'Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans' Tenders a Terrific Time Through a Transdimensional, Titanic Teamup

In the mid-credits scene of Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, the Teen Titans team of the 2003 Teen Titans animated series – the predecessor of the 2013 Teen Titans Go! animated series – makes a surprise appearance.  For a while, it inspired some excited speculation among fans on what it meant.  A movie?  A revived series?  As it turned out, it was teasing Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans.

Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans is a feature-length crossover between the 2003 and the 2013 animated versions of the Teen Titans.  The two teams are abducted by the Master of Games, and are forced to fight each other to determine which team is superior.  Soon, they discover that the ones behind it are the 2003 Trigon and the 2013 Trigon.  In order to save the multiverse, the 2003 and 2013 Teen Titans must learn to work together to stop the two Trigons.

'Titans' Is Underwhelming, but Has Potential

Titans is the pioneer series of DC Universe, the Internet streaming service of DC Entertainment that launched in 2018.  It is the first live-action adaptation of the DC superhero team Teen Titans – which already have been depicted prior in a couple of animated projects (including a theatrically released film this year) – and features its iconic lineup (sans Cyborg): Robin (Brenton Thwaites), Starfire (Anna Diop), Raven (Teagan Croft), and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter).

'Teen Titans Go! To the Movies' Is a Negligible Superhero Spoof Film

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is based on the ongoing animated TV series Teen Titans Go!, which depicts a parodical incarnation of the DC Comics superhero team.  The feature-length film follows Robin (Scott Menville), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Raven (Tara Strong), and Beast Boy (Gerg Cipes) as they seek to have their own movie, like other superheroes.  Thinking that the way to secure this is if they have their own archnemesis, they proceed to take on a supervillain named Slade (Will Arnett).

'Teen Titans: The Judas Contract' Doesn't Need Batman to Become the Best Film in the DC Animated Movie Universe So Far

It has been a long time since we had a film from DC Universe Animate Original Movies (DCAOM) that doesn’t have Batman in it.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love Batman.  Thus, I always enjoy his presence in a movie.  But it’s also now time for DCUAOM to trust their non-Batman properties.  It has been four years since Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’s ending established this new, New 52-inspired DC Animated Movie Universe, and three years since it had its first feature with Justice League: War, and all movies set in this universe all have had Batman in it.  Even in Justice League Dark, which is about a team that doesn’t have Batman as a member in the comics, the character is shoehorned in with a prominent role (which I didn’t mind much because I thought it was brilliant).

The latest DCAOM movie, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, is the first time in the DC Animated Movie Universe in which Batman doesn’t make an appearance (though Batman protégés Dick Grayson [ex-Robin and current Nightwing] and Damien Wayne [a.k.a. Robin] are among the central characters).  This could be a sign that DCAOM is going to do more non-Batman projects now (I would love to see a few Superman movies).  Or maybe not, since the next DCAOM feature is a Batman and Harley Quinn movie (note: not all DCAOM movies are set in the DC Animated Movie Universe).

'Justice League vs. Teen Titans' Isn't as Fantastic as the Title Suggests

After the disappointing, cluttered Batman: Bad Blood, DC Animated’s second feature in 2016 is Justice League vs. Teen Titans.  Having these two teams duke it out is a fantastic idea for a DC animated film.  Unfortunately, the execution isn’t satisfactory at all.  And yet, I still pick it over Batman v Sup – uh, on second thought, not really.  This movie is as equally problematic and underwhelming as BvS.