Gods Monsters Blu Ray

Justice Leagues: Gods and Monsters is a solid little Elseworlds tale. Bold even, considering Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Princess Diana are nowhere to be found. Superman is the son of Zod, not Jor-El, in a clever alteration to Supe's origin. Batman is Kirk Langstrom (in other realities, Man-Bat), a genetically altered vampire-like creature with super strength and a thirst for blood. Wonder Woman is scorned Princess Bekka, granddaughter of New God Highfather. And the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter? MIA. This is certainly not the Justice League you know and love... although after this smartly conceived introduction, you may find yourself hoping executive producer Bruce Timm and co-producer Alan Burnett will dream up sequels that keep tabs on this darker, less righteous JLA in the future.

Witness the divergent reality where the Justice League protects the planet but answers to no one but themselves. Employing methods of intimidation and fear, this Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman deal brute force in the name of justice. When a group of famed scientists begin experiencing untimely "accidents, " a government task force follows the trail of clues to the Justice League - Superman (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), Batman (Michael C. Hall) and Wonder Woman (Tamara Taylor) - but is there a more powerful player operating from the shadows? It's a high stakes game of intrigue, mystery and action that asks the question: how do you serve justice to those above the law?

Ideas are sharper than execution in Gods and Monsters, but fans familiar (and perhaps bored) with the tried and true JLA, particularly the New 52 JLA, will jump at the chance to meet Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett's new breed of bloodier, more brutal antiheroes. Each Leaguer earns a lengthy origin flashback - though two, important as they are, come later in the movie and disrupt the flow - and each one has an intriguing character arc, leading to the formation of a more principled, ahem "heroic" team. The action is nicely handled too, as is the central mystery, which involves three deadly, seemingly unstoppable, possibly alien assassins killing off scientists and framing the Justice League for the murders. The reveal of the plot's moustache-twirling mastermind is rather mwa ha ha, and a bit too left field, but it's deeply connected to one of the JLA members, skips right past a few giant red herrings, and pays off to one degree or another.