source: Superman/Doomsday

I don't like Supes because to me he's a dork. He's this ultra powerful boy scout who gets sh*t for being a dork from Bats. Sometimes reading or watching him make me roll my eyes and *snort*. I really have no respect for Supes, especially after the "Superman Returns" fiasco. (Plus, don't get me started on the Supes-to-Clark transformation w/ an ordinary pair of sunglasses...!) However, my opinion of him increased exponentially. All of my criticisms aside, I think this movie was really important in showing why Superman is such an important hero: he's powerful like a god, but he refuses to debase humanity or elevate himself accordingly because of his strong moral respect for all life, which is rooted on his upbringing. To me, it really added a new dimension to Superman's persona by making him more psychologically accessible. In addition, I think it made me respect the secondary characters more (i.e., Lois Lane, Perry White, etc) because the movie strongly implies that they CHOOSE not to connect the (obvious) dot between Supes and Clark out of respect for what he HAS to do. (That to me was reminiscent of Jim Gordon in "Blind Justice.") Some have commented on the casting, and while I do agree that George Newburn IS Superman, I also see the importance of bringing in fresh talent for a project that bears no continuity to the JLA/Superman Animated series. Thus, it made it easier for me to get into "Doomsday" a lot quicker because my mind wasn't looking to bridge any continuity gaps. (Even though I sure love Clancy Brown's voice!) I can't comment on parallels/accuracies with the book as I have not yet read it, but after this movie, I am definitely inclined to check it out.

Not only changed the origin of Doomsday, but It was very loosely based on "Death of Superman" No JLA'ers at his funeral. No "Reign of Supermen." The animation was somewhat like the animated series, however. Supes looked like he was 60 yrs old with all of the lines across his face. Lois and Superman had just started dating in this. The REAL story line, they were either engaged and she knew all of his secrets or they were already married. But half the emotions the reader felt throughout the entire story line was watching her suffer through it all. All the characters were very hollow. And WHO the heck was this toyman and his robotic spider! I was very disappointed in the film and with DC and Warner. I will be taking this movie back and getting my money back It will not be part of my collection. This was a rush job DC and Warner did, to grab a few bucks. I am very very sad they turned Supes out to turn tricks.

Just who is responsible for destroying DC's animation line? I was a big fan of DC's superhero animation lineup...right up until that awful Braniac Attacks DVD. Why change voice talent in midstream? Clancy Brown was unctuously sinister as the definitive Luthor, Mark Hamil the definitive Joker, and Tim Daly the definitive Kal-El. The Luthor in the Braniac film sounded more like the new Joker from the current Batman cartoon. Braniac's sound had already been established in previous releases, only to morph into Alien's Bishop. After seeing this rehashed story for free on television I didn't bother to purchase or even tape it. I turned on Superman/Doomsday last night and was shocked by the poor artwork: Superman looked like a chipmunk with nuts in his cheek-pouches or like he had apples for cheeks. In close-ups he looked like an elderly Farmer Brown. Tom Kenny's voice talent is completely wasted in his minor role as a Fortress of Solitude robot. The story was such a watered down retelling of the original tale that it can be summed up in three words: lots of punches. What's next? "The Dark Knight sells out for cash?"

This movie was good or maybe great for what it is, but it felt short changed. The fight between doomsday was WOW! The funeral was GREAT! The resurrection was good, but I was expecting to see Superman return from the afterlife the way it was depicted in the comics. They also should have showed Doomsday demolish JLA. I understand this is a'Superman only' story, but it would have only taken 5 minutes for Doomsday to demolish JLA. That would have amplified Doomsday more and the rest of the 65 minutes could be focus on Superman! Jimmy could have said: "My God Lois, Doomsday defeats JLA in 5 minutes! How on Earth will Superman defeat him!" In the comics there was four characters who appear to replace Superman. In the movie there is only one...a clone. Note in the comics the clone is actually the cyborg, but I guess the filmmakers wanted to change that too. All in all, a very fun movie. This movie is loosely inspired by the Death and Resurrection graphic novels. If you can accept that, then you'll enjoy it. I admit...I did.

