Superman: Doomsday

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Bit of a Letdown, 2008-12-11
I've been a comic book geek for what feels like forever. Some of my earliest memories are of being taken out to the local magazine store by my father and just pouring over all the different worlds there was that I could immerse myself in. In my collecting career, there were probably three moments that I'd consider real highlights. The first was the 'Knightfall' storyline when Bane broke Batman's back, the second was the 'Dark Phoenix' saga in the Marvel universe, and finally there was the 'Death of Superman.' Needless to say, when I found out a 'Superman-Doomsday' DVD was being developed; the nerd in me was doing cartwheels. I'm sorry to say that after seeing the finished product, I was left pretty let down. br / br /I'll start with the animation itself. It's obvious that Bruce Timm's fingerprints were all over this. That being said, I'm scratching my head over the decision to set this outside the standard continuity of the Superman series that Timm helped to create. Clark Kent is drawn with these weird facial lines that I suppose was done to make him look a little older. The problem with this is why you would then de-age everyone else? Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and the rest of the supporting cast seem to appear younger then they should. Why wouldn't you just use the same character template that the animated series used? br / br /The voice acting was OK, but the cast had me (again) puzzled. I don't understand the choice not to bring in the original voice-actors (George Newbern or Tim Daly/ Dana Delany/ Clancy Brown), all of whom had been voicing the same roles for quite awhile now. Just as an example, I mentioned earlier that Lois Lane looks younger; Ann Heche was then the choice to lend her voice? Not that Heche didn't do a credible job, it's just that she "sounds" about as old as she probably is. Her voice didn't seem to fit her younger-looking avatar. Even the relationship between Lois and Superman "looked" odd now that they appeared to have such a pronounced age difference. br / br /Reviewers had mentioned this before, but the storyline itself is butchered. Playing devil's advocate though, I understand a lot of these changes had to be made. In the comics, this story-arc was massive. It took a long time to resolve, involved a ton of characters, and happened across (I think) about four or five books. There's simply too much material to squeeze into an hour and a half and have it make any sense at all. Having said that, however, as far as I'm aware, this went direct to DVD and was never on any network broadcast; the running time on the film is definitely under eighty minutes. Timm and company, considering they didn't have to take commercial breaks into account, realistically, probably had about ten extra minutes (at least) that they could have used to add meat to the story. br / br /Speaking of the story, one of the things I enjoyed the most about the comic book version was the sense of scale. It was jaw-dropping watching Doomsday crash to earth and systematically dismantle the DC universe. Watching hero after hero fall to him, and watching the Justice League torn apart by him gave Doomsday's power the proper sense of scale. The comic accomplished two things by the time the showdown between Superman and Doomsday was ready to take place. The first is, as I mentioned, that you had plenty of time to appreciate just how powerful Doomsday actually is and the second, after the fall of the Justice League, is that it properly portrays Superman as (literally) the 'last line of defense.' In the animated film, I feel like this sense of scale is completely lost. Doomsday, in my opinion, just looks like a beast that shows up and got a little lucky. Taking the Justice League out of the equasion and not seeing the reaction of the rest of the DC universe, seems to rob Superman's death of its significance. br / br /This goes back to my earlier point about the running time, but I don't understand why we saw so little of Doomsday. I'd venture to guess his time on screen is about a third of the total running time. Considering the title, I really thought he'd be around longer. This is more a story of Superman and his clone then Doomsday. br / br /All in all, Superman-Doomsday isn't awful. It's just that I feel if a couple of decisions were made differently that this could have gone immediately from just `OK' to `Outstanding.' My biggest complaint, and it's a point I know I keep going back to, is that there just doesn't seem to be the proper sense of scale for anything. If DC chose to recreate one of their premiere story-lines, they did themselves a disservice by not putting it in the proper context. br /

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Not The comics, but a Great Grown up adventure, 2008-12-11
If you are an adult that has always enjoyed comics, or are buying for a teenager then this is a great buy. It is not the same as the comic books. But the interviews with the director show the differences, this happens in a world were there are no other superhero's other than Superman. It is a stand alone movie, and it is dark which is why I recommend it for adults. br / br /I have 2 little boys (3 4) and I won't let them watch, this because there is a lot of death. br / br /Then again I personally enjoy the direct to dvd Cartoon Movies that have been released, Ultimate Avengers, Young Avengers, JLA: The final Frontier, and Superman Doomsday. br / br /If you are a fan of comics and cartoons, and understand that not every story needs to fit into "continuity" then this is great. br / br /However if this is for a young person, or someone new to comics it may come off as confusing. br / br /For the old hats at this it's a must watch if not a must own. For all those young fans and new comers you may want to pass on it

