A really good animated direct to video superhero movie.
Based on a popular storyline in the comics, this film finds the Teen Titians in a very serious situation. Their new member Terra is just gaining the trust of the team, but she is obviously going through a lot and often finds her powers getting out of control and endangering her teammates. It becomes obvious that there is a dark secret that she is hiding from the other Teen Titians. Perhaps a secret that should make the Titians not trust her so much.
Though this movie is certainly action packed, at its heart this is a very emotional film. Much of this is due to how the characters are handled. Each of the Titians' personalities are very well defined and none of them come off as one-dimensional. Not only this, but the relationships between each of the Titians is very well handled. This is probably the most important aspect in any film centering around a superhero team. These relationships can tend to grow over the course of the film as well. Beast Boy begins simply flirting with Terra, because he finds her attractive and she initially finds this annoying. However the relationship grows into something much deeper and more poignant and this leads to some of the most emotional scenes in the movie. There is also a wonderful dynamic between Starfire and Nightwing. Of course there is a strong romantic relationship between them but that is not the only thing explored with these two. Nightwing had originally been the leader of the group, yet after having left the team, when he rejoins, Starfire is the leader. He has trouble adjusting to this and she has doubts when the rest of the team turns to him instead of her. Though this aspect of the story is often kept in the background, it adds an emotional connection for the audience and makes the characters feel more real to us. Blue Beetle's relationship with his father is aspect that is often kept in the background but adds a lot to our connection with the character. Yet the main focus of the film is Terra, herself and while the character may be far from admirable much of the time, this movie does a wonderful job of making us still care for her and relate to her. Her character arc is very emotionally gripping and leads to a powerfully emotional ending. Even if you have never read the comics, you can easily see why this story is so famous, as you watch what she goes through. Yet as well as being emotional, this movie is also a lot of fun. The action scenes are wonderfully exciting and the humor is quite good.
Unfortunately with this film's runtime being under an hour and a half and there being so many heroes, not enough time is allowed for the villains to shine. Because of this they come off as rather bland and typical superhero movie villains with little to make them stand out or be memorable.
This film was a long time coming. The movie was scheduled for release 10 years before superhero fans actaully got to see it. The film was reserved to be the third of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. However it ended up being shelved. Fans would keep asking when it was going to come out. In 2010 Bruce Timm stated that there were currently no plans to revive this film. However in 2016, the movie was officially announced that it would be made and released. Voice actors Masasa Moyo (Bumble Bee), Jason Spisak (Kid Flash) and Crispin Freeman (Speedy) reprise their roles from the animated TV series, Young Justice. Meanwhile Stuart Allan (Robin), Taissa Farmiga (Raven), Brandon Soo Hoo (Beast Boy), Jake T. Austin (Blue Bettle), Sean Maher (Nightwing) and Kari Wahlgren (Starfire) all reprise their roles from the direct to video movie, Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016). Sam Lui the director of that film, directed this movie as well.
This is a wonderful superhero movie and one I can easily recommend.
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