Eye on Comics
  • About/Submissions

Death, Be Rather Proud…

  • Reviews - Other Media

The Death of Superman direct-to-video animated film
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Voice actors: Jerry O’Connell, Rebecca Romijn, Rainn Wilson, Jason Mara, Rosario Dawson, Nathan Fillion, Christopher Gorham, Matt Lanter, Shemar Moore, Rocky Carroll, Nyambi Nyambi, Patrick Fabian & Cress Williams
Directors: Sam Liu & James Tucker
Producer: Warner Bros. Animation
Rating: 14A

In a commentary I posted here a few months ago, I questioned why DC was revisiting its classic “Death of Superman” storyline for an animated film when it had already explored that plot in the Superman: Doomsday direct-to-video animated movie in 2007. Having watched the latest installment from the DC animated movie universe, I now understand why the producers and Warner Bros. Animation chose to do so. This is a superior effort, far truer to the source material and surprisingly touching and resonant. I know how this story plays out, know what to expect from next year’s sequel, The Reign of the Supermen, and yet I found myself caught up on the emotional beats of the story. Peter J. Tomasi, a former DC editor and current teller of stories in DC comics titles, has crafted a compelling, concise and accessible script that the voice actors bring to life nicely.

A meteor containing an imprisoned monster crashes to Earth, letting the beast loose upon the world. It makes its way to the most densely populated area nearby, which means it makes a beeline for Metropolis. As his colleagues in the Justice League engage the unstoppable, walking juggernaut, Superman is struggling with a different kind of life-changing conflict: should Clark Kent let Lois Lane, whom he’s been secretly dating for months, in on his heroic secret? Meanwhile, Lex Luthor continues to plot against the Man of Steel, and he believes the recently arrived alien monstrosity might hold the key to revenge and glory.

The Death of Superman is essentially the latest installment of the Justice League series of DC’s animated films, and as such, it maintains the same house style, with a strong anime influence at play. I haven’t always appreciated the style in previous direct-to-video flicks, but it seemed more polished and smoother here.

I’m honestly surprised we got some of the same supporting cast as previous movies featuring this animated incarnation of the Justice League. The reason: some of the bigger-name talent – such as Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern and Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman – really take a back seat here. They’re incredibly effective in the smaller roles all the same. Real-life married couple Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn have excellent chemistry as Lois and Clark, though I found O’Connell’s performance as the voice of Superman to be too soft at times. The only voice performance that didn’t really work for me was that of Rainn Wilson as Luthor. His approach is terribly one-note and exaggerated, making Lex seem like a caricature rather than a deeply flawed and drive human being.

Tomasi’s writing was pretty much pitch perfect throughout the film. He establishes people’s love and admiration convincingly, from Bibbo to Hank Henshaw to John Henry Irons. In the comics, people’s respect for and adoration of Superman is easy to accept given the decades of history the character has in that medium, but Tomasi has to establish it in an animated continuity that doesn’t have the same depth of context.

Again, I question the producers’ decision to aim these animated movies at a more adult audience. While I don’t think little kids need to watch a movie about the death of an iconic hero, neither is having Maggie Sawyer refer to armored criminals as assholes necessary. More adult language was used so rarely in this movie, it was glaring and distracting when it popped into the mix. Furthermore, while it stands to reason people would be killed as Doomsday cuts a swath of chaos through the world, the explosive clouds of blood seemed a bit much as well. I was pleased it wasn’t more graphic, to be honest, but I think it could have been tempered a bit more as well.

But I have to give credit where credit is due: the flaws in this movie are minor when compared to its strengths. The story is executed incredibly well, and I knew it really succeeded when the emotional beats at the climax of the movie and in the epilogue choked me up a bit. I mean, I knew exactly where the story was headed, and I’m even aware of the temporary nature of Superman’s “death.” But Tomasi and the voice actors got me. I think The Death of Superman proved to be one of the better installments in DC’s animated universe in some time. 8/10

Follow Eye on Comics on Facebook or on Twitter.

August 16, 2018 Don MacPherson

Post navigation

The Girl with the Arachnid Tattoo → ← Soul Survivor

Recent posts

  • The End of the World As He Knows It
  • Burnt-out Ends of Smoky Days
  • They Do Need Those Stinkin’ Badges
  • Future Tense
  • Teed Off
  • Scar Issue
  • Of Gods and Monsters
  • Genre Splicing
  • A Mouthful of Dollars
  • Striking the Wrong Chord

Categories

Archives

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Editorials
  • Features
  • Original Comic Art
  • Reviews – Action Lab
  • Reviews – AfterShock
  • Reviews – AiT/PlanetLar
  • Reviews – Archie
  • Reviews – Black Mask
  • Reviews – Boom! Studios
  • Reviews – Dark Horse
  • Reviews – DC
  • Reviews – DC/Vertigo
  • Reviews – DC/Wildstorm
  • Reviews – Devil's Due
  • Reviews – Drawn & Quarterly
  • Reviews – Dynamite
  • Reviews – Fantagraphics
  • Reviews – IDW
  • Reviews – Image
  • Reviews – Indy/Small Press
  • Reviews – Legendary
  • Reviews – Lion Forge
  • Reviews – Marvel
  • Reviews – Miscellaneous
  • Reviews – NBM
  • Reviews – Oni Press
  • Reviews – Other Media
  • Reviews – Quick Critiques
  • Reviews – Radical
  • Reviews – Slave Labor
  • Reviews – Titan
  • Reviews – Tokyopop
  • Reviews – Valiant
  • Reviews – Zenescope
  • Reviews- Humanoids
  • The New 52 Review Project

Search

Recent Posts

  • The End of the World As He Knows It
  • Burnt-out Ends of Smoky Days
  • They Do Need Those Stinkin’ Badges
  • Future Tense
  • Teed Off

Recent Comments

  • Marcelo Soares on Coming Clean
  • Perry on Scoop
  • R Phillips on “Fixed… With Tape”
  • Leslie on Avengers… Disassemble Those Guys
  • Perry Beider on 2018 Glass Eye Awards – Creators
April 2021
S M T W T F S
« Mar    
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • April 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
Powered by WordPress | theme cats456