Directed By – Sam Liu; Jake Castorena
Starring – Jerry O’Connell; Rebecca Romijn; Rainn Wilson; Rosario Dawson; Jason O’Mara; Shemar Moore; Nathan Fillion; Christopher Gorham.
This isn’t the first time DC Animation brought the Death of Superman comic to life when they released Superman: Doomsday in 2007. However, with a new animation team, the folks at DC gave the most iconic Superman stories a more faithful retelling by giving it The Dark Knight Returns treatment and giving this legendary story its own two-part.
The Man of Steel meets his ultimate match when Doomsday comes to Earth – hell bent on destroying everything and everyone in his path, including the Justice League.
The Death of Superman is only four comic issues, directors Liu (who has become the studios go to guy) and Castorena did the smart thing of keeping the story within this animation universe set in the New 52.
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By doing this it makes it feel like its own story but set in an established universe, something I and fans think the DCU should follow, Rosario Dawson and Nathan Fillion return as Wonder Woman & Green Lantern etc but also showcase Doomsday as more of a major threat.
My experience with Superman is interesting, even though I watched the Bruce Timm animated series and 90s show Lois and Clark, I was never a fan of the character especially with Richard Donner’s films. This all changed with Man of Steel as Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan helped make the character of Clark Kent relatable to me with a superb performance from Henry Cavill.
Then on the animation side, O’Connell has been smashing it as the Man of Steel brings a lot of what old and new fans like about him. Meanwhile, Wilson does a decent job with Lex Luther and bring the same level of personality and menace that Clancy Brown did.
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Additionally, it could be easily argued the film centres more around Lois Lane and her relationship with Supes and Clark as it goes throughout the movie. It’s a bonus Lois is voiced by O’Connell’s actual wife Romijn, which makes the relationship between these characters more organic and I hope she’s a recurring voice in this universe of films.
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As for the animation, it’s at its absolute best to the point it’s the best DC animation have ever done with the emotion (I was crying by the end) and the use of new techniques in animation to give the fight more of a realistic brawl feel from slow-mo to the vibrations when Superman and Doomsday beat the crap out of each other.
I feel like I say this all the time, but this could be the best DC Animation ever joining Jay Olivia’s The Dark Knight Returns two-parter. Furthermore, this makes it a hat-trick for Liu with Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight and whenever I see his name connected to a DCA project I’ll get excited.
Finally, the bonus features of this Blu-ray are good especially with a look at the second part of this film, Reign of Supermen.
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P.S – The new/updated DC Entertainment intro looks beautiful and look forward to seeing it in front of the DC Films in the future.
Verdict
The Death of Superman joins the special list of the best DC Animation films ever. From the voice work of O’Connell and co to the beautiful and new ways of animation, this is a must have for any comic book, DC, and DC Animation fan.
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