Superman and Batman Apocalypse

• Title:  Superman and Batman Apocalypse
• Director:  Lauren Montgomery
• Voice Director:  Andrea Romano
• Date:  2010
• Studio:  Warner Brothers Animation
• Genre:  Action, Animation, Drama
• Cast:  Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Summer Glau, Edward Asner, Andre Braugher
• Format: Color Animation, Widescreen
• DVD Format:   R1, NTSC

"This is how they see you.  Bigger than life.  You're their champion."-- Kara to Clark

"Ever since this girl came into our lives, you've let your guard down, Clark, even exposed your secret identity - despite common sense."-- Batman
"Unlike you, Bruce, I don't look for the bad in everyone.  You may think I'm naive but every instinct tells me this girl is my cousin.  She's done nothing to show me otherwise and she'll be safe with me."-- Superman

"This might not be the right time, but you've always been an inspiration to me."-- Big Barda
"Barda..."-- Wonder Woman
"Seriously, Diana, when someone brings hope to another person?  It's a gift."-- Big Barda

The film opens with the voice-over of a radio talk show, among items mentioned are  former President Lex Luthor's impeachment and the frequent meteor showers of Kyptonite meteorites.  Both items refer to the previous film, Superman Batman Public Enemies.  Suddenly, a huge meteor hits in Gotham harbor and eyewitnesses call it in to the radio station, cue opening credits.

A naked girl arrives on the Gotham docks.  Longshoremen act, well, as they would, but she trashes two of them.  A third gives her his trench-coat.  She takes it, then runs into the street, where she's hit by a car, which barely slows her down.  This mysterious girl causes havoc where ever she goes.  Batman catches up to her, and she blows up one of  Gotham's new auto-blimps.  Superman arrives and tosses the blimp into the harbor before it can crash into something and cause real damage.  Batman meanwhile uses Kryptonite to calm down the girl.  This knocks her out and he's able to take her to the Batcave.

In the Batcave, Superman arrives, and he and Kara speak in Krypton.  Superman learns this is Kara, his cousin.  Krypto the dog also arrives, but doesn't seem to trust Kara.  Batman and Superman agree to keep her in quarantine.  Kara remembers her parents putting her in a ship, then dying (as well as the bright flash of the planet being destroyed).  Batman, still not sure, is protective of  Superman.

Meanwhile on Apocalypse, Darkseid is training a new Queen Fury.  However, she fails her test - a fight with the Furies, and is killed.  Granny Goodness and Darkseid look on during the fight.

Clark takes Kara shopping (and appears to have Bruce Wayne's budget).  They end up in a park, where he shows her a statue of Superman.  There's a bright flash of  light, and someone arrives.  Kara fights, her powers get out of control, and she trashes the park.  Wonder Woman and Batman explain Kara needs more training and they are taking her away for her own good.  Reluctantly, Superman agrees.

Wonder Woman takes Kara to Paradise Island.  Superman and Batman, along with Wonder Woman and her Amazon sisters, watch Kara battle Artemis.  Kara loses.  Superman is a bit freaked by this and even tries to protect his cousin from a perceived threat.  Kara runs off  and spends time with her friend the Prophetess Harbinger.

Meanwhile a Boom Tube arrives bringing Doomsday - an army of  Doomsdays.  Wonder Woman leads her army of Amazons to fight them.  Batman and Superman fight as well.  Superman defeats the Doomdays with his heat vision.  He's upset by using his power in such a way, but Wonder Woman point out they weren't really alive.  Batman realizes the attack was a diversion and leads Superman and Wonder Woman to find Kara.  On the other side of  Paradise Island, Superman approaches a body in the water - it's Harbinger.  Kara's been taken to Apocalypse.

Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman drop in on Big Barda, who's in witness protection in a small town. They ask her for Mother Box so they can open a Boom Tube to Apocalypse.  Barda offers to come too.  The four soon arrive on Apocalypse.  Big Barda and Wonder Woman face the Furies.  Batman faces mechanical tiger/dog beasts.  Superman also faces off against mechanical monsters before challenging Darkseid.

