Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is an animated DC superhero film which holds the spot as the 29th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies (a series of direct-to-video films) and the 9th film in the DC Animated Movie Universe (a separate set of DC superhero movies focused on two story arcs, the first, untitled, from 2013 – 2020, and the second, the Tomorrowverse, from 2020 – 2024). Teen Titans: The Judas Contract was directed by Sam Liu. The screenplay is an adaptation of Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s storyline The Judas Contract and was written by Ernie Altbacker. The movie serves as a sequel to Justice League vs. Teen Titans, though familiarity with the previous film is not needed to enjoy The Judas Contract.
Buy Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Blu-rayThe Teen Titans are currently led by romantic partners Nightwing (Sean Maher) and Starfire (Kari Wahlgren). The team consists of Robin / Damian Wayne (Stuart Allen), Raven (Taisa Farmiga), Beast Boy (Brandon Soo Hoo), Blue Beetle (Jake T. Austin), and the newest entry, Terra (Christina Ricci), who can control dirt and earth, including very large boulders. Terra initially has trouble allowing herself to be accepted into the group, but learns to fight alongside her teammates while slowly fostering a relationship with Beast Boy.
The Teen Titans are on the trail of a cult leader known as Brother Blood (Gregg Henry) who has hired Deathstroke (Miguel Ferrer) to help him capture the Teen Titans and hook them all to a machine that will absorb the powers right out of themselves and give those powers to Brother Blood. Never mind that Nightwing and Robin don’t have super powers, we are still meant to believe they are needed for the machine to work. Brother Blood’s accomplice and helpmate is Mother Mayhem (Meg Foster), one of the most sinister and interesting baddies in the DC universe. Mother Mayhem is very, very quick to use her gun when she doesn’t get what she wants.
Things get a bit complicated as the Teen Titans are slowly picked off, one by one, and added to Brother Blood’s machine. It turns out that Terra is the “Judas” we were looking for and Beast Boy is crushed to discover that his love is actually in line with Deathstroke. The action is non-stop in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. There are several excellent fight scenes involving the entire team, but the smaller fights are just as riveting. There is one post-credits scene involving Jericho. Highly recommended for its plot and strong sense of commitment to story and characterization.
