Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Review

So this week, we see the Teen Titans from the DC Animated Movies Universe make their return in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract with quite the buzz and hype compared to Justice League Dark starring Constantine, which came out a few months ago, and that both are developed by the same team. I will give a review of Justice League Dark in the near future.

The Judas Contract is based on the arc of the same name from the Teen Titans comics. I unfortunately never read it, so this is my first exposure to the storyline. Furthermore, while The Judas Contract comic book is set before the events of Flashpoint, the animated movie version is set in the New 52 timeline and is a continuation following the events of Justice League vs Teen Titans. Unless I am mistaken, this is also the first New 52 animated film where Batman is nowhere in sight.

The story starts with a brief flashback detailing when the Titans, led by the first Robin Dick Grayson, first encountered Starfire, establishing one of the most famous romances within the Batman continuity. Fast forward to the present with the Titans from the last film along with Dick Grayson returning to the team as Nightwing, and their newest member - Tara Markov aka Terra. The Titans are engaged in a series of campaigns against members of the Hive, led by Brother Blood. Unbeknownst to the Titans, Blood has hired the mercenary Deathstroke to bring them in, and Deathstroke has a plan to make it happen.

I assume you are smart enough to know what happens next, which is essentially the biggest issue with the movie as it's quite predictable in terms of the plot. Also add a cup of tropes here and there. I don't really mind these things as long as they are executed perfectly. But in The Judas Contract, the execution is just average.

There is also something weird about the film's animation. It's very hard for me to describe it. But if you are familiar with the animated films from the 1980s - like Fire and Ice, Starchaser: Legend of Orin, and Gandahar, then you probably have a good idea what I'm talking about. While I see no problem with The Judas Contract following this style of animation, it's also quite unusual as it's never done before in the previous films.

What the movie shines through, and also its main feature, are its characters as we get to peer more into their lives. I absolutely adore the romantic relationship and chemistry between Nightwing and Starfire. So much so that, if I were given the opportunity to write the next story, I'd shake it up a bit by introducing other female characters that are known to have a history with Dick Grayson, just to see how it goes. A staple of Dick's character is that he is quite the ladies man and critics and fans love it. Virtually everybody loves Dick (Grayson, that is).

Another that I like in the film is that it provides us a look into Terra's origins. While most comic book fans already know the character, for the rest whose only knowledge of Terra is through the animated shows from Cartoon Network, virtually nothing is known of her past. The Judas Contract not only gives us a look into Terra's past, but also what made her the way casual fans know her in the Cartoon Network iterations. I personally did not like her character design though as it seemed too generic when compared to Raven's and Starfire's.

I also enjoy the moments we see Jaime Reyes's life as the Blue Beetle and his struggle with the machination that is attached to his body. I'm just surprised that with Jaime having so many appearances now in animated format, he has yet to appear in a live-action format. I'm guessing all that CG may be too costly even for the people behind the Arrow-verse. But given he is more familiar now, I would think the time has come to step into the live-action world and gain a larger reputation from the general audience.

There's also something in the film I'm having confusion with, and that is with Beast Boy. The movie depicts him as being among the original lineup of the Titans when Dick was the leader as Robin. This means that by the time of The Judas Contract, Beast Boy would've been much older, almost the same as Nightwing and Starfire. But it appears as though he hasn't aged at all. I'm guessing it's due to his shapeshifting powers, which is why he can look and behave like a teenager even though he's probably in his 20s.

Despite the average and predictable plot, a confusion or two, and the lack of fan-service, The Judas Contract shines through thanks to its characters. Added in with the occasional serious tone that is the norm of these animated films, The Judas Contract ends up an incredible experience. If Warner Bros. Animation continues to produce these more often and on a regular basis, I almost wouldn't mind Cartoon Network spamming Teen Titans Go on their programming schedule, because a much better Teen Titans are here in these films. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, a 4 out of 5.