However, when Superman gets to Darkseid, Kara's been brainwashed to fight for him.  Batman arrives in Darkseid's throne room and tells him he's set all the hell spores (megaton bombs - a single one can destroy a planet, Batman has rigged 500) to blow.  Darkseid thinks Batman is bluffing and threatens him with the Omega Beam.  However, as they fight and Darkseid over-powers Batman, he realizes that Batman might not be bluffing.  He releases Batman and Kara to Superman.  Darkseid orders Batman to disarm the hell spores and leave Apocalypse.

Clark takes Kara to Smallville and to the Kent farm.  But instead of  his parents, Darkseid is waiting there.  Darkseid threatens Kara with his Omega beams.  Both Kara and Clark fight Darkseid.  Darkseid sends Superman into orbit, but he drifts towards the sun - regaining his powers.  Seeing Kara hurt, Superman goes nuts, and trashes Darkseid.  Darkseid uses his Omega beams.  Superman does a good impersonation of a twister on Darkseid.  Darkseid leaves via Boom Tube.  Superman embraces Kara.  She reveals she's changed the destination on the Boom Tube - sending Darkseid into deep space.  The Kents arrive, only to see their farm has  been trashed and their house collapses.  Clark promises to re-build everything.

At the end, Superman introduces Supergirl (Kara) to the Amazons on Paradise Island.

Overall, I liked this better the second time around.  It's still not as much fun as Public Enemies, and it's definitely more a Superman story than a Batman one.  In fact the graphic novel this is based on is Superman Batman  Supergirl.  But I liked that Wonder Woman had such a big part in the film.  It was also very cool to see Big Barda - and as a good guy no less (she's often ambiguous at best).  Darkseid is a Superman villian, though, so again, very much a Superman story.  The voice cast is excellent - Kevin Conroy reprises his role from Batman the Animated Series and Justice League.  Susan Eisenberg is again Wonder Woman (she had voiced Wonder Woman / Diana in Justice League).  Tim Daly from Superman the Animated Series and Superman / Batman Public Enemies is back.  And the guest cast includes Summer Glau as Supergirl, Ed Asner as Granny Goodness, and Andre Braugher as Darkseid.  The film also has a lot, and I mean, a lot of fight sequences.  There are a few character moments, but not many.  I'd have preferred a more character-driven storyline with fewer fight sequences.  Also, I would have liked to see more of  Clark's views of  Bruce and Bruce's views of Clark - as that was what made the graphic novel series so much fun.

Recommendation:  See it, especially if you are a Superman fan.
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Suspicion  (Or The Dark Knight Rises - which I just got on DVD)

Justice League Doom

NOTE:  Review contains SPOILERS Be WARNED!!!

• Title:  Justice League Doom
• Director:  Lauren Montgomery
• Voice Director:  Andrea Romano
• Date:  2012
• Studio:  Warner Brothers Animation
• Genre:  Action, Drama, Animation
• Cast:  Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Nathan Fillion, Carl Lumbey, Michael Rosenbaum, Claudia Black, Paul Blackthorne, Olivia D'abo, Alexis Denisoff, Phil Morris, Robin Atkin Downes
• Format:  Widescreen, Color animation
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"When we fought before, I broke the bat; today I break the man." -- Bane to Bruce Wayne

"No, you weren't afraid, not really.  You were dosed with a synthesized version of  the Scarecrow's fear gas.  Because will is the source of  your strength."  -- Batman
"And fear is the enemy of  will." -- Green Lantern, Hal Jordan

Justice League Doom brings back most of  the original cast from the original Justice League animated television series, only substituting Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, rather than GL Jon Stewart or introducing Guy Gardner.  There is also a stellar cast of  "guest stars" as the Leaguers greatest foes.

