Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen Part One, 2023
Directed by Kerry Shawcross
Featuring the voices of Natalie Alyn Lind, Chandler Riggs, Nat Wolff, Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech, Barbara Dunkelman, Ozioma Akagha, Jen Brown, Tiana Camacho, Aaron Dismuke, Jason Douglas, David Errigo Jr., Samantha Ireland, Miles Luna, Shannon McCormick, Neath Oum, Tara Platt, Jeannie Tirado and Tru Valentino.
SYNOPSIS
The Justice League are surprised to find that not only have they materialized on a strange world called Remnant, but they’ve also been transformed into teenagers. Meanwhile, the heroes of Remnant – Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang – find their world has been mysteriously altered. Can the combined forces of the Justice League and Team RWBY return Remnant to normal before a superpowered Grimm destroys everything they know?
In a crossover not many people saw coming, the worlds of DC and Rooster Teeth have collided in Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen Part One where the iconic heroes of the Justice League have been mysteriously transported to the world of Remnant, reverting back to teenagers in the process, and team up with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang and their friends to discover what has gone wrong in Remnant and the new threat responsible for bringing the Justice League to their world. The result is a pretty entertaining and fun film with gorgeous animation, fast-paced action and a cast that captures the intriguing dynamics between these two groups of heroes.
Justice League x RWBY is a fairly good film for newcomers to jump into. Obviously a lot of people will already know Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, if not specifics then at least their names and and what they can do, while some of the other Justice League members are fairly well known or familiar. To viewers who might have no knowledge of RWBY though, it catches you up pretty quickly on who Ruby and her friends are along with some of the lore of Remnant’s continents, their powers called Semblances and the magical Dust that makes them capable of using it, without getting lost in whose who or the series’ mythology which recently concluded its ninth volume. For longtime RWBY fans, there’s some connections to the series that clues them in how not all is right within Remnant and there is more going on than just the Justice League being transported to their world. It’s a mystery not only the heroes have to figure out, but the fans as well.
The animation is in RWBY‘s anime-influenced CGI style and, as the series’ first feature film, is very impressive. The 4K transfer makes all the colours stand out and the movements sleek, especially when it comes to the action sequences with how the heroes bounce or fly around or Ruby’s transforming arsenal in her scythe. The choreography is one of the standouts to the film in exciting action scenes that utilizes all the characters really well. When it comes to the Justice League, especially powerhouses like Superman and Wonder Woman, they’re given slight handicaps due to the rules of Remnant that puts them more on an even footing with the RWBY team and the Grimm creatures they fight against. The Remnant-style costumes for the Justice League are also well designed and suit the League’s teenaged personalities.
When it comes to the characters, director Kerry Shawcross and screenwriter Meghan Fitzmartin make some very interesting pairings and arcs within the two groups. Superman for one has some trouble being in a depowered teenaged form and is used to being the leader, finding it difficult when Remnant’s Huntsmen question his ideas or how Ruby is unsure of her position as leader and sometimes butts heads with Superman. Batman and Weiss, meanwhile, bond over coming from snobby, aristocratic families and their abilities (both powered and their intelligent deduction) while Jessica Cruz struggles with the loss of her Green Lantern ring and how useless she believes herself to be without it. The arcs are well thought out and in character with both the DC and RWBY heroes. Superman and Ruby’s relationship in particular displays nice growth as they lean on and help each other with their struggles and leadership positions.
As for the cast, many of them give very good performances. The RWBY cast of Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech and Barbara Dunkelman are great as expected while Chandler Riggs, Nat Wolff and Natalie Alyn Lind as DC’s trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman really capture the essence of each hero. Wolff brings a lightness to Batman as he’s reverted back to a teenager and remarks how he really missed out on on those years of joyfulness while still being as intelligent and skilled as his adult self and Riggs embodies the confidence of Superman, but gives him some vulnerability as he’s insecure with the loss of his full power and how not everyone in Remnant is looking to him for guidance, yet still has the wisdom he’s known for. It is fitting that Wonder Woman is still the most mature and adult of them all even as a teenager and Lind showcases Diana’s strength and compassion well, particularly in some humourous moments between her, Blake and Yang. Jeannie Tirado is also a highpoint with Jessica Cruz’s emotions and vulnerability, struggling with being the youngest and seemingly powerless member of the League.
Included as bonus features are:
Justice Comes to Remnant (7:35 min) – The cast of RWBY, director Kerry Shawcross and screenwriter Meghan Fitzmartin talk about the main heroes in Remnant – Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang. They discuss their personalities and the connections they share with each other as well as their reactions to the Justice League’s arrival. It’s nice insight from the actresses voicing the characters and very clear how excited they are to be paired up with DC’s popular heroes.
You Look… Different: The Design of Justice League x RWBY (9 min) – The talk turns to the Justice League and how the production team brought them into the world of RWBY. There’s a brief mention of the comic miniseries the film took inspiration from and why Shawcross, Fitzmartin and producer Ethan Spalding wanted to make the story unique from the comic. They also discuss the character arcs of most of the Justice Leaguers and how they interact with RWBY, particularly the pairings of Superman and Ruby, Batman and Weiss and Wonder Woman and Blake.
Two episodes from Justice League Unlimited and Justice League Action are also included. JLU‘s ‘Kids’ Stuff’ sees, much like in this film, the Justice League transformed into youngsters except instead of teenagers they become children. It’s a fun adventure with some entertaining takes on Superman and Green Lantern as kids while Batman, who at this age had already witnessed his parents’ murder, is still very much Batman and Wonder Woman – played by a young Dakota Fanning! – is again the only adult in the room. JLA‘s ‘Plastic Man Saves The World’ features the character, who many have thought of as silly and a joke of a hero (granted, he doesn’t take it too seriously either), try to save the world from Brainiac all on his own to prove himself to the League.
Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen Part One is a pretty entertaining film that blends together these two franchises very well, enough so that anyone who hasn’t seen much of RWBY or DC won’t be lost in who the characters are or their vast mythology. The animation is slick with detailed action sequences and the character arcs are intriguing, leaving plenty of possibilities open for the eventual second part to this story.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
