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Growing up,
as I’ve mentioned before, I used to
read comics. I loved comic books and often
considered some of the better written ones
to be as good as any novel. I had two favorite
super-heroes as a kid, Marvel’s Spider-Man
and DC Comics’ Superman. As a matter
of fact one of my prize comics (until I
stupidly sold it) was my oversize issue
of Superman vs. Spider-Man. Seeing those
two pitted against each other in this crossover
issue was a dream come true for this kid.
Of course, in the end they teamed up to
fight the real villains, Lex Luthor and
Dr. Octopus.
As I’ve gotten older I moved away
from reading comics like I used to, though
this has nothing to do with the quality
as much as it has to do with the expense.
I miss the days when comics were under 50
cents.
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Nowadays, I’d spend five times as much
for just one comic. Economically speaking, if
I want my fill of superhero adventures, I’d
be better off turning to the animated versions.
Some of the early versions of ‘Spider-Man’
and ‘Superman’ were less then stellar,
but ever since the release of “Batman: The
Animated Series” a few years ago, there
has been a steady improvement in the area of animation.
The style, the writing and even the quality of
voiceover actors have just gotten better and better.
Back in the mid-nineties, the producers of that
“Batman” series decided to take a
stab at “Superman.” The resulting
series laid the groundwork for hat was later to
become the look and style of Cartoon Network’s
“Justice League”, which I highly recommend.
This version of “Superman” brought
with it the voice talents of Tim Daly (“Wings”)
as Superman and Dana Delaney (“China Beach”)
as Lois Lane, both of whom do a great job with
the roles. Even better, the casting of Clancy
Brown as the voice of Lex Luthor was absolutely
inspired. Brown is one of those actors that you
have seen in a ton of movies, but only fans of
his work recognize the name. I first remember
seeing him as the evil Kurgen in the first “Highlander”
movie, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Fast forwarding to 2007, Warner Brothers has decided
to deliver fans an animated Superman like they've
never seen. Pretty much throwing out everything
we've ever seen before, directors Brandon Vietti,
Lauren Montgomery and Bruce Timm (who was part
of the team that brought us “Batman: The
Animated Series”) have opted to give us
a darker and much more violent look at the Man
of Steel's world. The DVD of "Superman Doomsday"
comes to fans this week in all of its PG-13 glory
and I for one was riveted to the screen.
The story Warners decided to go with is a fitting
one. Originally published way back in the early
90's, "The Death of Superman" is the
basis for the new animated feature. Fans of the
comics will notice that the story presented here
is wildly different from the comic version, but
the main plot remains, at least in the most basic
of formats. I won’t bother with comparisons
as this movie completely stands on its own. This
version has the Man of Steel going head to head
against Doomsday, an unstoppable force of nature
whose very existence appears to be to deal out
death and destruction. Their fight is more than
just icing on the cake. It takes up a large chunk
of the film's beginning and I was holding my breath
during most of it. It offers some of the most
powerful animation I've seen in years. As a matter
of fact I think the animation is near perfect,
with one small exception. For some reason the
animators opted to draw most of the male's withy
these weird cheekbones. Admittedly, they are very
distracting as they seem very much out of place.
Beyond that… perfection.
I'll try to keep from giving away too many plot
points, but I will say it involves the demise
of the big blue boy scout, Lex Luthor's plan to
exploit it, and yet another huge battle between
Earth's mightiest beings. As to who they are,
you'll simply have to see it for yourself.
Going in, I knew that this was going to be a dark
and violent story. But to be honest I feel like
it completely blew past all my expectations. Some
of the deaths (and there are a lot of them) are
downright shocking… hell I even jumped at
one of them. Luthor's plan was far more insidiously
evil than I expected, but I was even more taken
aback by the extremely violent way the plot was
foiled. The animation left very little to the
imagination of what was happening. Some of the
scenes that take place later in the story are
regrettably too realistic, in the fact that one
of the villains of the film is arrested for killing
a 4-year old girl. What happens to him is chilling…
and in my perspective… well deserved.
But there was more than just this violence that
made it such an adult themed story. There was
also a lot of emotion, mostly brought on by Superman's
passing. Most of the characters reacted as real
people might have and it lent a great deal of
poignancy to the overall effect of the movie.
I also have to hand it to the great voice cast
that was assembled for "Superman Doomsday."
It seems they opted not to look back at all, and
recast everyone. Leading the way was Adam Baldwin
(the great 'Jane' from "Firefly") as
Superman / Clark Kent. I thought I would recognize
his sarcastic way of delivering lines, but I was
dead wrong. He delivered a wonderfully nuanced
performance, which evolved as the film progressed.
The latter scenes of the movie really showcase
his vocal talents, and you'll see what I mean
after you watch it. Behind Luthor's animated countenance
we have James Marsters ('Spike' from "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel").
I really like Marsters as an actor, and while
his voiceover work didn’t carry the gruff
stature that Clancy Brown gave Luthor, there was
a slick smarminess that gave us a very detached…
and very brutal characterization.
Anne Heche was brought in to voice Lois Lane,
and honestly she was the only one I had my doubts
about. Not that I think she's a space cadet or
anything, I just didn’t think she could
deliver the right amount of sass that Lois Lane
requires. I was wrong. Heche did a great job,
and to be honest, if I didn't know it was her
I would have never recognized her voice. I also
need to give props to Adam Wylie as Jimmy Olsen,
Ray Wise as Perry White, and Swoosie Kurtz as
Martha Kent.
Warners is also making sure that fans have plenty
to watch after the feature, including a great
commentary track by Bruce Timm, Duane Capizzi,
Andrea Romano and Gregory Noveck. The group delivers
a very entertaining commentary that touches as
much on little anecdotes as it does little details
of the production. There is also a very lengthy
documentary feature (clocking in a little less
than 45 minutes) that details the story and events
surrounding the original comic book story "The
Death of Superman." It chronicles the writing
of the story, the huge media attention it drew
and the aftermath as resurrection of Superman.
We get to hear from tons of Superman's writers
and artists as they recount the frenzy of creating
that story.
But don’t touch that dial yet!! You'll also
find a much shorter featurette on the voice talents
behind the film, complete with brief interviews,
and a ten minute teaser trailer for the upcoming
animated "Justice League: The New Frontier"
DVD. Additionally, there is a tri level DVD game
that pits you (as Superman) against Doomsday in
hand to hand combat.
If "Superman Doomsday" is any example
of what Warners and DC have in store for us in
the future of animated features, then we have
a LOT to look forward to.
Directed by: Brandon Vietti, Lauren Montgomery,
Bruce Timm
Starring (the voices of): Adam Baldwin, Anne Heche,
James Marsters, John DiMaggio, Tom Kenny, Swoosie
Kurtz, Cree Summer, Ray Wise, Adam Wylie
Extras: Commentary by Producer Bruce Timm, Writer
Duane Caprizzi, Voice Director Andrea Romano,
and Executive Producer Gregory Noveck, "Requiem
and Rebirth: Superman Lives", "Behind
the Voice", Justice League: The New Frontier
Teaser Reel, Superman's Last Stand, Trailers
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 9/18/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Website
We'll give Superman Doomsday an A.
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