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In comic books, The Judas Contract was one of the best stories of all time.
Tense, shocking and ultimately heartbreaking, it was a story of trust and
betrayal which pushed the envelope in countless ways. As a superhero story, it
upped the stakes by creating a situation which was genuinely menacing. Yet it
was the depth of the characters on display and the emotional connections between
them which made it work. It’s taken years to finally bring it to the screen –
not counting the must-see Terra story arc in the animated Teen Titans series –
but does the new film, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, manage to be a worthy,
accurate adaptation?
Five years ago, the alien princess known as Starfire arrived on Earth and became
a part of the team of sidekicks known as the Teen Titans. Now, a new generation
has emerged while Starfire serves as team leader, with her boyfriend Dick
Grayson – formerly Robin and now Nightwing – assisting her. But unbeknownst to
them, a traitor is in their midst.
When Damian Wayne – the latest Robin – investigates, he’s soon captured by
Deathstroke the Terminator. Using inside information from his spy inside the new
Teen Titans, Deathstroke ambushes each member and captures them, while
apparently killing Nightwing. But Deathstroke is only a hired gun, doing the
bidding of cult leader Brother Blood, and Blood has plans for the Teen Titans
beyond anything imaginable…
Because Teen Titans: The Judas Contract serves as a sequel to the recent JL vs.
Teen Titans animated feature, there’s an understandable change in the roster of
characters. Cyborg has been replaced by Blue Beetle, both Nightwing and the
insufferable Damian version of Robin are present, and Wonder Girl and Jericho
have almost nothing to do with this. These things are excusable and entirely
understandable, although an accurate adaptation would have been preferable
Thankfully, the story itself is similar enough so that many parts are instantly
recognizable to fans. That makes sense since the source material is not only
strong but downright legendary. Unfortunately, the writing in this may have been
able to copy the storyline but it’s missing the point of what made the original
tale so strong.
There are some key components missing here, one of the biggest being
Deathstroke’s motivation. Here he’s just in it for the cash, as opposed to
avenging the death of his son and his subsequent potential redemption from the
comic books. While another subplot in this film would have been heavy-handed, it
would have served the story better as an introduction instead of focusing on the
first appearance of Starfire.
A bigger problem is Terra. She’s unlikeable and unsympathetic, lacking in
charisma as both heroine and psychopathic villain. And since that’s the
character who the story mainly focuses on, it’s a huge problem. Even the most
visually shocking moment from the comic books is offered up in a surprisingly
bland PG way, which seems ill-fitting since there’s also offensive language in
this film. Terra’s romance with Beast Boy comes too late in the story and
doesn’t have the same deep resonance it had in the comics, the same with
Deathstroke’s uncomfortable sexual relationship with Terra. In the film, he is
colder towards her, redeemed only by Miguel Ferrer’s strong (and sadly, final)
performance as Slade Wilson.
As an adaptation, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is a misfire at best, with too
many tweaks and changes in all the wrong places. As its own product it’s a
decent, albeit uninspired, film with good animation, but suffers from sluggish
pacing, flat dialogue and performances, and a lack of heart – not to mention a
tacky, gratuitous cameo by Kevin Smith. This could have been something special,
and it isn’t. After all these years and all the hype, the final result is sadly
disappointing. |
