 | Superman/Batman Apocalypse- review |
Based on the Superman/Batman comic book series by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, Superman/Batman Apocalypse is the first of the DC Animated films that is actually a sequel. Following the events Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, this project pays homage to the style of the late Michael Turner in much the same way that Public Enemies took up the distinctive visual style of Ed McGuinness. The Superman/Batman Apocalypse comic re-introduced Supergirl, a character that has been plagued by DC Editorial since 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths killed her off.
A delightfully innocent creation of Otto Binder and Al Plastino in 1959, Supergirl was the man of steel's cousin from the Kryptonian metropolis Argo City which had somehow survived Krypton's demise only to find a new destruction from kryptonite meteors. Supergirl was an immensely popular character, but as DC Comics found itself losing readers to Marvel Comics and independent markets, they became determined to reverse their image as a publisher of fanciful material and decided to make specific changes to their comics including the reduction of Kryptonian survivors from many to one. There was a massive house cleaning project that altered the landscape of the DC Universe, killing off many beloved creations including Supergirl. In the revised continuity, Kal-el was the sole survivor of the doomed planet Krypton and Supergirl was no more.
In the years that followed, other writers attempted to bring Supergirl back into the DCU and somehow adhere to the rule of only one Kryptonian survivor. The result was a tangled mess of ideas that ultimately resulted in several new characters who were removed from comics one after the other until DC decided to modernize the initial Binder/Plastino concept. This may sound incredibly complicated (because it is) and it is important to understand the complexities of this character as the Superman/Batman Apocalypse animated movie attempts to summarize them into one story.
It's overly complicated, but given its many challenges Superman/Batman Apocalypse is a great film. To begin with, Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy are back as the voices of Superman and Batman. I am hoping that if any other Superman/Batman animated films are made, this pairing is repeated as it makes for a feeling of continuity. The inclusion of Wonder Woman feels like far too much at first but in the end makes for perhaps the amazonian's finest animated outing to date. Like Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the biggest strength of the Apocalypse film is the incredible action sequences. From the army pf Doomsday clones to the amazing three-pronged assault of Apocalypse itself, this animated feature has action to spare.
Newcomer Summer Glau as the voice of Supergirl is a little awkward but given the challenges that she faces, the actress does manage to carve out a compelling character for herself. By contrast Andre Bauer as Darkseid is just no comparison to Michael Ironside who voiced the villain in the Superman and Justice League cartoons.
If you are a fan of the Batman, Superman and Justice League animated films, make sure to check this one out.
http://p.castfire.com/B3i2Z/video/419324/trailers-ws_2010-09-20-080524.2093.flv
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