I'll start by just saying: wow.  I initially paid very little attention to Justice League: Gods and Monsters.  All I could tell was that it was some direct-to-video (and do those even matter?) film about three people who aren't the "real" Justice League.  It looked inconsequential, so I figured there would be no point in watching, let alone buying it.  And then I actually watched the thing, and now my mind is completely changed.

Gods and Monsters is set in an alternate DC Universe where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are different people, both in identity and in behavior.  Superman is the son of General Zod and Lara, the former having switched his DNA with Jor El’s in the moments before a famous rocket was launched from a dying Krypton.  Batman is Kirk Langstrom, a scientist trying to cure lymphoma with bat genetics who ended up transforming himself into a vampire-like creature.  And Wonder Woman is Bekka, former wife of Darkseid’s son Orion, having made her way to Earth to escape a tragic turn in the war between Apokolips and New Genesis.  Together, they’re a much deadlier version of the Justice League, Earth’s apparent lone superhumans who work for the government with the uneasy understanding that they’re powerful enough to conquer this world, and they just might do it if circumstances require it.

The absence of Clark, Bruce, and Diana in this universe is palpable, both in an actual and a symbolic sense.  The explanation for why there’s no Clark Kent comes in the movie’s first five minutes, but one of the few things that hurts this movie is that we’re never given the “what if?” chain of events that explains why the other two are missing.  However, the behavior and attitudes of the replacement trinity highlights the absence of the originals because they’re each a moral flip of their counterparts.  The G&M Superman isn’t a humble “god” trying to be human, but someone all too aware of his superior stature.  Batman isn’t someone who uses cowardice and superstition to bring criminals to justice–as a vampire, he exacts vengeance by being the very thing criminals fear.  And Wonder Woman isn’t an instrument of war who comes to man’s world to bring peace.  I don’t want to spoil her shocking origin–and believe me, it was probably one of the most surprising and brutal scenes in the film–but she’s instead an instrument of peace who comes to Earth for war.

This funhouse mirror version of the DC universe would be nothing without a decent plot, and fortunately, Bruce Timm’s production comes through on that end as well.  In the midst of rising tensions between the ersatz Justice League and the United States government, someone is killing off scientists.  Specifically, the victims are characters who should be familiar to DC fans: Ray Palmer, Silas Stone, Emil Hamilton, Thaddeus Sivana, and other names which serve as a bounty of Easter eggs for longtime fans while not being so important that a casual viewer will be confused.  The manner of the attacks–heat vision, blood draining, and swords–implicates the Justice League.  Worse, it turns out the scientists were working on a mystery project, “Fair Play,” ostensibly designed to bring down the League if needed.  The tension that drives the film isn’t just over whether the League can clear its name, but whether it should take over the world to do so.  It’s a fundamental test to the characters as to whether they should be the “gods and monsters” that they appear to be in this world… or whether they can live up to the ideals of the real Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman that they’ve never met.

The traditional western animation style works great here, and it’s nice to see DC’s direct-to-video department still using it rather than resorting to CGI, which is dominating so many modern cartoons today.  The art style somewhat resembles DC’s “house” style of the DC Animated Universe, but stands on its own well enough to be its own thing.  Bruce Timm and the Warner production company did a marvelous job of rebuilding the DCU from the ground up while still making it resemble its familiar counterpart.

Only a few things hurt Gods and Monsters.  One, this is a pretty brutal movie in terms of violence and language.  There’s a lot of language dropped in the movie, and characters (including one kid) are dispatched in some of the most violent scenes imaginable.  This is not a cartoon for young children, so the casual dad who grabs a “Justice League” movie for his kid at Wal-Mart might be in for a nasty surprise when he puts it on.  Second, the story may not be entirely accessible for the casual fan who thinks this is a story about Clark, Bruce, and Diana in different clothes.  The opening five minutes make it clear why there’s no Clark Kent in this universe, but an average fan off the street might still become very confused by this alternate world with no context on how we got here.

Finally, the story is just a little bit choppy at times.  Superman’s origin very quickly segues from his arrival on Earth to his adulthood, and it’s jarring when it happens.  Similarly, Batman and Wonder Woman’s origins are peppered into the story at later points, and it distracts from the main conspiracy/murder plot.  They’re very necessary to the story, but the transition could have been handled better.

Otherwise, this movie was a fun little distraction.  At a time when DC’s direct-to-video department keeps adapting existing DC stories, it’s a lot of fun to see them produce something original.  It really helps that the final product is of very high quality.  Don’t miss this one.

Rating: Four and a half Elseworlds out of five.