Netflix is a wonderful thing. For $8 a month, I can stream just about anything I want to my PS3, iPod Touch, or laptop. Today, I chose the laptop to kick back and watch Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. The Warner Bros. Animated feature brings back the voices of Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, and Ed Asner. It also adds the voices of Summer Glau, André Braugher, and Julianne Grossman. As someone who’s enjoyed the films from the DC Animated Universe, it was my hope that it wouldn’t disappoint. Suffice it to say, it didn’t.
Endowed with powers equal to Superman’s, Supergirl (Summer Glau) splashes down on Earth in the midst of a hail of Kryptonite. No sooner has she landed than the problems begin for Superman (Tim Daly), Batman (Kevin Conroy), and Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg), who must rescue her when Darkseid (André Braugher) and Granny Goodness (Ed Asner) nab her. To thwart Darkseid’s plans to make Supergirl one of his Female Furies, the trio must work with Barda (Julianne Grossman) to confront the powerful enemies Darkseid has assembled around his control center in Apokolips.
There are three voice actors that I really get a kick out of hearing, and they are Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, and Susan Eisenberg. They were the richest of the voices in the DC Animated universe, and it was great to hear them take their iconic roles again. They were joined by the distinctive voices of André Braugher, Ed Asner, and Summer Glau. Braugher brings an air of regality to the sinister Darkseid, whereas Ed Asner returned to the role of Granny Goodness, playing the evil leader of the Female Furies with a hint of sadistic glee. Summer Glau stepped into the shoes of Kara Zor-El, and she performs admirably, if not a bit stilted early on.
The movie was directed by Lauren Montgomery, and she did a pretty fair job of handling everything; however, I think the animation itself could’ve been a bit better. The music was done by Braden Kimball, and it was completely and totally unmemorable.
I enjoyed this movie. The animation didn’t sit too well with me, nor did the lackluster score, but the story was rich and the action scenes were intense. Those alone are enough to rate this as three More Epic than Love Jones. It’s a great follow-up to Public Enemies, and it’s a fun way to sit through a Sunday afternoon.
Yea, the Netflix thing is great…we had it for a while through my XBOX….really liked all the full seasons of tv shows you can watch that you can’t normally watch if you don’t have that channel. We cancelled it a while back, but think we are fixing to get it back!