Teen Titans GO! to the Movies: Small Screen To Big

A lot of superheroes are getting a movie these days. Why not Teen Titans GO!?  

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies debuts on October 30. It's on everything from Blu-Ray combo pack, Digital, and DVD. The Digital format appeared early on October 9. 

SUPER

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies made over $51 million worldwide. It may be easy to scoff at the box office haul compared to other superhero films. 

But.

The flick doesn’t come close to the budget of some of those other movies. It also landed a 91% on the (debatable) Rotten Tomatoes rating scale. It is good for a ‘Certified Fresh.’ 

Some of those bigger superhero movies were beaten on that front. 

Examples - Avengers: Infinity War - 84%. Ant-Man and the Wasp - 88%.    

(In fairness, a lot more critics reviewed those other movies.)

Teen Titans Go! is a comic book and television series. The show is underway of its fifth season in 2013 on the Cartoon Network. The story behind that could lead to a few more hundred words. I will leave the background alone. 

The DC Entertainment and Cartoon’s Network’s show sees Greg Cipes (Beast Boy), Scott Menville (Robin), Khary Payton (Cyborg), Tara Strong (Raven) and Hynden Walch (Starfire), all making the move from the series to the big screen. Will Arnett and Kristen Bell round out the cast.    

Peter Rida Michail and Aaron Horvath directed the film from a screenplay by Michael Jelenic and Horvath.

The Teen Titans - or more Robin - is determined to be in his own
movie. 

Superman has been on the big screen. Batman does too. Wonder Woman. Even Green Lantern.

Of course, this means the Titans need to get a Hollywood director to notice them. It wouldn’t be an adventure without a Supervillain Slade to mess with their plans either.

TAKE 

Would I buy this film? Yes - it would make a pretty good gift for kids who like superheroes.

For myself though? If I was younger I know it would be something  I would watch again. But I am quite happy with the one viewing. 

The movie does come across like a Saturday morning cartoon feature. The PG adventure clocks in at a brisk 84 minutes, but it does feel long enough too. 

After darker adventures with The Avengers and Batman v Superman - Teen Titans GO! offers a surprising dose of zany and silliness. 

I can’t say I was much aware of what Teen Titans or Teen Titans GO! were about before this. 

A lot of the humour and action is clearly aimed at the younger set of the audience. For the kid-at-heart with a decent knowledge of comic book characters and those pesky superhero movies, there are still points to find amusing. (Even taking a jab at the particular Batman v Superman film.) 

Superman is voiced by Nicholas Cage. There is a reason for it. There are references to some 80s movies and a cameo master, who may have ties to Marvel.   

The voice cast is solid, overall. From the basic animation, which is used less nowadays in feature films, it works fairly well. The story takes some crazy and surprising turns too…musical numbers anyone?   

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies will likely hold many parents - or just adults - attention. But I can see more of the kids getting the bigger kick out of the viewing experience.         

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW 

The DVD only has the Storyboard Animatics for the features.

Lil Yachty Music Video: Teen Titans GO! Rap (2 minutes, 9 seconds.)

- Lil Yachty gets animated to help rap to the Teen Titans GO! Song.   

Sing-a-long with Silkie 
Rap (1 minute, 56 seconds.)
Inspirational (2 minutes, 41 seconds)
Superhero (2 minutes, 23 seconds)

- Remember those musical numbers mentioned? Well, here you can not only replay them, but they offer up words to help you sing them better.

“DC Super Hero Girls: The Late Batsby” Mini-Movie (4 minutes, 14 seconds)

- Considering this as the highlight of the special features. It’s a very short story of a young Batgirl trying to keep her secret from her father, while Mr. Freeze is unleashing mayhem on the city. 

Red Carpet Mayhem (2 minutes, 10 seconds.)

- Really feels like a promotional clip used for the movie before it got released. Feels unnecessary after watching the movie.

Teen Titans GO! To the Movies: WB Lot Shenanigans (3 minutes, 56 seconds.)

- This is completely set in the real world. The Teen Titans GO! Set out to get on the Warner Brothers Lot. They sneak onto the lot, but the security guard is on their trail. No talking. Just music. Maybe points for uniqueness. 

