(MOVIE) SUPERMAN vs. THE ELITE

STORY: Joe Kelly
DIRECTION: Michael Chang

In DC's ongoing effort to convert popular comic stories into movies, it's had a pretty high success rate. While you can't make everyone happy all the time, DC seems to be making most of it's fans happy most of the time, which is pretty damn good. Movies like Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier set the standard for comic-to-movie translations done right, while more recent films like Batman: Under the Hood and All-Star Superman have actually improved upon the source material. Warner Bros.' newest release under the 'DC Universe Animated Original Movies' title is Superman vs. The Elite, based on Action Comics #775 titled "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" This issue was a metafictional response to years of ultra-violent titles in the vein of The Authority. Of course, the issue was more of a concept than an actual storyline - it's hard to tell a story over four or five issues let alone one. And while the boys over at DC animation sure do have a love for the source material, it's still hard to extend a single issue into a 76-minute feature film.

In a nutshell, Superman meets a new team of superheroes who call themselves the Elite. With members from England, China, Puerto Rico, and the USA, the Elite quickly gain popularity due to their international pedigree and their hard-lined stance against crime. At first, Supes teams up with them, but soon realizes that Manchester Black - the team's leader - will cross the lines Superman has never stepped over. Soon, Clark's nightmares come to life as the Elite begin executing super villains and terrorists. In the end, Superman appears to snap and get as violent as the Elite in an effort to bring them down. Manchester Black becomes increasingly terrified as Superman kills his teammates, one by one, with absolutely no regard for civilian life. By the time Clark reaches a sniveling, begging Black, he reveals that the entire thing was a ruse, a show to prove to the Elite - and their adoring public - how violence and fear were no way to win.

The main problem with Superman vs. The Elite is that the writers might like the story just a bit too much. It's weird to think that a comic book-inspired movie could be too good, but in this case, too much caring brought the entire film down.

Though there are action sequences - and they are done surprisingly well - most of the story is dedicated to monologues or dialogues that pad out a significant chunk of the film. I somewhat expected a bit of padding due to the simple fact that I felt a single issue providing content for a film was a bit much to expect. Either way, in the absence of more actual plot, Joe Kelly decided to throw in every conceivable speech - or rant, in some cases - about the duality of justice and how either way of thinking can be right in certain contexts. Superman talks about not falling to the same level as the villains, and Black explains how criminals will never change and how letting them live only perpetuates a cycle of violence.

The final battle between Superman and The Elite is definitely the highlight of the entire film. Big Boy Blue seems to snap, causing him to finally understand what the Elite have been talking about the entire time: violence gets results. To prove how much he recognizes this, Superman murders each member of the Elite, all with a growl in his voice an an insane-looking popped blood vessel in one of his eyes. The animation for this sequence is excellent and really conveys the idea of a deranged Superman who has been pushed too far. The use of shadows and the expressions of the Man of Steel's face are what really sell the ruse. You see, Superman wasn't actually killing the Elite, and he didn't really stop considering civilian casualties, he was just making it look that way with the use of a fleet of Superman-bots from the Fortress of Solitude. (Side note: How does Superman have all these robots? Is it ever explained in the comics? And how does he repair them when they break? Clark Kent doesn't have any scientific knowledge about robotics or advanced artificial intelligence. What gives?)

The climax comes when insane-Superman has a raised fist ready to pulverize Manchester Black and an unnamed civilian steps forward to plead with Supes to stop. Other join in and soon, the world begins to see that ultra-violence isn't the answer. It's only then that Superman ends the facade and reveals his Super-bots. I know this is supposed to be a "eureka!" moment, but unfortunately, it only comes off as a cheap joke. For the entire film, Superman tried to prove that violence wasn't necessary when it comes to fighting evil - lowering oneself to the level of the villain is no better than being a criminal oneself.

You see, though, Superman does use fear and violence to prove his point. While he's not killing villains and lobotomizing the Elite, per se, he does manipulate emotions and perspective on reality to strike fear into people's hearts. Sure, it turns out he was just faking, but the fear is still there that a day might come when the almighty Superman lays waste to humanity. The film doesn't see things this way, instead making Superman's re-adoring pubic swoon over his initiative and clever ruse. What Kelly and Chang don't convey is that the fear of ultra-violent super-cops has only been replaced by fear of an ultra-violent Superman, something that (from the events of this movie prove) would be near impossible to stop.

And it's this lack of insight to the true nature of the story (whether it was fleshed out in the comic or not) that brings down the film from being an excellent film to only an alright one. If all you care about is the action and seeing the Elite brought to life from the page, then you'll probably like this movie just fine. If you're wondering how DC and Warner Bros. might choose to convey an ethical dilemma that contains many, many layers, you might be out of luck.

