Harrison's score for Day of the Dead (1985), though that may have been a coincidence. And the possessed car was definitely a nod to Christine (1983). As a film buff, I love spotting those kind of references.

I've got the DVDs that the Green Arrow and Jonah Hex shorts are meant to be included on, but they're not there. Either they were exclusive to the Blu-Rays or they just weren't included on the Region 2 releases. I've got The Spectre short on my two-disc edition of Crisis on Two Earths. And I've got the Catwoman short on the Batman: Year One DVD. But Jonah Hex and Green Arrow – they just aren't there.  >:(

You're in luck when it comes to the Green Arrow one.  Last month, WB posted it for free on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVRiADlDEig

Thanks for posting this. I hadn't seen it before, but I enjoyed it.

I still think the Spectre DC Short is the best, but this Green Arrow film was miles ahead of the lacklustre Catwoman short.

I think Owlman is rapidly becoming one of my favourite Batman villains. He has all the skills, knowledge and strengths of Batman, but he has an added streak of ruthlessness and access to more advanced technology. He really is the ultimate adversary.

James Woods is said to be one of the most intelligent actors in Hollywood, and watching some of the interviews related to this movie it sounds like he took a genuinely thoughtful approach to the character. I can imagine a lot of actors might just phone it in and take the money with these animated films, but Woods seems like he was genuinely enthusiastic about the part. And his Chekhovian interpretation of Owlman is fascinating.


In this interview he also mentions how he nearly played the Joker in Batman '89. If Jack hadn't played the part, Woods would have been the perfect choice. I suspect he would have looked a lot like the Brian Bolland Joker in the makeup, which would've been perfect for Burton's Killing Joke-influenced take on the character.

Getting back to Crisis on Two Earths, did anyone catch the Superman II (1980) reference during the fight between Supes and Ultraman, where the former grabs a mirror and uses it to reflect his opponent's heat vision back at him?


One final thing to mention about this film is the awesome theme music. It's the perfect theme for the Justice League.

It was definitely a good movie but (like many people) I found Baldwin's vocal work for Batman to be very distracting. I'm all for different interpretations but every time he spoke it just took me out of the film.

Another minor gripe is that I wish it was actually within DCAU continuity, as the script was apparently originally written to bridge the gap between the two Justice League series.

Quote from: phantom stranger on Sat, 15 Feb  2014, 21:50Another minor gripe is that I wish it was actually within DCAU continuity, as the script was apparently originally written to bridge the gap between the two Justice League series.

That would've made more sense. It was clearly meant to take place after the events of the JLU three-parter 'Starcrossed', as evidenced by the absence of Hawkgirl and the John Stewart Green Lantern, as well as the reconstruction of the Watchtower that's underway at the start of the film. The plot point about the Watchtower being rebuilt seems totally superfluous if it's not a sequel to Starcrossed. So they probably should've set them within the same continuity.

But even so, I liked this film a lot. It's a shame more people haven't seen it.