Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Superman goes on a rampage: death, graphic violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Injustice
What's the Story?
In INJUSTICE, it's an alternate universe, and Clark Kent (Justin Hartley) is happy to learn that his wife Lois Lane (Laura Bailey) is pregnant with their first child. But things take a terrible turn when Lois goes out on assignment with Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy is killed by The Joker, and Lois is taken prisoner by The Joker (Kevin Pollak) and Harley Quinn (Gillian Jacobs). When Clark learns of this, he becomes Superman as Batman (Anson Mount) reaches out to all the members of the Justice League for help in finding her. Lois is being held in a submarine, and The Joker has connected a detonator to Lois' heart, and when Superman arrives to rescue her, The Joker unleashes a toxin that causes Superman to hallucinate that Lois is Doomsday. Batman tries to warn him, but is too late, and when Superman takes "Doomsday" into space, Lois is killed, and the bomb is detonated, causing mass chaos, destruction, and death to Metropolis. Distraught and angry, Superman decides that he has had enough with waiting on justice, and decides to become the embodiment of judge, jury, and executioner. He kills The Joker (whose plan all along was to corrupt Superman) instead of allowing him to sit in Arkham Asylum, and then appears before the United Nations to announce that he'll rid the world of evil by any means necessary. This announcement divides the Justice League -- Wonder Woman is for this brand of justice, and Batman is against it, believing that it will only create a new set of problems. It's soon revealed that Batman was right, and that Superman's new brand of grief-motivated justice results in many casualties, and not all of them villains. Now, Batman and his allies must find a way to get through to Superman before it's too late.
Is It Any Good?
Injustice explores the perils of vigilante justice and the blurred lines between good and evil. However, instead of getting another story out of this through Batman, this time, a grief-stricken Superman is driven to wreak vengeance on the evildoers of Earth by any means necessary. It contains obvious messages about, in words the characters even use, the problems inherent in trying to be "the world's police," and such blind justice goes into some ridiculous (but unexpected and amusing) extremes, such as Superman's livid reaction when he discovers that disaffected teenagers are throwing Joker-themed raves in abandoned warehouses in Metropolis.
It's rated R, and while it isn't that much more violent and profane than all of the other noir movies of the DC Universe, there's enough blood, fighting, sound effects, and trauma to justify it, to say nothing of the language and infrequent sexual innuendo. The acting is solid, and the animation isn't of the highest quality, but it works for the story. The story itself turns into the usual snags and snarls of so many side stories and secondary mortals, heroes, and villains, to the point where the complexity is best enjoyed by the superfans. For everyone else with a passing familiarity, the biggest surprises happen when one realizes that characters are killed in this alternate universe, no matter how heroic or villainous they may be, and make this an interesting exploration of all-too-familiar themes and characters.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Injustice is different from other movies centered on DC Comics superheroes. How does it compare to other stories about these characters?
What message is the movie communicating about unchecked power and how it creates new problems, even if (or especially if) done in the name of "justice"?
The perils of vigilante justice, and the blurred lines between good and evil, are a recurring theme in these stories. Why do you think there's such a fascination with exploring these topics through the stories of superheroes and villains?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 19, 2021
- Cast : Justin Hartley , Anson Mount , Laura Bailey
- Director : Matt Peters
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Home Video
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Superheroes
- Run time : 78 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Bloody violence
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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