Superman: Brainiac Ataca

Here's what makes me hate big companies...and I'll do a little dishing to make this a bit more interesting.

Yes, this movie was made entirely to capitalize on the live action Superman feature hitting the theatres on the 26th. Which isn't exactly a bad thing except it's obvious that this movie was truly an afterthought.

Dan Riba, the Godfather of the Justice League series is mysteriously absent from this production and man does it show. It seems as if Warner Brothers wanted to crank out a straight to DVD flick but Riba insisted that he needed more time to make the film coherent and best of all...good. Warner Brothers said, "No Can Do" and went ahead with production.

Ugh.

Enter writer, Duane Capizzi. Before this movie he was writing ALF: The Animated Series, Jackie Chan Adventures, and that other travesty, The Batman. It's clear that Capizzi has no interest or knowledge in following actual story lines and caricatures which is evidenced in his ridiculous portrayal of Lex Luthor. Why Lex Luthor is written like it was supposed to be cast by Gilbert Gottfried, I'll never know.

Then there are the producers, Margaret M. Dean, Kyle Jolly, and Sander Schwartz whose previous credits involved Tom & Jerry and Scooby F'n Doo.

Make no mistake, this is a horrible, horrible film that was made specifically for 5-10 year olds who probably don't care about story or plot. Don't hold any ill will towards The Justice League. Dan Riba had nothing to do with this garbage.

Avoid this film at all costs.

Animated by the same people who created the Superman animated television series we see our infinetly square jawed hero face off against a very poor looking Braniac.

In this very family friendly affair Superman must tangle with Braniac, a Lex Luthor scheme and deciding whether he can tell Lois his secret.

With an old school 1970's Superman soundtrack this almost feels nostalgic but is let down by it's excessive cutesy'ness and seven shades of generic.

The film has the vocal talents of the recently deceased Powers Booth and the film icon and legend Lance Henriksen who do a great job with the material they are presented with.

It's not awful, it's just not great either.

The Good:

Old school soundtrack

The Bad:

Really don't like the animation style

Braniac looks dumb

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

You know you have a problem with the protagonist when I'm cheering on the bad guy

Paul Dini and Bruce Timm had nothing to do with this...thing. And it shows. Filled with clichés and trite plot devices that even a one year old would be bored with. This is nothing like the animated series that was clever on so many levels.

They couldn't even grab Clancy Brown or Lisa Edelstein to reprise their roles as Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves. The new voices were more than a little off putting. As was the entire story in general. It should be a crime to mar a project that had such a good run years earlier.

If you want your animated Superman fix, for yourselves or, better yet, for your kids, don't invest any money in this DVD. Reach back a few years and grab the proper animated series.

Of course this movie was made to capitalize on the release of Superman Returns. What's wrong with that? I say...nothing. Brainiac Attacks is a fun and fast moving adventure story. The epic battles are truly fun to watch. The animation is the same as you see on the animated series, and on Justice League. Tim Daly returns as the voice of Clark/Superman, as does Dana Delany as Lois. Lance Henricksen takes on the role of Brainiac, and while he may not have the smooth coolness the character used to have, his gravelly voice is menacing nonetheless, and he does a great job. If I have one complaint about the movie, it's with Lex Luthor. He's not the same character he used to be. He's far more aloof, and even a bit of a clod. He's not as menacing, and seems to go for the joke too often. He does get a couple of good lines, however. During a huge battle with Brainiac, Superman ends up face to face with Lex who gives him a "Rootin' for ya, my man!". That was quite funny. But it's not Clancy Brown who reprises his role as Lex. Powers Boothe takes over, and while he's a good actor, he's not really right for Lex. He does a serviceable job, but it would have been MUCH better with Brown. So if you are a fan of the animated series, there is much to enjoy here. Unless of course, you can't get around the whole Lex thing. It's a good rent.

Although I'm a college educated adult, I actually like the Superman, Batman and Justice League cartoon series (I'm sure I'm far from alone on this one). The plots have been excellent examples of sci-fi writing and can be quite clever,complex and entertaining. Not so this one. The vast majority of this movie consisted of Superman and Braniac pounding each other into the ground, throwing each other through buildings, etc. The encounters went on for so long I got bored and fastforwarded through the monotony. There is a weak plot that holds this together, but it's not strong enough to redeem it. The phrase "phoning it in" leaps to mind. If you're a Superman fan, you're going to be disappointed in this.