A friend was hoping to watch Justice League Dark (2017) with me, but it wasn't on Max. He assured me that this sequel does not rely on viewers to know its predecessor. Indeed, Wikipedia's synopsis suggests only a tangential plot connection. Of course, familiarity with a lot of DC Comics characters helps.
Superman (Jerry O'Connell) leads Earth-affiliated heroes against Apokolips, home planet of Darkseid (Tony Todd), possibly the biggest threat in the DC Universe. They face an army infused with Superman's DNA and lose tremendously. Most of the movie takes place two years later, when a handful of still viable heroes, including a poisoned Superman, reluctant sorcerer John Constantine (Matt Ryan), troubled half-demon Raven (Taissa Farmiga), and a bitter Robin (Stuart Allen), band together to stop Darkseid from mining Earth's core to a deadly degree.
The title wasn't kidding. I've seen bleak, R-rated DC animations before, but this one has more dismemberment than the Kill Bill movies. Even the heroes who don't die -- escaped or enslaved -- are put through agonies I wouldn't wish on anyone. Some of the antiheroes commit similar levels of mutilation, but by then, we hardly mind. (There's also swearing and a little innuendo.)
You know times are tough when Etrigan the Demon (Ray Chase) is the main source of humor, somewhat like a droller version of Thor in Avengers: Endgame. In the second half, he tends to be outshone by the Suicide Squad, not least Harley Quinn (Hynden Walch) and King Shark (John DiMaggio). Be warned that comic reliefs are not immune to tragic fates either.
If it makes you feel any better, comic book characters in any medium tend not to stay down. Not only do some have revival powers, but once I learned that time travel had set this story in motion, I could be reasonably certain that most heroes wouldn't even remember their traumas later. Well, the ending is more hopeful than clearly happy, but I'll take it.
JLD:AW is not for casual superhero fans out to kill 90 minutes, because it's not for the faint of heart. Nor is it especially cerebral. It's for devotees ready to get their guts wrenched. I sought a palate cleanser afterward.
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