Superman: Unbound showcases Clark/Superman’s fight against the onslaught of Brainiac as he prepares to destroy the Earth and it’s people only after he has assimilated their knowledge and culture and taken a sample of such for his ongoing data collection. This time around Superman is joined by his cousin Kara/Supergirl who has seen Brainiac’s handiwork up close when he took her city of Kandor and its people, whom Kara believed to be dead, as pieces for his species museum. When Brainiac has the same designs for the people and city of Metropolis it’s up to the Man of Steal to confront Brainiac and give his cousin the courage to face the fears of her past.
SUPERMAN: UNBOUND is a good adaptation of the Johns/Frank Brainiac story that at times can seem bland. This time it’s all about the voice cast and the voice acting by the two female leads adds some punch in the areas when the action is on the sidelines. The beautiful Stana Katic (of TV’s Castle) shines as Lois Lane, making me not miss my beloved Dana Delany so much. Katic instills Lois with a strength grounded in a much-needed wisdom here, almost coming off as a young, contemporary version of Ma Kent in the big city. Molly C. Quinn (also of TV’s Castle, a theme here?) brings a nice layered level to Kara Zor-El/Supergirl. Kara is a strong, young women wanting to take advantage of her unique and powerful abilities, but she is still a teenager with angst who genuinely fears Brainiac and the chaos that he can bring. In addition, Kara makes Superman question himself and his knowledge of Krypton’s history. Supes may be big dog on Earth with full knowledge of Earth’s history, but outside of it he may have some learning to do himself. Superman/Clark really has to take these two strong woman into consideration which forces him to apply some different tack at times.
Matt Bomer and John Noble did a decent job as Superman and Brainiac. I enjoy their work, but here in SUPERMAN: UNBOUND I found myself longing for a Tim Daly or George Newbern Superman and would have loved to have heard a Corey Burton Brainiac. Those three gentlemen really brought their characters home so I find anyone else, although good, lacking.
The female voice acting gets us through the bland elements of the Man of Steel’s battle against Brainiac but the action and struggle need little help. I enjoyed the faster paced elements of Superman fighting the hordes of Brainiac’s drones; at times one would fear he is overwhelmed only to summon the strength and will that Superman can. The destruction picks up more in Metropolis where we get some Superman and Supergirl team-up action but the creme-de-la-creme is Superman battling it out with Brainiac. In what appears as a rather even bout, we are riveted by the fact that Brainiac poses a real threat and if Superman can’t handle it we are quite doomed – a great fight if seeming rather brief.
All in all SUPERMAN: UNBOUND is a great addition to the DC Animated Features. It is based on a great comic story so I would expect as much. However, with most DC Animated entries I find that although they are always solid and fun (i.e. Superman: Unbound, The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 & 2, Superman: Doomsday) they often lack the heart and scope of the original stories. Given that this is not always the case (i.e. Justice League: The New Frontier, Batman: Gotham Knight, Batman: Year One) I wonder if much of it has to do with the transition to an animated property, its budget, and wanting to reach a different audience that sometimes sucks a bit of the heart out of some great comic storylines. Not having the answer I will just add that all DC animated entries are quality features worth a look or purchase. Some as I have mentioned hit their mark better than others, although some seem to miss out on either their comic prototypes’ vision or the quality of greats like the Batman, Superman, or Justice League Animated series that started them all.
The Guy in the Hat