All Star Super Man Movie Review

I have been loving the DC Universe Animated movies I have seen and have been trying to get my hands on as many as I can get/afford so when I noticed that they adapted All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely I had to get this as I enjoyed the series. Having now read the series and watched the film if I wanted to I am able to compare the two but even though I will make some comparisons like pointing out the odd thing that I might have preferred closer from the comic or certain sequences missing that I would have loved to have seen, I will still try to keep this reviews main focus on the film.

Plot

Whilst saving scientists in space Superman is poisoned by an overdose of solar radiation, and is now dying. With not long left to live Superman does the things he wants to do before dying which mainly includes revealing his secret identity to the woman he loves, Lois Lane. Lex Luthor the man responsible for Superman being poisoned in the first place has plans of his own which include Superman's death and replacing him as the Earth's greatest protector.

Review

This was a good film and despite the fact it may not be the best DC animated film or the best adaptation of a comic in film I still enjoyed it. Having read and thoroughly enjoying the book I had high expectations for the film. The film didn't disappoint much. Okay, there were scenes I preferred in the comics and stuff I was upset to see missing (will mention about this later) but overall the film was very good and kept the emotion from the comics intact. I was also happy to see the symbolism kept throughout the film as that was the main thing I enjoyed about the comics, that Superman having been brought up by humans has human traits and emotions.

I enjoyed the scene where Parasite is chasing after Lex and Clark (Superman) for the energy inside them (mainly Clark). I still didn't like the look of Parasite in this version but to be fair it was very similar to the one from the comic which I didn't like in the first place. The idea of him continuously getting more bloated and having a vacuum like mouth is good it still doesn't look as good as some of the characters more classic looks. What I liked about this scene was how Clark and Lex interacted with each other and how Clark was hiding his Superman identity whilst trying to subtly save people from Parasite.

A sequence that I really enjoyed in the series was the Bizarro World sequence where Superman is trapped in the Bizarro World meeting all these Bizarro like members of the DC Universe including Flash and Green Lantern. I understand that certain sequences would have needed to have been cut out and although I would have preferred this to have stayed it was probably the best to go as besides showing more of Superman's character (which the film does enough of) it doesn't really add to the main story whereas most of the other sequences do. The other sequences in the film were also slightly different that the comic but main just sped up keeping the important parts. Even though it was sped up they were still very enjoyable sequences.

The entire long scene near the star where Clark reveals his identity to Lois was probably the best adapted as it kept most of the key elements and emotions whilst throwing in a few more as well. Although I preferred how he told Lois in the comic (as if I remember correctly he was more stumbling, clumsy Clark whilst revealing it) it was still very well done and the lack of drama from his side showed more of the Superman character shining through. I also liked how Lois was trying to enjoy her time with Superman whilst still thinking to herself that he's not Clark and that he's lying to her. Although I wasn't fond of the characters in the comic I thought keeping Samson and Atlas helped move this side of the story along and allowed more time to show Lois and Superman's adventure throughout this film.

Although like Samson and Atlas I didn't like the Bar-El or Lilo characters in either comic or film they were needed to show that it's being brought up as a human that has made Superman the hero that he is. I also think that unlike most villains or characters with bad intentions you aren't meant to like this pair and if you dislike them then they've done filled part of there purpose.

I will finish of by talking about the voice acting throughout this film which was very good. Although I prefer Tim Daly who voiced him throughout the 90's Animated series and other films, James Denton did an excellent job and with a new telling of Superman deserves a new voice actor. The other voice actors including Christina Hendricks voicing Lois, Edward Asner voicing Perry White were great but the voice actor I liked the most in this film was Anthony LaPaglia as Lex. He did such a great job voicing him and you could tell that he's a villain whilst feeling all this anger coming out. I also liked how he showed a different side when he is jealous of Superman as he's always wanted to be the Earth's greatest protector.

Final Verdict

This was a great film and I enjoyed watching it. People who love close comparisons might be a bit disappointed however, as there are parts either missing or sped up from the comic. This film also lacked in action so might not appeal to people who like animated films with plenty of action. I would still however recommend getting this film or at least watching it as it is a good film with

Rating: 4/5

Justice League: Doom Review

I have been a Justice League fan for some time now and have also been loving the DC Universe Animated movies and was wanting to watch this one for ages (due to it not being out in the UK had to get a US import which took a while). Although I have never read JLA: Tower of Babel I was still able to enjoy this film and might now consider buying this book.

