Superman: The Last Son of Krypton

This is the three-part premiere of the Superman animated series from the '90s. The first episode only features Superman as a baby, dealing mostly with the events on Krypton leading up to its destruction and baby Kal-El being sent to Earth. Love the way they incorporated Brainiac into that. The second part deals with young Clark Kent in Smallville learning to deal with his powers and origins. This leads into his going to work for the Daily Planet in Metropolis and making his debut as Superman. The third part is about Superman's first clash with Lex Luthor and setting up that dynamic for the future.

I enjoyed the '90s Superman series a lot. Along with Batman: The Animated Series, it was a great time for DC animation. The voices are terrific. Tim Daly and Dana Delany have become so synonymous with Clark and Lois, every new voice actor they try to use these days is automatically compared to them. And Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor? Forget about beating that! The rousing music score is fantastic, just what a Superman score should be.

It's great to look back on this series and see a proper representation of Superman and his world. It's all gone now, in the comics and in the movies. The lighter, more colorful tone has given way to "realism" and bleakness. Superman's a shell of his former self. But this cartoon got it right. It's great fun for kids and adults. If you have never seen the series, this is the place to start.

This compilation movie from Superman: The Animated Series (STAS) condenses Superman's origin into three arcs and locations - Krypton, Smallville, and Metropolis. It's close to the original comic, the only major change being that Superman's origin is now interestingly - and cleverly - linked with that of his famous foe Brainiac. We see Superman's introduction to Lois Lane and the Daily Planet, his first meeting with Lex Luthor, and get an early hint of the shared continuity that will become known as the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) (an amusing mention of "that nut in Gotham City"). It's not all great; the Krypton segment drags in places, the Smallville segment feels like it needed more time, the dated art/animation style jars, and the final showdown isn't that exciting. The voice work is all good though, and it does serve as a nice introduction to Superman generally and STAS in particular. Overall 7/10

This was a good start to the animated series. The origin is good and very close to the comics. It was interesting to see how Braniac was somewhat responsible for everyone on Krypton (except Superman) being killed. It is a wonderful telling of how Kal-El came to Earth and became Superman. This tv movie is worthy of the first two movies. It can be seen sometimes with the animated series' reruns. Thumbs up.

The Last Son Of Krypton was essentially an introduction before the Superman animated television series premiered. Therefore as you'd imagine this is an origin story, from Krypton to Smallville to Metropolis.

Sadly this is only an hour long and that's a lot of content to get into 60 minutes! Regardless they do a surprisingly good job as do the voice actors who would go on to become regulars in the DC animated universe.

With an introduction to his rivalry with Lex Luthor to Braniacs part in his homeworlds demise this does tick every box even if it does feel a tad rushed.

This feel good 60 minutes is a must for fans of the animated television series and makes a good stand alone effort for fans of the characters as well.

Good job.

The Good:

Malcolm McDowell

Origin story is well done

The Bad:

A bit "Too" Warner Brothers

Rushed

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Kryptonian dress sense was awful

Colonel Sanders flies coach

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton is a movie that serves as the three-part series premiere to Superman: The Animated Series. In this, Jor-El sends his infant son when Krypton is destroyed, the knowledge kept from the planet's people by Brainiac, who also escapes. The baby grows up under the name of Clark Kent, and after learning of his heritage after saving a little girl from an exploding RV, he moves on to Metropolis as an adult and becomes Superman. And at a good time, as Lex Luthor is plotting to give a battlesuit to terrorists from Kaznia.

A show released four years after Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Last Son of Krypton has the same great storytelling as its predecessor, despite being set in a lighter tone. The action sequences are great, and there is even a reference to Batman (since his cartoon came first). This is a good start to one of the greatest animated shows of the 1990's.