8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Superman battles an insurmountable foe named Doomsday.
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Matt Lanter, Rosario Dawson, Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca RomijnComic book | 100% |
Action | 82% |
Animation | 50% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish=Latin & Castillian
English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
How many times will Warner and DC Comics kill off Superman? Didn't we just agonize over
the Man of Steel's demise in director Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman a mere two years ago?
(It was followed, of course, by his rebirth in Justice
League a year later.) Indeed, with the release
of the 33rd original film in the DC Animated Universe—the numbering at Wikipedia continues
to be off by one—the series seems to be repeating itself. The very first DCAU original movie was
Superman: Doomsday, released eleven years
ago. Like that 2007 inaugural feature, The Death of
Superman is based on the multi-issue comic book "event" published by DC between 1992 and
1993. Director Bruce Timm gave us his version in Superman: Doomsday. The senior director on
the new film is Sam Liu, who has overseen seven of the last nine entries in the series, beginning
with Justice League: Gods and
Monsters. Liu is reportedly committed to a series of sequels.
Repetition aside, Death of Superman is a lot of fun, both visually and in the dizzying array of
characters and subplots that Liu, co-director James Tucker and screenwriter Peter Tomasi
effectively juggle in the film's efficient 81 minutes. The animation represents a welcome and
colorful departure from the faded style on view in recent entries like Batman: Gotham by
Gaslight and Suicide Squad:
Hell to Pay. And the script wisely assumes a DCU-savvy audience
that doesn't need to be bogged down with back stories. (One of Snyder's biggest mistakes in
Batman v. Superman was attempting to include Batman's origin and the Justice League's, both
of which distracted from the main event promised in the title.) Add to that a nimble collection of
voice talent, some new and some old, and you have an engaging entertainment that can stand
with the best of the DCAU.
Like previous DCU animated movies, The Death of Superman arrives on Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray with the smooth, clean
and (mostly) artifact-free image of modern CG
animation. The image is as detailed as it needs to be to set the scenes and tell the story, but the
animation style remains minimalist. (There's more detail in many of the comic books and graphic
novels than in the movies.) Where Death of Superman really shines is in the breadth of its
palette, which is a welcome change after the consistently dull and muted chromatics that the series had
lately acquired, especially in the Batman entries. Superman's costume exhibits strong reds and
blues, and those colors recur in numerous shades throughout the film, from Wonder Woman's
signature outfit to the blood of Doomsday's many victims. Green Lantern brings bright greens to
the party; the Flash's yellow boots contrast sharply with his bright red costume; and Aquaman
exhibits a distinctive shade of orange. Even Batman's dark uniform looks richer than usual. The
villains add additional hues, like the yellow and purple of the Intergang hoodlums' armor or
Luthor's tech, which almost always has something green about it (kryptonite is never far from his
mind). Many of the locations—Daily Planet offices, S.T.A.R. Labs, Lex Corp, etc.—are brightly
lit and colorful, and so are the streets of Metropolis and its surroundings (at least, until they fill
with smoke and vapor from the alien attack). The heat beams from Superman's eyes, and also
from Doomsday's, are searingly red.
As usual with Warner's DC animated films, there are a few fleeting instances of banding that
most viewers probably won't notice, and the average bitrate is a paltry 14.99 Mbps, even though
there's over 4 GB of unused space on the BD-25. One of these days, it would be interesting to get
a DCU animated movie with Warner Archive-level bitrates, just to see the difference. After all, if
these films are deemed worthy of 4K/HDR release,
don't they also deserve the best possible Blu-ray authoring?
The Death of Superman's 5.1 soundtrack, provided on Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1, continues the DCU animated series' history of effective but modest mixes, with plenty of punch and power for the extended superhero battles, but a restrained use of the surround array. In a live-action movie, falling rubble would be audible in every direction, and flying metahumans would zoom left and right, front and back. (There's an extended sequence on a suspension bridge that should be a sound designer's field day.) Whether from budgetary limitations or aesthetic choices, that kind of immersive activity doesn't happen in this sound mix. No matter how busy the proceedings onscreen, the sonic accompaniment remains solidly planted in the front of the room, with surrounds used to expand the sense of space and support the grandly heroic score by DCU veteran Frederik Wiedmann. The dialogue is clearly rendered, although there's so much happening at once that it may take several viewings (or switching on the subtitles) to catch every inside reference.
The Death of Superman launches the animated DCU in an intriguing new direction, with the
potential for expanded storylines spread over multiple movies. It's a development that's long
overdue, given the serialized nature of the comic book medium. Fans have repeatedly
demonstrated their willingness to follow a multi-part film series, whether it's J.K. Rowling's
Wizarding World, Peter Jackson's Middle Earth trilogies,
the Star Trek universe and, of course,
Lucasfilm's galaxy far, far away. Those are daunting heights to achieve, but why shouldn't the DCU animators aim high? Highly recommended.
2018
Deluxe Edition
2018
Limited Edition Gift Set
2018
Limited Edition Gift Set
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2019
Season One / Warner Archive Collection
2011-2012
2020
Warner Archive Collection
2004-2006
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #19
2014
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #26
2016
2020
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #28
2017
2019
Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #4
2009
2018
Commemorative Edition
2015
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #18
2013
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #7
2010
DC Comics Classic Collection
2003-2004
2018
Deluxe Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #15 & 16 | Seamless Cut + Frank Miller Documentary
2012-2013
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #29
2017
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #13
2012