Vandal Savage uses Mirror Master to obtain secret files from the Batcave - files that Batman created with plans to bring down any of  the main Justice League members in case they went rogue.  The villains then begin to attack and defeat the League members.  Mirror Master gets Flash to put his hand inside a Schrodinger's cat box to rescue an old woman.  Flash ends up with a bomb in his wrist that will explode if  he stops, de-accelerates, or does nothing when the timer runs out.  Cheetah fist-fights Wonder Woman, but poisons her with her finger nails so everyone she sees looks and sounds like Cheetah.  GL Hal Jordan is sent to a Salt Mine to rescue some hostages from a militia group and the rescue goes wrong - a woman who is a dead ringer for Carol (Hal's former girlfriend) is killed.  Even running into Star Sapphire doesn't help Hal realise he's been set up.  Martain Manhunter is slipped a poison that caused him to sweat Magnesium, which bursts into flame, even under water.  Superman is shot in the chest with a Kryptonite bullet.  Bane takes Bruce's parents out of  their graves.  A groundskeeper (not Alfred) reports this to Bruce, who goes out to investigate in civilian clothes.  He's jumped by Bane, who beats him up, then drops him into his mother's (new) grave, and buries him alive, with her skeleton in her coffin.

Bruce, stranded underground, takes the keys out of  his pocket and starts to pummel the coffin lid.  He's about to give up, when he turns and sees his mother's skeleton staring at him -- and he renews his attack and escapes.  It's a very eerie and spooky image -- but it's also something that is just "so Batman" and "so Bruce" -- he cannot ever give up on the oath he swore to his parents that faithful night when he was only eight years old.

Once he's escaped, Batman contacts the other Justice League members to get them out of  their immediate danger, then they meet to find out what's going on.

Meanwhile, Vandal Savage has gathered the villains together to take out the Justice League, so he can put a secondary plan into motion.  Once the various villains report their success -- they insist on joining Savage in his plans.  Savage's plan is to fire a missile into the sun, causing a massive solar flare which will destroy the sunward side of the Earth as well as send out an EMP that will fry anything electronic.  The Justice League arrives, and each member fights his or her oppisite number villain.  However, despite the assistance of Cyborg, Savage's missile is fired.  Superman and Green Lantern attempt to stop the missile at the sun, but fail, giving the League seven minutes to figure out what to do.  They come up with something -- and Earth is saved.

I really liked the first part of  the story -- that Batman would have contingency plans for taking out everyone in the League (though his plans were non-lethal)  is both scary, and yet fitting with his personality.  I would have liked to see more of  a sense of  the League's sense of  betrayal though -- not only that Batman would do that, but that he'd keep detailed records of  his potential plans.  After  the  Justice League saves Earth, they discuss what to do with Batman, and it's Clark who tells Bruce that he was right, then asks what safety valve exists for Bruce -- Bruce responds, "The Justice League".  In other words, he's created an equal and balanced system.  But, I would have liked more.  More storyline, more background, especially for the villains, even more dialogue between the Leaguers (and between Alfred and Bruce.  Alfred appears and then suddenly disappears, before just as suddenly appearing again.  It was very frustrating).  With six heroes and seven villains, including Savage, plus the opening gambit with the Royal Flush Gang, the film really should have been longer than 76 Minutes, and more flushed out.

I also felt the film fell a little flat at the end.  It sort of  turns into, "Of course the Justice League will win," and really loses momentum.  There's some great stuff  with Superman and Hal in space as they try to stop the missile and fail, but there's still no real sense of danger -- in part because Savage's plan is just too big.  I like the more subtle villains with subtle plans (like Lex Luthor becoming the US president -- which he did in the DC Universe).

Still, it was great to see the re-united Justice League cast together again.  I'd like to see Doom as the pilot for a new Justice League series, but I doubt it will happen.  Still, one can hope.  I will admit it was great to see the Legion of  Doom appear threatening instead of  as a joke, though. If you're a DC fan you'll enjoy this!

Recommendation:  See it, especially if  you're a DC fan.
Rating:  4 out of  5
Next Film:  Same Time, Next Year or Justice League New Frontier