GRADE

B-

(MOVIE) SUPERMAN/BATMAN - PUBLIC ENEMIES

Directed by Sam Liu
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Produced by Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm and Others

By the time Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was released, DC had already found success in two movies adapted from comic books (Superman: Doomsday, and Justice League: The New Frontier), two well-received origin story films (Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman), as well as Batman: Gotham Knight, which became wildly popular in the wake of Christopher Nolan's epic second chapter in his Batman reboot, The Dark Knight. It was time to put two of DC's most iconic characters together.

Public Enemies isn't very plot-centric. Though, this team-up tale is important for a few reasons. First off, it's animated in the exact same style as it's comic book forefather, illustrated by Ed McGuinness, which is an astounding feat considering McGuinness' art style is seminally unique. Second is reunion of Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly as Batman and Superman respectively. While both had voiced the characters since the end of their animated series' in the late 90s, neither had worked together as Bats and Supes. Third, Public Enemies marks the animated debut of some awesome DC characters like Power Girl, Major Force, Night Shade, and others.

This loose narrative centers on Lex Luthor winning the election for Presidency of the United States, and a giant meteor made of Kryptonite heading for Earth. With the country's most powerful position as his weapon, Luthor doctors film clippings to accuse Superman of killing someone. Luthor declares Superman (and Batman because they hang out, duh) a wanted felon with a reward for his capture. This prompts many DC villains and aforementioned heroes to come after the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight hoping to either get the reward or curry favor with Luthor. Eventually, the plot pulls back around the remind us that the Kryptonite meteor is still heading toward Earth. And this is where things start to fall apart.

The boys in blue and black go to see the (new, very young and Asian) Toyman in Tokyo where he reveals to them that he built a robot in their honor some years ago. The robot is half Batman and half Superman. The robot can destroy the Kryptonite meteor where hundreds of nuclear bombs could not. The robot can be manually operated by a person with no training, without a space suit of any kind. It's all hugely silly and really took away from the mood of the film. And after all that, Batman takes the robot into space and smashes it into the meteor, effectively going kamikaze. But he survives! From a nuclear explosion with a radioactive green meteor! What!?

If you skip the last ten minutes, you seriously wont be disappointed because I watched it and I was. The heroes and villains going after Superman and Batman was fun and played well to the artistic style of the comic book. The Kryptonite meteor was superfluos from the beginning (even in the comics!) and just got more and more tired as it kept popping up to remind the audience how annoying it was.

GRADE:

C+

(MOVIE REVIEW) JUSTICE LEAGUE - THE NEW FRONTIER

Directed by David Bullock
Written by Stan Berkowitz and Darwyn Cooke
Produced by Michael Goguen, Stan Berkowitz, Sander Schwartz, Gregory Noveck, and Bruce Timm

Original artwork from the comic book series.

As long as superhero movies have been made, fans have been critical. Even the best of films - like, say, The Dark Knight - have their detractors who wished it were more like the comic book. At to an extent, they can't be blamed; the point of adapting a comic book into a film is to please the fans while simultaneously attracting new fans. When a studio thinks too much about mass appeal (like with Green Lantern), the results were horrendous. And while staying as accurate as possible can have it's downsides (Watchmen got a little long in the tooth), a screenplay faithful to the source is usually better.

One of the best examples of this theory is Justice League: The New Frontier. The 2004 six-issue limited series was such an astounding achievement; it re-imagined the origins of the Justice League of America under the McCarthy-era scrutiny of communism and secrecy, with vintage American-style art that complimented the story perfectly. When DC announced the animated film adaptation of The New Frontier, many were skeptical. With such a unique story and art style, could Cooke's tale of intrigue and mysticism be successfully adapted? The answer is a resounding 'Yes'.

Set after the Korean War, the film follows the founding members of the Justice League as they make their ways toward a first meeting to battle an enemy called the Centre, voiced by the commanding Keith David. In an age of distrust, all the members of the Justice Society have retired, and superheroes are a thing of the past. The New Frontier explores superheroism as a metaphor for the USA's own fear of the unknown during that time. It's an interesting juxtaposition to the real-life decline in popularity of comic books during the 1950s, after the 'Golden Age' of the Justice Society, and before the 'Silver Age' of the Justice League.

