The new line of DC Universe animated feature films has begun with a big bang. Not wishing to start small, the team of Bruce Timm, Duane Capizzi, Andrea Romano decided to tackle the biggest money making story in comic books of recent years, the Death of Superman. A story that took roughly three years of monthly comic books to tell, the team cut many aspects of the comic from their version, reducing the tale to a feature film.
I should warn you that this review will contain spoilers. I highly recommend that you watch the film before you read further.
The fact that there had been a Justice League animated series that dealt with Doomsday as a villain and the Death of Superman could easily hinder any enjoyment of the film, but that is not the only hurdle Superman – Doomsday has to jump over.
Also, this film is not based entirely on the comic book and certainly not an extension of the Superman cartoon from the 1990’s or the Justice League cartoon. This is a new product entirely.
As a viewer of the previous Superman cartoons, I had grown to accept this updated version of the character and his world. This film launches the viewer into a slightly different version of Metropolis where Superman and Lois are very romantically involved yet she has no idea that her lover is really Superman… awkward.
Additionally, this world has no Batman, no JLA, no other super heroes at all. Given that Timm and company slaved over animating practically every character in DC Comics history (including the Viking Prince!), this is a major disappointment. I understand that given the length of the film it was impossible to show the reactions of the JLA to Superman’s death, however it is the way in which his death affected the world he lived in that the Death of Superman story found its meaning. Since we are restricted to these new versions of Lois, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White for these reactions, it is difficult to have any empathy for the situation. I mean, we only just met them!
Also missing from this film are the ‘pretenders to the throne’ Superboy, Cyborg Superman, The Eradicator and Steel. Again, I understand why they are not here but… it also takes away from the source material. In the place of these many ‘almost-Supermen’ that many fans of the comic loved we are given a rather confused Kryptonian clone who delivers harsh justice and is beaten to a pulp nightly by his creator, Lex Luthor.
All of the above are working against Superman – Doomsday from the outset. As a movie, it had a lot to work through. Did it succeed?
Yes.
The film is expertly animated and tells a very moving and engaging story about who Superman is and what role he serves in his world. By taking such a convoluted and lengthy tale written by committee, Timm and company have shown that they have what it takes to get this DC Universe series of films going. The fight sequences between Superman and Doomsday (by far the highlight of the film) are not to be missed and after animating hundreds of such fights throughout their careers, it was interesting to see the animation team try out new tricks. The voice acting is superb and the music is quite good as well. In short, it’s a great film and anyone who enjoys the DC Animated Series or Superman should check it out.
Included on the DVD is the documentary Requiem and Rebirth: Superman Lives! which interviews Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Jenette Khan and Paul Levitz on what it was like to kill a legend. Not only is it fascinating to watch the footage shot during key creative meetings (who thought of that!?), but it also shows how much emotion went into the stories. Watching Louise Simonson well up with tears as she recounts the phone call scene she wrote between Lois Lane and Ma Kent is a real tear jerker and indicates how much heart these creators put into their work.
This is a story that brought many readers to comics for the first time and that should not be forgotten. It’s also the landmark of the speculator boom which killed many a comic book store. It made money for the industry, took money from many non comic book fans who never saw a return on their ‘investment’ and made many business owners who devoted their lives to the comic book industry bankrupt.
Comic books are pretty weird and wild things.
This DVD is worth your money but… only buy one, please.
On Amazon:
Superman – Doomsday (DC Universe Animated Original Movie)
Superman/Doomsday Omnibus
Superman vs. Doomsday Collector Set
