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The film, the first-ever PG-13 animated Superman movie, Doomsday
sees Superman pitted against the unstoppable ‘Doomsday’ – a monster who
just kills for killing sake. The big guy’s no match for the rogue, and
gets an ass-whipping… ultimately dying in the hands of his beloved
Lois. Superman does return… both in clone form (thanks to Lex Luthor)
and – the real one – as a mullet-haired chap in black.
You’ll
all remember when they decided to kill Superman off in the comics. It
was huge. It got widespread media coverage. And, according to the
comprehensive documentary on the DVD, saw the writers receive more than
one death threat. It was such a big story… one that was stretched over
the course of a dozen or so issues. So how does one tell that epic
story in less than an hour-and-a-half? Well, they don’t – not as
successfully as they could’ve anyway. The guts of the tale is here, but
it feels all too rushed, and unlike the comic – which featured some
truly er, moving images and near tear provoking frames – you don’t ever
feel close to choking up.
Having said that, for what it is, it’s
a good effort. Whatever way you spin the bottle, there was never going
to be a totally effective way to tell the ‘Death of Superman’ story in
one of those kids feature films. It’s too big a story. Maybe if they’d
played it over a couple of volumes… maybe even have a Part 1 and Part
2….it might have worked better. But the way it plays out now it’s as
Superman’s dead one minute, people grieve, then… he’s back. Whereas in
the comics, there were literally months going by with no Superman. It
seemed to pack more punch. But again, there’s no getting around that.
Will
fans like it? Of course they will. It’s very well done. The animation
looks good. The voice actors (Adam Baldwin as Superman, James Marsters
as Lex Luthor, Anne Heche as Lois Lane, Adam Wyllie as Jimmy Olsen and
Ray Wise as Perry White) all do a great job, and the film is still
entertaining – even if it feels underwhelming in parts.
EXTRAS
What isn’t underwhelming though is the detailed documentary that kicks
off the film’s extra features. The DC comics’ crew fill us in on how
and why they decided to kill the Man of Steel off. It’s engrossing
stuff. They’re obviously very passionate about their jobs – a couple
even shedding tears at one stage – and it shows in their work. This is
a great fly-on-the-wall documentary that’s sure to appeal to both comic
and non-comic fans.
Other extras on the disc include a
featurette on the voice actors, a game (that you play using your remote
control), and a worthwhile commentary by the creators. Conclusion:
Movie 60% Extras: 80%
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