I just got done watching this, the worst of all the DC Animated films. Badly drawn. Lois's chin comes to a point. Superman's face has very odd lines. The animation looks to be several steps down from what you may be used to from Justice League/The Batman/Legion of Superheroes. The makers have an odd fascination with showing terrified children. The violence is over the top and very inappropriate. I know it's PG-13 but kids are going to watch it and there are like several grisly murders that happen just "off camera". You know they were thinking how much can we get away with and still be PG-13. Parents beware. Definitely not for kids. Right to lifers beware. This wins hands down for the most death ever in a DC project. And if you liked the comic, forget this. Veers off and never looks back. It could have been so much better if they stayed true to the source material. Just trash.

Now this is what Bryan Singer should have tried bringing to the big screen instead of Superman Returns. This animated movie does more with the character than any live action movie has. Characters are well-drawn, well-animated and there is brilliant interplay between them to draw things out and tell a good story. It explores the depth of the character of Superman, tasked with being an absolute pillar of morality to the public. And there is exploration into the character of Lois Lane, the journalist out to not just document all that he does, but also settle the conflict of her feelings for him. Interesting developments for other characters as well such as Jimmy and the editor, and the story packs it all into a highly entertaining hour and a half. The action is a highlight. The animation and the choreography of the fight scenes really stand out, putting the choreography of most live-action Hollywood movies to shame. The script is excellent, it just feels a little rushed at times, but that's understandable given the short running times for animated movies. All the more reason why it would have been even better in live action, but the budget required to do it justice might be too much. This is a very entertaining and thoughtful movie to watch even if you're not a fan of comics or cartoons. It's certainly not for children, the violence isn't graphic but it is certainly implied and a bit shocking.

It's funny really, about two years ago, when Serenity came out and I was first turned on to Joss Whedon's Firefly universe I thought to myself, "gee, Adam Baldwin would make an excellent older, experienced Superman". I suspect that the movie gods were listening to me. It helps that Baldwin is a serious and experienced character actor who never gives anything less than his all to each character he plays. Among other great casting is an emotionally resonating Anne Heche as Lois Lane and a sinister James Marsters as Lex Luthor. For the first five minutes or so, as a fan of the 1990's animated series, it was a little odd hearing these new voices, but they quickly fell into place and one realizes that this is not going to be your parents Superman cartoons. The first thing to be noticeably different is an edginess that wasn't as common or explicit in previous animated versions, and it even outdoes the live action films in this regard. This is the first time that any Superman project has been rated PG-13, and it wasn't just violence amped up to make slack-jaws happy, this film forgets that it is a cartoon and deals with a fantastic story with a lion's share of adult drama. Just about everybody and their mom's know that Warner tried for several years to get a live action Death of Superman movie made, coming close once or twice, and making a seemingly endless string of missteps along the way before abandoning the project. There are innumerable sources for the back story on the project so I won't go into details, but let me say that for every possible mistake Tim Burton and Jon Peters could have made, this film does it right. For not following the actual comic book story very closely, it gets the look, feel, and characterizations perfect. The animation quality is outstanding, it actually looks better than its predecessors in most regards, though it takes a few minutes to get used to the new looks of many of the central characters. And the music is strong and fitting, though the film misses the traditional blaring triad of Superman projects. All in all, this film is far superior to either Superman Returns or the current run of Smallville, and deserves as high a profile as it can achieve.

