Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Directed by Alan Burnett
Ra's al Ghul: "You dare disobey me? Have you forgotten your heritage? You are an al Ghul."
Robin: "No... I'm a Titan!"
Following two movies where Batman (Jason O'Mara) had to grapple with a son like Damian Wayne/Robin (Stuart Allan), it seemed that both father and son realised that they couldn't really work with other no more. Fortunately there was a solution.
The solution being that Damian needed to interact with people closer to his age, so instead of assisting the Justice League, it was decided that he'd join the Teen Titans instead. Given Damian's social skills, this would be a bit of a doozy for him. The kid doesn't make the greatest of first impressions.
With Nightwing (Sean Maher) more as a former member, the group were led by Starfire (Karin Wahlgren) and comprised of Raven (Taissa Farmiga), Beast Boy (Brandon Soo Hoo) and Blue Beetle (Jake T. Austin). Damian managed to butt heads with all of them and got literally roasted by one of them with Raven having to step in to heal him.
As I've watched later movies, I know this continuity was hinting at a potential romance between Robin and Raven. In this movie, the two certainly clashed but also knew each other because of Raven healing Damian. This also meant Damian made a point to Starfire about Raven not being vetted. I trust Raven but Damian actually made a fair point.
Yup, the big bad in this movie of course was Raven's father, Trigon (Jon Bernthal) and he made a point of possessing Batman, Superman (Jerry O'Connell), Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson), The Flash (Christopher Gorham) and Cyborg (Shemar Moore). This alone made the Teen Titans step up as a team in order to stop the threat of Trigon.
As a team, this lot definitely had their ups and downs and while Damian was his usual dour self, the more the movie progress the more he actually gelled with his team. By the end of the movie, he had successfully become a member while Raven had the perfect imprisonment for her hellish father.
- Other villains that popped up in this movie were Lex Luthor/Toyman (Steve Blum), Ra's al Ghul (Terrence C. Carson), Weather Wizard/Solomon Grundy/Atomic Skull (Rick D. Wasserman) and Cheetah.
- Setting up the next movie was a brief cameo from Terra towards the end of this movie.
- This movie made it clear that Superman and Wonder Woman were a couple.
- Chronology: Not long since the events of Batman vs. Robin. This movie was also released the same month as Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans might not be the most epic of smackdowns but for an opening animated movie for this particular group, it's really good. The Trigon story was adapted well and Damian's progression as a character and working with others was a highlight.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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