The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight merge together once again in an effort to save one of their own. Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El debuts as the focus to DC Animation's latest installment Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.
When a strange spaceship crashes in Gotham City, Batman (Kevin Conroy) runs into a young teenage girl who speaks in a language he's never heard before and with powers beyond that of ordinary mortals. Superman (Tim Daly) reveals that she is his cousin, Kara of Krypton, (Summer Glau) and takes her under his wing in order to control her amazing abilities. But on the edge of the universe, the demonic tyrant Darkseid (Andre Braugher) sets his sight on Kara's to manipulate her for his own purposes. Superman, Batman and other superheroes venture off to the hellish world of Apokolips to rescue Kara from Darkseid, but aren't truly sure what they'll find when they arrive.
While the story sets up for something of reasonable interest, its execution where most elements fall short. Post-exposition is used to lightly trail on plot threads and much that would have left the story more interesting is visually ignored. The film feels short when it's all over and several things that could have been explored would have added at least a little more time and develop interest.
Veteran voice actors Daly and Conroy know where to take their characters when it comes to performance, the only problem remains that some of these characters don't feel all that important to the story other than convenience. The film's plot revolves around Superman, Kara and Darkseid, leaving all other characters as extra meat. Even Batman himself narrowly stands over the line of relevance in this film, despite the title's implication.
Glau embodies the character of Kara well in the film, giving the viewers a genuine portrayal of what it means to be young, ambitious and at times a little fearful. Braugher on the other hand really doesn't offer that much coldness to his villainy other than the voice he's known for. Darkseid appears as little more than a sadistic brute.
Superheroines Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) and Big Barda (Julianne Grossman) tag along for the rescue, giving what the writers may have organized as a female counterpart to the light/dark aspects of Superman and Batman's partnership. But their characters and ethical standpoints are almost identical when trying to compare them, if you even can. Both are females with strong demeanors, not hesitant to fight dirty if they have to and accept the world around them as harsh. If DC Animation hoped to parallel their "World's Finest" superheroes, they really didn't think that far ahead when it came to writing.
Animation is where Apocalypse evolves from its predecessor, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Characters aren't as stocky and have more human builds to their phystiques, despite how much muscle they have. But the facial expressions on characters like Superman and Batman leave almost the impression of pursed, feminine lips.
Where the biggest impact is delivered is in the action. Heroes and villains collide in melee that is gritty, bloody and destructive no matter how big or small the scale. Everyone fights furiously and hits to hurt. The progression of action grows with the story, leaving the last battle as a true spectacle.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is, in the spirit of DC Comics, a "Bizarro" version of Public Enemies. Rather than poor animation designs and good story, it's the other way around. Comic fans may enjoy seeing their characters on screen, but their morals and values are almost distant from the source material and other media incarnations. Flipping through the pages of another issue may be a better alternative...
-Braydon K
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