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Surprised by how much I liked it., 2008-12-09
I wasn't sure how much I would like this video when I first purchased it, since none of my friends had seen it to give me any feedback. I don't read comics very often, but I was familiar with the basic story behind the movie. I really did like the movie, I thought that the action sequences were great, I guess I am too used to Saturday morning cartoons where they don't get to show too much. This movie is definitely for a more mature audience than for little kids, it deserves the PG-13 rating. I only wish that it had been a little longer, even though it was plenty long. br / The extras on the dvd take up more time than I had anticipated. I was pleased that they had a whole hour practically on the back story of the season where they decided to run this story. It was very interesting, and helped the rest of my family better understand what was going on. br / One thing I noticed when I put it in and began watching was that Superman/Kent has really harsh lines on his face that make him look older. When some of my family came in later on in the movie they all asked, "Why is he so ugly?" I thought that the rest of the animation was really good besides that though. br /It was a fun movie to watch and I am glad that I have now added it to my collection.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Overpromote - Underdeliver (Movie Content Discussed!), 2008-11-22
I was truly disappointed with every aspect of this movie. Before I watched it I was expecting something spectacular and worthy of the name DC Comics/Universe. Instead, the animation was simple, the acting too rigid and forced, and the storyline too obvious and somewhat embarrassing. br / br /MOVIE CONTENT DISCUSSION BELOW!! br / br /Why was I embarrassed? Well for starters the "Eveil Toyman" was just bizarre and creepy, but not creepy in the "Wow that character is so creepy that I feel empathy for the victims" but creepy in a "I'm really uncomfortable watching this in the company of my friends wondering if they're thinking what I'm thinking and that eerie silence kinda says I'm right." The role was totally a strange introduction, plus the actor that played the role reminded me of Andy Circus but without the convincing zealousness. br / br /Then, to have Superman actually "Die" at the hands of a "Monster" with big ole' teeth and claws for knuckles and mega big was a huge disappointment. So Superman has tackled every single entity in the universe but a big ole' strong being from another planet that is ancient apparently is too much of a brute for the invincible man from Krypton. Why didn't the writers spend a little more time really coming up with something that was more convincing like a liquid / gaseous villain that doesn't have the intelligence of right and wrong, just plain eveil with a killer instinct that even Superman has never seen? Something that could evade Superman in a way besides brute contact? After watching the "Extras" and viewing how proud the writers were about the effort they put forth into the "Death of Superman" surely they could have come up with something much better than "Super Hulk." Also, how is Superman serving the good city of Metropolis by having it out "IN" the city? Didn't he just kill a ton of people why he pounded his opponents 911 style? That above all was the most offensive part of the storyline, the disregard for the fact this superhero just did major damage to his beloved city. But everyone seems okay with that though, no harm no foul. It's all good. WHAH??? br / br /Finally my disappointment is rounded off by an animation style that seems so overdone and bland. "Oooo wow, a building is exploding. Oh my look, those two are going to crash into another building that looks like something from the T.V. show." Why didn't they step it up a bit? There has been so many new styles of animation created by innovators who are making a name for themselves in the industry. Why not take some of their craft and mend it into the movie? br / br /Ugh! It's time that I will never get back and next time I hear about a DC Comic event that even smells like "The Death of" I'll be certain to stay far away.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Again?, 2008-11-17
Ok, this is the same exact film that was released in 2007 except it comes with a disc 2. So, if you want to see new behind the scenes, this is good. But, the film also is very unenjoyable. It doesn't have the drama of the comic book story nor the characters. In my opinion, what made the "Death and Life of Superman" so fun to read was the reactions that the other heroes in the DC Universe had to Doomsday before the final fight and later the "Funeral for a Friend" series then the "Reign of the Supermen" plot. The Death of Superman rocked the entire DC Universe and that fact is simply ignored in this animated feature. For the DC Animators to do this right, they would have to tell the story in a Justice League Unlimited story and be a 3 parter at the very least!