Everything is Fake (51 seconds)

- Storyboards of a song which was cut from the movie.

Teen Titans GO!: Translated (2 minutes, 18 seconds)

- Clips from the film and translated into five other languages like German and Hebrew.

Storyboard Animatics:
Time Cycles and The Final Battle (2 minutes, 41 seconds.)

Sequences from the movie and how they looked at the storyboarding stage of production. Unless you like behind-the-scenes look, don't bother.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Justice League

The Justice Society of America popped up in the 1940s. They would be the first team of superheroes to appear in the world of comic books. 

There was no Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman or Cyborg. They did not appear with the Justice League of America until 1960. They first battled Starro - a giant alien starfish. (Cyborg did not become part of the team until 2011 during a DC comics reboot.)

There is no giant alien starfish found in Justice League. The movie had an early Digital release on Feb.13. The Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD and 3D packs, are on March 13. 

Justice League is part of the DC Extended Universe. This includes Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman.

While Batman v Superman did slightly better at the worldwide box office of the DC movies, Wonder Woman received the higher marks among critics and audiences.   

LEAGUE

Justice League took in mixed reactions from viewers. It still managed $228 million in North America and $657 million worldwide. 

Zack Snyder returned to the director’s chair after Man of Steel and Batman v Superman - with some additional help from Joss Whedon. 

Superman (Henry Cavill) is missing in action. (If you are surprised what happens to Superman in this movie than you haven’t been paying attention to the previous movies.)     

Batman (Ben Affleck) feeling inspired, partners with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot.) They are aware of a new enemy named Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) preparing to cause chaos. The two heroes set out to try and recruit a team before it is too late to save the world. Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Exza Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) are those special recruits.   

VERDICT

Would I buy this film? Yes.

Is it the best superhero movie? No.

Was it an entertaining one? Yes - at least it was for me. 

I have seen all of the DC Extended Universe films. I am one of those people to say Wonder Woman is the best of the bunch. I would put Justice League in the second-place slot. 

Sure, there are plenty of sloppy/obvious visual effects. The running time is surprisingly brisk at 120 minutes (with credits.) And with such a good cast and supporting players, some are easily pushed to the background. 

Although, I think each hero of the Justice League has a moment to shine and standout.  

Yet, the action is cool and the tone is lighter than past movies. There are a few chuckles. I think The Flash - played by Miller - is the scene stealer out of everybody. He’s awkward and funny. There’s a running joke about brunch, which I found amusing. Gadot also continues strongly from Wonder Woman.

And there is heart in Justice League. If you look close enough.

As always, stick it out through the credits.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The standard DVD does not have Superman scenes.

The Return of Superman (2 minutes, 4 seconds)

- These are two, brief, scenes featuring Superman. They didn’t add much to the story if they were included in the film. 

Road to Justice (14 minutes and 10 seconds)   

- This is just a tour of the history of Justice League from the comic books to the cartoons like Super Friends. It is interesting since my knowledge of the comic books is quite slim from battling Starro to The New 52 reboot.  

Heart of Justice (11 minutes, 52 seconds)

- This is another closer look at the DC’s Trinity - Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman and how they are in the film.

Technology of Justice League (8 minutes, 14 seconds)

- This discusses the mechanics of the film from The Flying Fox and Knightcrawler which is used by Batman. To talk about the material found in The Flash’s suit.  

The New Heroes (12 minutes, 24 seconds)

- Ray Fisher (Cyborg) talks the history of his character and also The Flash and Aquaman.

Steppenwolf the Conqueror (3 minutes, 3 seconds)

- A look at Steppenwolf’s origin in the comic book world and how he is like in the movie. 

Scene Studies (15 minutes, 16 seconds) 

- Mostly a behind-the-scenes reel of specific scenes. From revisiting the Amazons, Wonder Woman’s rescue, Heroes Park and the Tunnel Battle.

- Suit Up: The Look of the League (10 minutes, 21 seconds)  

Interesting in innovation and evolution of the costume design? Michael Wilkinson explores the process behind the work for superhero design. 

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment