Superhero Media: Teen Titans GO! Vs Teen Titans

Following on from the epic Teen Titans GO! To the Movies, Teen Titans GO! Vs Teen Titans (hereafter TTGVTT) finally returns the much-loved Teen Titans incarnation to screens thirteen years after they left. Can I just say that I don't get the appeal of Teen Titans? I don't feel that it's a bad programme by any measure, but I tend to find the tone a little off and could never quite get comfortable watching it. Sure, Teen Titans GO! is almost pure nonsense, but it never pretends to be higher art, so I have plenty to enjoy. After an encounter with Gentleman Ghost, the Titans (GO! version) have to help Raven stop her inner demon from being unleashed and destroying the world. Sucked into a mysterious portal, our heroes are forced to fight their greatest foes, the Teen Titans! The usual "we fight until we realise we're on the same side" superhero team-up shenanigans ensue and both teams of Titans have to face off against two Trigons, trying to conquer the multiverse. 

So TTGVTT is basically a Teen Titans version of Turtles Forever or Into the Spider-Verse, with a multiverse of Titans teams having to come together to win the day. The film is entertaining enough, though not quite as good as Teen Titans GO! To the Movies was, with the humor coming more from interaction between the two teams, rather than being observational jokes about the superhero film industry. Again, not having watched much Teen Titans, there was a bit that went over my head, in terms of references. That's probably the great weakness of TTGVTT, in that it requires a working knowledge of both programmes to fully enjoy, but there isn't too much crossover with the fanbases. I know some fans that don't like the original versions being sidelined and others that wanted more jokes and randomness, so it seems that TTGVTT isn't terribly satisfying for anyone. I do like that the focus is more on Raven than Robin for a change, but the friction between the two incarnations of the Boy Wonder is a recurring element still. 

I guess, in the end, how do you top Teen Titans GO! To the Movies? It's like how The Godfather Part III is actually really not that bad, but after The Godfather Part II, anything is going to look poor by comparison. The solid cast and crew make TTGVTT look and sound great, as they know their craft really well after all these years, like how the later seasons of The Simpsons are well produced if nothing else. If you're a grown person who's still butthurt over Teen Titans being canceled, because it had poor ratings, and being replaced by Teen Titans GO!, which continues to be huge across multiple platforms, maybe TTGVTT could be the push you finally need to give the new programme a real go. At the very least, this film is the only new Teen Titans content that has come out in years and may well be the last for a while.