Superman: Le Crépuscule d'un Dieu

So many years, so many attempts at bringing this story arc to the movie format, so many talented people who at one point or another were involved in the project and after all their combined efforts we are left with a light animated version of one of the greatest superman stories ever told.

It is hard to judge this movie as a stand alone piece and ignore all the background explored in the comics, and all the drama and money spent over the course of more than a decade. As Bruce Timm put it in a promotional interview for this release "There is just so much story there, we can't do this in a movie", this adaptation had to be stripped down to its very basics to fit the 70-minute time frame given to the producers.

The movie itself works, it has a good pace and I think the viewers appreciate the effort put into not making it a kid movie but rather a more truthful adaptation of the graphic novel, the PG-13 rating proves it. The animation is excellent, the music makes the character shine with the heroism and the voice actors (except for Anne Heche) seem perfect for their parts.

What intrigues me the most is why after producing Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League, Timm and company didn't adapt this huge story arc to their animated series? It would have been perfect, they would have had time to include and adapt all the major stories from the comic books and truly explore this event. Instead they went for a straight to DVD feature that feels quite shallow.

I never read the comic books but I enjoyed the Animateds SEries and the JLA on TV so I bought this DVD and watched it. It was okay for what it was. This is definitely an adult cartoon. With lots of violence but I guess so is the JLA and JLA unlimited, even though some young kids watch it. But this movie was very weak. Number one I didn't like the animation of Superman. I didn't get the reason for all the lines in his face. Lex Luther though voiced okay was too thin and not imposing enough. I have read that some other superheroes try to take Superman's place after he dies. That would have been interesting. I agree with another comment that refers to an episode of the JLA where they did a funeral for superman. It was done a whole lot better there. So this was just average. 5/10

Now this is what Bryan Singer should have tried bringing to the big screen instead of Superman Returns.

This animated movie does more with the character than any live action movie has. Characters are well-drawn, well-animated and there is brilliant interplay between them to draw things out and tell a good story.

It explores the depth of the character of Superman, tasked with being an absolute pillar of morality to the public. And there is exploration into the character of Lois Lane, the journalist out to not just document all that he does, but also settle the conflict of her feelings for him. Interesting developments for other characters as well such as Jimmy and the editor, and the story packs it all into a highly entertaining hour and a half. The action is a highlight. The animation and the choreography of the fight scenes really stand out, putting the choreography of most live-action Hollywood movies to shame.

The script is excellent, it just feels a little rushed at times, but that's understandable given the short running times for animated movies. All the more reason why it would have been even better in live action, but the budget required to do it justice might be too much.

This is a very entertaining and thoughtful movie to watch even if you're not a fan of comics or cartoons. It's certainly not for children, the violence isn't graphic but it is certainly implied and a bit shocking.

Subject to some controversy surrounding its comic-book accuracy, 'Superman/Doomsday (2007)' does focus less on its eponymous characters than you might expect and actually only features around ten-minutes of the 'Doomsday' character, instead focusing on the aftermath of his battle with our hero and loosely amalgamating several story-strands from the Son Of Krypton's source-material. Ultimately, I think the title was meant to be more metaphorical than literal, with the 'Doomsday' referring to the severity of the flick's events rather than the character that causes much of the destruction, unnamed in the actual picture. What doesn't help this possible intention, and I'm about to get pedantic here, is the confusing punctuation used. I've seen it written with a colon, a dash and, as appears here on IMDb, a forward-slash; on the actual title-card, no punctuation appears. I think the intention was for a more traditional colon, which allows for my 'metaphorical double use' theory to stand, but the lack of actual punctuation on film caused some confusion and is the reason we end up with the current title, as it is the best way to represent two words that are shown together yet meant to be taken separately. Yet, the forward-slash implies the piece is a two-hander between the two characters and doesn't really leave much room for a double meaning. It's clumsy from many standpoints and sets the movie up as something it ultimately isn't, and wasn't ever intended to be. This could all be to further subvert expectation, however, by pointing the audience in one direction and then taking them in another. This ends up creating a genuinely surprising piece that may, at times, be somewhat outlandish but does tell a mostly mature tale that doesn't focus entirely on smash-'em-up action, though it does have its fair share of it. The sillier stuff becomes intrinsic with the narrative, consistent with the world and treated with the respect needed to make it mostly believable. The film is consistently entertaining and unexpected, placing more of its emphasis on a supporting cast that barely gets the time-of-day in other Superman stories to a refreshing result. It's in its unconventional approach that it finds its footing as a story with stakes far higher than the usual 'save the city from a big monster', stakes that are built upon meaty character dynamics and genuine morals twisted by believable motivations. Ultimately, it's pretty compelling stuff. 7/10

The start is really good. Well, except for every second spent on secondary characters or Clark Kent. Luthor, Doosmday and Superman create a really great start (30 minutes, more or less). Visually, it's specially good what they do with Doomsday, to recreate the horror that a monster like it would generate. Some shots are basically horror movie type of shots and work so well. (By the way, the criticism of Man of Steel "destructive and un-protective Superman" got even more stupid for me after watching this animated movie, with an even more reckless Superman). After the clash of these Titans, the pace slows down way too much and with understandably low IQ dialogue (movie for kids), bad jokes and the focus on the "wrong characters", the movie gets super boring. It finally gets better entering the third act, with a didactic but good and entertaining exposition of what makes Superman the hero, super hero, he is, and how important his mindset is besides his physical prowess. The conclusion gets a bit repetitive, but it's fine. The voice actors are terrible and all that isn't Superman or villains related, awful. But the start amazing and the ending fine. It's fine.