Cooke also provides alternate histories for Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Martian Manhunter. Jordan is re-imagined as an ex-soldier who fought in Korea before becoming a test pilot for, you guessed it, Ferris Aircraft. J'onn J'onzz, on the other hand, keeps his arrival on Earth intact, but alters the way he connects with humanity by giving him television as a means of absorbing information. J'onn morphing into Bugs Bunny and the dead air Native American chief was just as nostalgic and Americana as in the comic.

Overall, the central plot of The New Frontier isn't the focal point. So much so that the Centre is hardly delved into beyond being old as sin and spawning dinosaurs, for some reason. To a degree, the Centre somewhat resembles Lovecraft's Cthulu in it's design and raw, evil nature. The New Frontier is more about how a new generation of heroes comes together to save the world. As a Green Lantern fan, it's hard watching the entire film with Hal Jordan resisting the ring. But when he finally puts it on, it's game over. Cooke is one of the rare writers that understands the scope of Green Lantern's power, and it's refreshing to see that conviction animated.

Justice League: The New Frontier is by and far my favorite DC animated film. Existing outside the flimsily-connected world of all the other films, Darwyn Cooke's epic tale exceeded it's expectations by keeping true to the source material, using the comic book's same visual style, and casting a great team of voice actors to bring the characters to life (I mean, Kevin Conroy's great for Batman, but Jeremy Sisto? Awesome). Bringing actual panel scenes into the mix is the icing on top of the cake that makes this film just so damn good. It's an homage to a great piece of graphic literature that does the original justice.

GRADE:

A+

(MOVIE REVIEW) Superman - Doomsday

Directed by Bruce Timm, Lauren Montgomery, and Brandon Vietti
Written by Duane Capizzi and Bruce Timm
Produced by Bruce Timm, Gregory Noveck, Bobby Page, and Sander Schwartz

In DC's first 'Original Animated Movie', Bruce Timm is handed the reigns to the Man of Steel's death. Based on the hyper-popular "Death of Superman" storyline from the early 90s, Superman: Doomsday reworks the general premise of the original tale into a more film-friendly version that nevertheless still makes for a great narrative. Instead of mucking up the story with multiple Supermen, and the weird Blue Suit, Timm took the core ideas - Doomsday, resurrection, and a fake Superman - and made them more prevalent.

One of the main issues with Superman: Doomsday, is it's pacing. Within the first 25 minutes of this nearly  90min film, Superman has already battled Doomsday and failed. It all moves so quickly, you barely have time to register the breadth of Doomsday. In the comics, good ol' Grey n' Pokey was a force to be reckoned with, something that couldn't be taken down at all. In this film, all we get is some vague notion that this monster might be unstoppable and that Superman might not even be able to help. The audience is only asked to accept this for a few minutes, though, as the fight between Superman and Doomsday comes to end rather quickly, leading to Superman's death in the arms of Lois Lane.

Violence in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) has always been left off-screen or scaled back, but Superman: Doomsday does a great job taking advantage of the PG-13 rating by adding some blood, some obvious deaths, and some neck snapping for those who want a little more realism in their animated superhero direct-to-video films. After Superman's funeral, things get a bit shaky, not only for the narrative, but also for the general 'fun factor' of the movie. Superman re-appears in Metropolis, and does a pretty good job keeping it safe once again, before we learn that it's a clone Lex Luthor made. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm pretty tired of Superman cloning as a plot device. I understand it was a part of the original story, but so was Cyborg Superman and Superboy. It just seems lazy to rest of the laurels of Clark Kent's copycats. Part of the problem stems from the fact that this movie is based on a story that was 15 years old at the time of production. Everyone knows that Superman comes back and saves the day, and it's very hard to give that same story a fresh take after so many years.

The rest of the movie mostly focuses on Superman reclaiming his city from his clone, whose extreme methods border on fascism. The final battle between the Supermen mirrors the fight earlier in the movie between Superman and Doomsday. As the faux-Superman is operating at peak efficiency, he easily beats down Clark, who hasn't had enough time to fully heal from his 'near-death.' As the two continue to duke it out, it becomes apparent that the real Superman cannot win the fight. As the clone Superman attempts to reason with Clark, he tells him that "I'm a reflection of you, if you were stronger," to which Clark responds, "[You're] my reflection in a cracked mirror" before getting that adrenaline rush that Supes often does right before he defeats the villain.

While Superman: Doomsday doesn't get everything right, it certainly conveys the death of Superman in a fun and entertaining way. The story might not be carbon copied from the comic book pages, but it's spirit is there and that's what mattered. Bruce Timm knew he couldn't recreate months and months of stories in 90 minutes, so he chose the best elements and made them work. If the two acts of the film were more evenly portrayed, it would have been a much stronger movie.

GRADE:

C+