You may or may not know that I am a sucker for a good cartoon. Surprising, right? So, when both Marvel and DC started released full length animated feature films a while back, I was giddy like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert. What may surprise most people is how good these features actually are. They are full of action and drama and for the most part, are not lacking when it comes to voice talent. We've seen everyone from Jensen Ackles to Alec Baldwin, James Woods to Summer Glau. These "cartoons" aren't just for kids anymore, so I'd suggest you give them a whirl.
Enough with my justifications, let's get on to the review.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is the follow to last year's
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and it introduces the character of Kara Zor-El to audiences. Most people know her as Supergirl, Superman's cousin. When she crash lands in Gotham Bay, the duo of Batman and Superman quickly discover that she doesn't remember much and that she has little or no control over her powers. So for hers and the public's safety, they opt to send her to Paradise Island, the home of Wonder Woman. Soon, Darkseid learns of her power and tracks her down to brainwash her so that she may lead his armies.
The story is well written and is based off the comic series of the same name. It is paced well and if anything, moves a bit too fast. We see the introduction of some characters, who if you're not familiar with them, you don't really get too much of an introduction here. They come and go rather quickly, yet they play an integral part of the story line.
Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy return to voice the characters of Superman and Batman, respectively. Both of which are fan favorites, ever since the began voicing the characters back in the 90's with their respective cartoon series. Needless to say, they own the roles and are a perfect fir for the characters. Summer Glau (
Serenity, The Sarah Conner Chronicles) comes in to voice Kara Zor-El and she does a decent job, but rather an odd choice for voice over work. Ed Asner voices Granny Goodness with ease and is a great fit for the role. The one I was truly disappointed in was Andre Braugher as Darkseid. When I read that he would be voicing the character, I was quite happy, but to actually hear his voice associated with the character, it just didn't work for me. I want someone with a deep, booming voice for Darkseid.
The animation of the film is what I really enjoyed here. It has a style that has a tinge of anime to it, but not enough to make it overly kid-like. It has a shininess to it at some points that is truly incredible and unique. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman all looked amazing and exactly how they should be portrayed, in their classic style. Oh, am I the only one that thinks Wonder Woman looked uber-hot?
The final battle scene is one of epic proportions and is very well done. It's fast paced, but the animations still remains top notch and doesn't get blurry and out of focus like some animators do to make it easier to put together. It stays crisp, which allows viewers to enjoy it as it's supposed to be. As a whole, this could be one of DC's best animated films to date and they keep one-upping themselves, which I am perfectly happy with if this is the result.
My one question is this: Has Marvel given up on trying to produce
good animated features? Their first ventures (
The Avengers and it's sequel) were decent, but failed to reach the levels that DC have been for years. When they releases
Hulk Vs. and
Planet Hulk I thought maybe they were headed somewhere, but we haven't seen anything or heard much since. DC has set a new bar with it's past several animated features, and Marvel has a lot of catching up to do.
Grade: B+