Review: Superman Doomsday

Honestly, everyone is talking about Japanese anime nowadays. They miss out on some of the animated gems that come out of the western countries. The pre-concieved notion that western animation is just for kids is a thing of the past. Superman: Doomsday proves that the west can make animated shows that appeal to the older crowd too.

Though not an outright adaptation of the "Death of Superman" comic story arc, this film(the first of Warner Premiere's direct to video animated movies) does borrow a number of elements from there but ends up carving out its own unique storyline.

On the surface, this films has nothing special about it. The much hyped PG-13 violence is only slightly more brutal than that seen in Justice League Unlimited or the Marvel Animated "Ultimate Avengers". Where the animation excels in a high frame rate leading to smooth character actions, scene transitions and fight scenes, the level of art detail is painfully low. The artwork in this film is no more detailed than in previous DC animated TV series. They must have tried upping the detail level by adding some more lines to Superman's face and changing the set designs of Metropolis to a more modern look, but most of those changes were only superficial and inconsistent. When artwork on a "movie" looks similar to artwork on a "tv series", its either the TV series had a sky high budget or this movie was drawn "on the cheap".

However, look past the lackluster artwork and the slightly un-attractive character designs(which honestly look like a cross between "The Batman", "Zeta Project" and "Hellboy Animated"), and there is an awesome narrative, very human characters and a heartwarming story to be seen in Superman:Doomsday.

From the start, we get into this new portrayal of Lex Luthor. Here he is not a madman obsessed with world domination or a underhanded business mogul. He is a genius who feels threatened by a Superior adversary, Superman. His obsession with defeating the man of steel is not so much because Superman keeps thwarting Luthor's plans or to be rid of a nuisance. Rather, Luthor just wants to reaffirm his own superiority, that HE is the "best of the best", hence why only HE deserves to take down Superman. Jealousy and Envy also drives him. Luthor had to work for his success leading to his envy of Superman who was born with those special powers, not having to work for them.


In the first 10 minutes we get to see a deep budding romance between Superman and Lois Lane; very well developed love story there that only makes the loss that comes later, all the more tragic. The romance is very well written and very believable; coming across as more realistic than many live action drama romances.

Aside from these 2 wonderful bits of characterization, the first act is mostly action oriented, from the Doomsday creature's escape to the final showdown with Superman; which is a wonderfully animated segment that brings the definition of "epic" to a whole new level. Pure adrenaline pumping action with minimal dialogue(what i hate in those anime films is how people can talk non-stop during fights and it really removes one from the action)



From there, the second act is where the film truly shines. We get to see how the characters react to his death. Many heart wrenching scenes include Martha Kent having to mourn the death of her son in secret;the son that nobody knows is hers, to Lois Lane's tough and strong willed exterior finally crumbling into a sense of utter loss. The emotional impact is very clear on the people of Metropolis and translate very well to the viewers. The portrayal of events that take place following Superman's death is just so believable, with rampant riots and soaring crime rates. Even Lex Luthor is emotionally torn; having been cheated of his dream, and Superman's robot butler sinks into sorrow as well, having lost the one thing in his life that gave his existence purpose(caring for Superman). A number of good underlying themes such as human psychological nature in dealing with a loss, the question of purpose and shattered hope.

Some interesting plot twists here and there. Though the seemingly deus ex machina resolution to the story is a little unbelievable. And the time frame seems to jump in between acts. One cannot tell if only an hour has passed, or a whole month. THe 3rd act is not as good as the first(in terms of action) or second (in terms of emotional impact) but the many deep underlying themes make up for the lackluster action. The theme especially of Superman's conflicting views on justice and morality, embodied by a very creepy dialogue between him and another Superman, stands out as one of the high points of the act. It is almost as if the entire fight is actually a metaphor for Superman wrestling against himself; his inner doubt, his conflicted morality and his fears.


Overall, this movie is a very well crafted piece of work. As an adaptation of "Death of Superman", this film strays very far from the source, in effect making it a terrible adaptation. But viewed as a separate piece of work altogether, it would allow this movie to truly shine. The less than stellar art may turn off some potential viewers, i urge everyone to look past the surface, give it a chance and watch this movie for its story and characters.
I mean, if you just watch a movie for its art and ignore the story or characters, then one is better off watching some beautiful looking thing like.......a still painting or something.

Superman:Doomsday is available locally for only $19.90 from Laser Flair or Music Junction DVD stores.