I couldn't even decide on whether to give it a 7 or 8, and the 8 almost won out if it would have meant it would stay higher than SUPERMAN RETURNS: for that is the benchmark for how wrong Warners can get Superman and yet fool so many people into thinking it's "really Superman." As for this film, it's a little better, but still has its problems, so it gets a 7. The relationship between Lois and Superman is such that they appear to be sleeping together, but she doesn't know he's really Clark Kent. This IS decidedly un-Superman-like; however, the film is advertised as being one with more of a "badder" Superman and as generally being "darker." It doesn't pee on our shoes and tell us it's raining like SUPERMAN RETURNS. The story is a loose adaptation of not one, but THREE Superman sagas, that were later graphic novels: "Doomsday" (a.k.a. THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN), "Funeral for a Friend," (a.k.a. WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN), and "Reign of the Supermen" (a.k.a. THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN). Doomsday's origin is very different, as are aspects of Superman's life before the battle. No other super-heroes are mentioned. And perhaps most radical (and disappointing) is the exclusion of the four alternate Supermen of the comics. Instead, Superman dies at the hands of Doomsday, who was unearthed by employees of Lex Luthor. He starts his rampage and Superman dies. Afterwards, a mysterious new Superman emerges. It's not long before we learn that he/it was created by Lex Luthor to take the place of Superman. The clone eventually becomes a tyrannical overlord of Metropolis and the real Superman--at reduced power--has to take him out. Some will object to the language, the relationship of Lois and Supes, and some of the more violent scenes. The character of Toyman is the first victim of the faux Supes, but some might even find it justified in that he'd killed a little girl. Moreover, when we first see the Toyman (designed to look like something out of Tim Burton's sketchbook, which may be significant to note) he has a bus full of kids trapped. Nothing is ever stated, but one must wonder if he's trying to imply that he's a child molester in this version of reality. The character designs are okay, but Superman might look a little too old for some peoples' tastes, and like Kate Bosworth in SUPERMAN RETURNS, Lois might look a tad young. For longtime fans of the SUPERMAN/JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoons of recent years, the new voices might take some getting used to. The biggest problem with the film is that everything seems to happen too fast. We barely feel the loss of Superman before the impostor shows up. And like many superhero vehicles, there are certain things that are, perhaps, somewhat comicbookish. For one thing, Superman is revived at, say, 67%. What does that mean to the typical viewer? That he's 67% as strong as he usually is? If so, what are the upper limits? Is the "Superman" he's battling necessarily at 100% himself? And like so many comics, the anti-hero (the faux Superman)'s big crime is that he murdered Toyman and the film regards it as wrong. However, Superman himself appears to be trying to kill his doppleganger, making it seem somewhat hypocritical to say the least. Ultimately, the story about Lex's Superman clone is just not as interesting as "Reign of the Supermen," which kept comic book fans guessing in 1993. Sure, the cat's out of the bag now, and it would be in need of some changes, but it's simply a better story. This mixed with mediocre character designs and ideas that are created simply for shock value, make this outing just pretty good as an experiment. I just hope future direct-to-DVD DC (that's a mouthful) projects are better.

For having to squeeze so much info into such a short amount of time, this DVD is a success. Of course the comic purists are going to complain and obsess over every little detail that has been changed. But for those of us who have the ability to accept a little change to benefit the masses, it is extremely enjoyable. The animation is very similar to most DCAU (DC Animated Universe) incarnations, but a little sharper. They changed the look of a few characters...Lex's head looks like Brainiac's and James Marsters doesn't even come close to the masterful voice work of Clancy Brown, although he's not bad. Lois looks more like Kristen Kreuk's Lana now than Lois and Anne Heche's voice work isn't nearly as enjoyable as Dana Delaney's, but again she's not bad. Adam Baldwin does sound similar to past versions of Superman...that is probably the smallest change in the voices, although the way they draw his cheekbones in this version make him look old and decrepit. That was certainly a bad move, but you get over it. The real deal is the fight between Superman and Doomsday. It is hard hitting, ultra violent and very intense. They change the way Supes finishes him off from how it happened in the comics, but the new way was really cool in my opinion. This is a more graphic cartoon and the way Doomsday kills some people will shock long time DCAU fans. You have never seen brutality like you will in this film. The story goes way off the beaten path after Superman's death, but I think Bruce Timm's re-imagining was very well done. I don't think any logical person would expect them to follow the original story. It would have been a 6 hour movie. All in all, it's worth buying if you are a Superman fan. Some things could have been better, but in the end another great interpretation by Bruce Timm.