Akting Out

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is DC’s newest animated film, and acts as a direct sequel to the dubious Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. While the original wasn’t a bad film, I was disappointed by how far it strayed from the original material, primarily with one of its key characters. Having never read Superman/Batman: Supergirl (which is the basis for this film), I had to base my opinion on the film alone.

The movie picks up a few months after the events of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. When a large meteor crashes into Gotham Bay, the Dark Knight moves in to investigate. He finds an exceptionally strong young girl who’s managed to incapacitate several ill-intentioned dockworkers and evade police—by taking to the skies. The pursuit is nearly catastrophic until Superman intervenes. Meanwhile, Batman, having deduced the girl’s origin, renders her temporarily powerless with kryptonite. As Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman (who plays a large role) bicker over what to do with the rebellious adolescent, Darkseid involves himself with plans of his own.

The character design is much sleeker than the over muscled, blocky design found in Public Enemies, and Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly reprise their roles as Batman and Superman, respectively. Summer Glau scores as Kara/Supergirl, and Susan Eisenberg is impressive as an iron-willed Wonder Woman. The only cast member to fall short is Andre Braugher, who is completely miscast as Darkseid. While he pulls off Darkseid’s ruthless intelligence, he fails to make Darkseid frightening. The animation is the film’s high mark, and it’s amazing to see how far fight choreography has come in an animated film. Watch Wonder Woman’s battle with Darkseid’s furies to see what I’m talking about.

The story is almost a huge letdown, especially as it climaxes. The entire thing feels rushed, as though the filmmakers were trying to get as much of the original source material in here as well as please the fans. Although the climax opens one gaping plot hole, the final battle nearly makes up for it.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse does better than its predecessor, but not by much. For twenty dollars, you can get the two-disc special edition which includes a digital version as well as a short featuring Green Arrow. Hardcore fans might find this a worthwhile purchase (and I did), but casual fans would do just as well spending fifteen dollars on the regular version. Not horrible, not great, but better than average.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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Fluid, gripping, and utterly violent, Batman: Under the Red Hood provides a condensed telling of Batman’s greatest failure and the subsequent rise of one of his most tragic villains. Strikingly animated, with gorgeous action sequences and fight scenes that would do Yuen Woo Ping justice, DC’s latest entry into its animated portfolio is a very good example of animated storytelling for the grown-up crowd.

This is also easily the most violent entry in the animated series; one characters death is graphically depicted and the Joker cuts some poor schmo’s throat with a broken drinking glass. Not for kids.

That being said, there’s very little to complain about here. The animation is fluid and moves without a hiccup. We see more of the Batman universe explored here than any other animated outing, and although fan-favorite Nightwing is a welcome addition, it would’ve been nice to see him get a little more screen time. Still, the relationship between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne is represented well here. The dialogue does a good job of depicting their history without getting too much backstory.

The film’s only real flaw is in the voice-casting. It’s not horrible, and Jason Isaacs (of Harry Potter fame) brings an impressive Ras Al-Ghul to life. Neil Patrick Harris also does a pretty good job as Nightwing. Notably absent from the cast is Kevin Conroy, who has lent his voice to Batman for almost twenty years now. Bruce Greenwood is passable at best as the Dark Knight, but often comes off as trying too hard. He often sounds more like a Dirty Harry knock-off than Batman, but his performance isn’t so bad that it takes away from the film. John Di Maggio’s Joker is hit-and-miss; never very funny, never all that scary, either.

The DVD retails for $15 or $20 (the $20 version is a special edition which includes a free preview of Jonah Hex). Either way, this is money well-spent. Batman: Under the Red Hood very much worth the asking price and a great addition to any fan’s collection.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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