Superman/Batman Apocalypse

A previous reviewer was disappointed by this film. The most likely reason why that reviewer enjoyed Superman/Batman Public Enemies more is because Superman/Batman Apocalypse isn't really about Superman or Batman.

This film is primarily a Supergirl origin tale. If for whatever reason you don't like female super heroes then this film isn't for you. The plot is basically Darkseid kidnapping and brainwashing Supergirl to use her against Superman. Batman and Wonder Woman are support characters for Superman and Supergirl respectively.

The title is very misleading and if you are expecting this to be Batman or Superman's best animated film then you will be disappointed. If you are interested in other DC characters like Supergirl and Wonder Woman then you will likely enjoy this release.

Superman/Batman Apocalypse is a misnomer. This is not another DC animated movie about Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman or even the villain Darkseid. No! This movie is all about Supergirl! From the opening moments when she arrives in Gotham through her first clash with Batman, rescue by Superman, training by Wonder Woman and her Amazons right up to the final battle against Apocalypse; the entire movie is centered around Supergirl and it is a wonderful introduction!

The writing is taut and the plot among the best that DC has ever done. Even more impressive when you realize the sheer volume of storylines from multiple comics that had to be condensed down to make this animated feature. I give the storyline a five star rating!

Now it's not all perfect of course. The animation is not quite up to the quality level of say Marvel's Ultimate Avengers and like all of these DC/Marvel OVA/mini movies, it is not quite up to the levels that a theatrical animated movie would be. But it's more than acceptable. I'd give it a three and a half star video rating.

Audio is very good with a full DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio English track, Dolby Digital 5.1 French and German tracks and even a Dolby Pro-logic Spanish track. There are subtitle tracks for all these languages as well. The Bluray is also loaded and I do mean loaded with extras!

In addition to the main movie, there is a secondary 10 minute short on Green Arrow that is right up to the same video and audio quality as the main feature. There is also a long feature on Jack Kirby and his creation of the Apocalypse universe, mini features on The New Gods and also Supergirl.

There are also four episodes taken directly from the Superman animated series. Two on the arrival of Supergirl and two on Apocalypse's invasion of Earth. Plus a handful of trailers that are not your usual trailers, but instead are full documentaries on other DC movies ranging from Crisis on Two Earths to Under the Red Hood. They are quite impressive.

I should also point out that this is a combo collection, but not quite your normal one. In addition to the Bluray disc, there is a second disc which is BOTH a standard dvd of the movie and a digital copy disc combined into one. Perhaps because of this, the dvd does not contain any extras other than the Green Arrow short, a standard English DD 5.1 audio track and a closed captioning subtitle track. That's it! Anything more, you have to go to the BD disc.

Overall, I give this movie a 4-1/2 star rating; 5 stars for the writing and 3-1/2 for the audio/video. It will definitely stay in my permanent collection.

J. A.

This movie is based on the Superman-Batman graphic novel entitled Supergirl. She story revolves around her, from her arrival on Earth and discovering her powers to trying to find her purpose, eventually leading to her taking up the S shield and Supergirl name. However, don't go thinking that because it is Supergirl that the movie isn't worth it. It is a very successful rebirth of the character. If you liked the character of Supergirl before, you will love her now. And if you didn't before, you will. It does remain a Superman-Batman movie, as they, along with Wonder Woman, guide her in her journey and try to save her from Darkseid's grasp. We also get to see an all new side of Superman, the one of the unreasonably overprotective cousin, no longer alone and finally having found a blood relative, having to deal with Batman's mistrust of the Kryptonian girl and Darkseid's interest in her. Add to that plenty of beautifully animated action sequences, a solid plot and excellent voice acting, lead by Sup and Bat veterans Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy with Summer Glau (Firefly) as Kara, and you have an absolutely must-own in your collection. Too bad for the title. They shouldn't have been scared to call it "Supergirl".
4 well deserved stars.