Superman: Animated Collection (2016)

Superman: Animated Collection (2016)

A five-movie collection released one week after the similarly titled Batman: Animated Collection, except this time it's Superman themed, with some bonus Batman. Go figure.

As before I'll list them in the order they're presented in the collection, which, likewise, is NOT the order that they're best viewed.

Perhaps whoever assembled both collections ought to have did a little more research before the arrangement (and cover art) was finalised, or at the very least gracefully stepped aside and let someone with dignity take over the task.

Up first is 01. Superman: Unbound (2013 / Dir. James Tucker), in which a bland and boring version of Krypton's most famous son has to contend with Supergirl's super-angst and the possibility of the planet Earth being wiped out by the big bad. I'm not sure which is worse, or which is the most overused plot device.

Long-time fans should recognise the villain from the cover art (pictured further below), but I won't say who it is in case some folks don't know. But the movie is dull and has too many plot holes to recommend to anyone but the biggest fan of red capes and figure-hugging blue shirts.

02. Superman: Doomsday (2007 / Dirs. Bruce Timm / Lauren Montgomery / Brandon Vietti), on the other hand, I'd recommended highly to anyone wanting an exciting Superman adventure.

TAS fans may mourn the absence of Tim Daly on voice duties, but I think Adam Baldwin did a fantastic job. James Marsters is also a great Lex Luthor. In fact, the voice casting is top class - as is the animation; it's full of action, violence (people die) and genuine affecting emotion.

The story — about something that fell to earth thousands of years before Ma Kent's alien son, but remained trapped, and when finally released is not surprisingly as mad as all hell — is based on The Death of Superman storyline from the comics. The same source text was the basis of The Death and Return of Superman (2019) two-pack, but Doomsday is by far the better film, in my opinion. It's Superman at his less than infallible best, which is when he's most relatable.

03. Superman Vs The Elite (2012 / Dir. Michael Chang) is a rather strange work in which a small group of new 'heroes' arrive in Metropolis and help cut down the Big Blue's workload, but their methods aren't sympathetic with his impossible ideals.

It's based on Joe Kelly's What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way? (2001) storyline. I've not yet read the source text, but after watching the film, I definitely want to.

It doesn't just use the medium as allegory, it goes full out and includes real world concerns in a fictional setting. It initially distances the origins of the unfavourable actions from American soil so that it can use them as a critique of home, but by the end shrewd viewers will be in no doubt as to what the message is, while at the same time being left with a shaky moral platform from which to soapbox. It shows Superman in a new light, and that's to be applauded. But please note: that due to the themes explored, it's perhaps not suited for young kids.

04. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010 / Dir. Lauren Montgomery) is billed as a sequel to Public Enemies (see below), but the connection is limited mostly to news reports heard in the first five or ten minutes, none of which have any great bearing on what follows. Those same opening minutes are superb, for other reasons, but it drops a planet-sized ball after that.

Batman picks up a young girl (not like that!); Superman takes on the father figure role for her; the Big D from Apokolips wants a piece of her, too, so he pulls up his socks and heads to Earth.

It's pretty banal and lacking the characterisation of the Jeph Loeb penned source material. More Batman cynicism might've helped it.

The BWS triumvirate being at each others throats was an interesting element. In fact, it really ought to have had Wonder Woman's name in the title next to the two men's, because the Amazonian Princess plays as much a part in the story as they do once it gets going proper.

Speaking of Wo Wo, Dir. Lauren Montgomery also helmed the heroine's first solo animated film, simply titled Wonder Woman (2009), which is a hell of a lot better than Apocalypse.

The final disc has 05. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009 / Dir. Sam Liu), which is the one that I mentioned above as being set chronologically before Apocalypse (2010). Its America is in a state of economic crisis; the downturn has caused job losses on a mass scale, which gives rise to feelings of hopelessness, and even has civil liberties being violated. It's the perfect environment for an opportunistic millionaire to step up with promises of protection and take power.

That same individual can then use their new position to satisfy a personal agenda, one that makes the heroes of the people seem more like enemies, with privileges denied the regular folk. Any superheroes who don't agree to work for the New Order are branded as Public Enemies.

The balance is uneven, with fight scenes that go on far too long and dialogue scenes that deserved more time; there's a couple of the latter between Batman and Superman that are especially notable. And yet, despite its many missteps and a high level of almost inconceivable nonsense, it's actually fun, with a 'Saturday morning cartoon' feeling - besides the occasional use of the kind of language that you'd not find in a work aimed at such a demographic. [1]

The male heroes have a ridiculous hulking musculature that isn't in Apocalypse; it's not Masters of the Universe size, but it's not far off it. Power Girl is mostly tits and eyes.

Alongside featuring the voice actors most associated with their respective heroes from the Batman, Superman, and Justice League TV series (Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Clancy Brown, and CCH Pounder), it has Allison Mack from Smallville and LeVar Burton from Star Trek TNG.

[1] That phrase may not make sense to everyone, so I'll attempt to explain: the UK in the 80s and 90s didn't have entire channels devoted to Children's TV like it does today. Such content was limited to a few hours after school on weekdays, and on weekend mornings. The Saturday slot, from about 7am until noon, had magazine shows that included many popular US cartoons: Transformers, G.I. Joe, ThunderCats, M.A.S.K., BraveStarr, Gargoyles, Captain Planet, etc. It's possible that some of those were mid-week, and I've mixed them up in my memory, but hopefully you'll get the idea: cartoons that were packed with adventure, favouring pure entertainment over logic, most of which were aimed primarily at young males (with parents who might buy them related toys, if hounded enough).