DTV Superman vs. the Elite

[Talavar]

Came out this week, and I just checked it out.  For those unaware, it retells a Superman comic from some years back now, pitting an Authority-esque superteam against Superman, namely their extreme methods and flexible morality against Supes' 'old-fashioned' values.

I thought it was pretty well done.  Good animation, like all of these recent releases from WB have had, though the character design for Superman (namely his wonky chin) kept bugging me.  Voice acting was solid, with George Newburn reprising his role of Superman from Justice League/JLU.  Aside from Jimmy Olsen in a bit part, he's the only hold over.  The new Lois voice actor was quite good, and the actor for Manchester Black was actually pretty well done - though I think some of the British slang, as filtered through an assumed-American writer, could have used a little work.

The ending demonstrated very nicely why Superman can't just fix the world - because he would be a tyrant.  A being as powerful as Superman without his moral constraints is terrifying, and I think the climax of the film portrays that pretty well.

One thing that struck me as weird is the complete lack of integration these DTV releases have with DC's current comic output.  In this film, Superman and Lois are married, and she's very much aware that Clark=Superman.  This isn't a complaint (actually the opposite), but I'm surprised the corporate overlords at WB didn't push for brand synergy, or some such nonsense.

[JeyNyce]

I saw it and I really didn't like it.  Supes chin really threw me off and beside Manchester Black, I really didn't care for the rest of the group.  Maybe it's just me but I could not get into the story.

[Cyber Burn]

Saw it...loved it. Voice acting was spot on, Pauley Parrette (Spelling) made a great Lois Lane. I really have no complaints, and can't wait till I have time to watch it again.

[captmorgan72]

Just watched it and REALLY loved it. Loved everything about it. Definitely one of my favorite animated Superman movies.

Spoiler

I loved when Superman tells Manchester Black that you can't kill the bad guys and call your self heroes. To which Manchester responds, why not, your government does it all the time. Pure gold. Manchester's speech during the fight with Supes was golden too. "He who has the power, makes the rules". Yep, that is so true. Killing people is a crime, unless you're doing it for your government, the ones with the power. "People want surgeons to cut out the cancers that fester in us and make sure they never come back". Yep, I fully agree. Of course Supes teaches the masses that there is another way with his turning to the darkside ruse. It wouldn't be a Superman movie unless the star of the show teaches humanity that killing is not the answer. I guess that is why I like the Punisher over at Marvel. He does what needs to be done. I did love how scared the Elite got when they thought that Superman wasn't going to hold back anymore. Without Kryptonite, a very angry Superman would be next to impossible to beat.   

[Tawodi Osdi]

I love NCIS.  I may have to rent it just for Pauley Perrette.

[oldmanwinters]

Man, I"m falling behind on my DCU movies!  I haven't even gotten around to seeing Justice League Doom yet!

[Cyber Burn]

I love NCIS.  I may have to rent it just for Pauley Perrette.

Agreed. She definitely makes the show what it is.

[kaflinkle_rises]

Apart from Superman's chin, the movie was really enjoyable, better than I thought it would be. But....the english slang used? I'm from England and the word 'wanker' is not slang, it's a swear word. If my 10yo nephew was to come out with that word, I'd be annoyed. To hear Superman say it was quite weird as I cannot remember Superman using slang, let alone a swear word but I may be wrong.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bothered by swearing or bad language but to hear Supes say it and so casually as well (just after he and the Elite rescued the trains I believe) stuck out a bit and didn't seem right. To me it'd be like Supes hitting the Atomic Skull and saying 'take that you motherf*****'...it just didn't seem in character.

[captmorgan72]

The american version for wanker is jerk off. So yeah, hearing Superman saying jerk off is a bit strange.

[Talavar]

That being said a lot of North Americans in general don't know what wanker actually means, and don't think it's a very bad word.  It's like shag or bugger - they don't have nearly the impact among North Americans that they do in Britain, if the literal meaning is even known.