Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is an animated movie, and sequel to “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies”. The film is an adaptation of the Storyline published in the Superman/Batman comics titled “The Girl from Krypton” which is a modern take on the story of Supergirl. The film stars longtime, and beloved, voice actors Kevin Conroy, and Tim Daly reprising their roles as Batman and Superman respectively continuing these roles from their stints in the DCAU.
Like i mentioned, the film is a direct adaptation of the storyline “The Girl From Krypton” from the character designs (Batman with his super pointy ear look) to the color palette and discusses the modern retelling of Supergirl’s journey from Krypton to Earth, adapting to Earth culture, and her interactions with (obviously) Superman and Batman. Batman, being the guy that he is, is mistrustful of her on first site and Superman is ecstatic to have another Kryptonian on Earth. There’s a lot of back and forth between the two as to whether Kara is a threat to Earth or if her arrival is as innocent as she portrays which leads to some humorous and entertaining scenes. I’m not fully sure why this is considered a Batman/Superman movie rather than a JLA movie as Wonder Woman takes a starring role in the film as well, and even volunteers to train Kara (Supergirl) to use her powers and fight.
The art direction chosen for design is beautiful. Aside from the overused red sky for Gotham, everything about the city seems fresh when compared to older interpretations from the Batman cartoon series. Paradise island looks pretty much spot on as for how it was interpreted in the comic from which the movie is based and seems pretty much on par with what was shown of the dwelling in the Wonder Woman movie. The tone set from the well done design, as well as the incredibly smart use of sound effects and music deliver a completely engrossing experience for any seasoned JLA fan hoping the movie made the transition proper.
Now I really enjoyed this film. I was hoping for a film that was a bit longer, but this film did deliver using the time that it did. I really enjoyed the action sequences in the film and I think these guys may have set a new bar for action scenes during the sequence with Wonder Woman vs. the Female Furies of Apocalypse. I sometimes loved the character designs and sometimes hated. I’m not a fan of the cheek lines that seem to be re-appearing on Superman’s face ever since Superman/Doomsday, but I am learning to accept them. Only other pet peeve of mine for Superman is that they still do not show his emblem on his cape. Why?
Overall this film is great and comes highly recommended to fit nicely into the DC collection for those of us who own every movie.
