This week's movie is
Superman: Doomsday
This movie could be seen as the starting point for the new DCU as it was the first DTV they produced that wasn't directly tied into anything else in the Timmverse. (Superman: Brainiac, could also be counted, but believe it uses the same designs)
This movie on the other hand, has no such shackles. It uses a different cast of voice actors and a radically different design for the characters, but let's get into the movie.
The movie is based loosely on the Death/Return of Superman arc from the early 90s. Sadly, I've never read the story myself (something I will remedy one day), but based on the bonus feature it was a pretty cool comic and story. Now the movie guts the middle portion of the comic for the most part (the Superman wanna bes who try to fill in the gap in his absence) and the movie works well without it.
First thing that HAS to be said, this movie is brutal.
The movie pretty much revolves around two major fight scenes. The first if the titular Superman vs Doomsday fight, which is big, bad and brutal. It goes across Metropolis and is probably one of the best crafted fight scenes in all of comic book DTV. You feel every blow, and of course the eventual defeat is done so well.
The second fight is the climax between a clone Superman and returned Superman, which again is a pretty nice fight. Something that both fights get right is the feeling of doom over Superman, at times it is difficult to do a Superman fight where you feel he is threatened due to his power limits, and even rarer to do it without K, but both of these fights accomplish that IMO.
In-between the fights, there is also a movie. The crux of it being the relationship between Superman and Lois, who are seen dating at the start of the movie. This comes out of left field, but you find out why it is important after his death, as Lois carries the emotion of this movie. Between her reaction at his death to speaking with Martha Kent, you feel the gravity of the situation.
We also get emotional arcs through Lex Luthor (who is as cold here as anywhere else, but sometimes feels just a bit off), Jimmy (who takes up a glam gig), Perry White (briefly in his scenes) and Ma Kent.
Oddly, my biggest problem with the movie is the whole act that deals with Luthor's cloned Superman, I know they needed something for Superman to fight when he returned, but I just didn't care for it much. And he quickly spirals out of control.
Some of the voices were good, some took getting use to, but none were as horrible as Superman: Brainiac nor did any of the characters feel so out of place like Luthor did in that movie.
My recommendation
Check It Out It may be on Netflix Insta-Steam
Next week's movie is,
Justice League: New Frontier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lEhVhzPy3c