Plot

The Justice League (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter) along with Cyborg have discovered that Royal Flush Gang are trying to steel industrial diamonds from a bank, using equipment that allows them to walk through walls to help them. After defeating the Royal Flush Gang Mirror Master as a hologram sneaks into Batman's cave whilst he's not there. Whilst there he downloads data from Batman's computer onto a device from LexCorp on the orders of a man named Vandal Savage. The data is in fact contingency plans that Batman has created to neutralize the Justice League if any of the members ever turned rogue. Savage along with his Legion of Doom (Bane, Metallo, Cheetah, Star Sapphire, Mirror Master, and Malefic) use these plans to take the Justice League out of the picture whilst Savage initiates his bigger plan.

Review

I really enjoyed this film and one of the best DC Animated films I have seen to date. I love how it starts with action with the Justice League stopping the Royal Flush Gang, and liked how this was actually part of the bigger story and not just a big action scene to draw you into the film. It was nice to see Dwayne McDuffie's last piece of work be as good as it was and is a very fitting tribute to his memory, thank you sir.

The way the characters were introduced at the start of the film was brilliant and I loved how during the opening fight between the Justice League and the Royal Flush Gang all the characteristics and power skills of each member is shown of, so newer fans don't have to wait ages for the team to be introduced. I also liked how each character got the same amount of screen time during the film and that all of the members were treated equally, besides maybe Batman who was the person behind the events happening.

I also thought the cast chosen to voice the characters was brilliant and loved how Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly voiced Batman and Superman respectfully as I grew up with them voicing these characters in the Animated TV Series whilst I was growing up and have always felt they are the two best people to have voiced each character. I have also enjoyed hearing some newer voice actors like Nathan Fillion reprising his role as Hal Jordan from Green Lantern Emerald Knights and although I haven't seen Emerald Knights I thought he did a great job of voicing Hal and you could really see the arrogance show on him throughout the film. I was also happy to see the return of Susan Eisenberg, Michael Rosenbaum, and Carl Lumbly reprise there roles as Wonder Woman, Flash (although this time Barry Allan and not Wally West) and Martian Manhunter from the Justice League Animated TV Series as they did a brilliant job on that series and have brought the exact same to this film.

I loved how most of the villains in this film weren't the top villain of their respective hero and that some of the lesser known villains get some time to shine on film. I also liked how the personal connection between the villains and heroes was shown and that the villains react when they realise that they finally get to bask in the glory for a change. I especially liked Bane and Cheetah in this film and thought their respective quarrels with Batman and Wonder Woman during the film were brilliant. I was also happy to see during the fight between Batman and Bane the mention of Bane breaking his back as this is probably the most notable point in Bane's history so was nice to see mentioned. I also enjoyed how Savage was introduced into this story and thought his back story was brilliant, and liked how he's been around since the time of cavemen forever trying to shape the world into what he wants it to be.

Cyborg was a brilliant addition to this film and I loved how he was in a sideline role, helping the Justice League whilst hoping to eventually get a spot on the team. I also liked how due to the fact he isn't a member there is a hero in this film that isn't effected due to Batman's contingency plan.

The action throughout this film was brilliant and whether it be the one in one battles between the selected villain and hero or the group battles they were all great and visually stunning. I also liked that despite the fact there were brilliant fight scenes they didn't take away from the brilliant plot helping the story move at a better pace.

I also loved the contingency plans themselves and thought they were very clever (I won't spoil what happens to them). Having read up on the story since watching this film I noticed that the methods of neutralizing the Justice League members were different in this film than they were in the book and this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's nice to have a change from time to time and it makes the film more exciting and surprising for fans who have read the book thinking they know what will happen to these characters whilst finding out they don't.

Final Verdict

This was a brilliant film and a great addition to anyone's animated collection. This film has a tremendous plot and brilliant action. I would highly recommend it and hope that DC's animated films are as good as this in the future.

Rating: 5/5