Superman\Batman: Apocolypse – A review and my thoughts

Read below if you have already seen this film if not get your ass out there and pick this up. Then comeback and read this. Throughout this I will refer to Supergirl as either Supergirl and or Kara so deal with it! Also this a lengthy read so settle in.

Lets get started with the voice actors. Sometime the in the DC animated universe they try different voices for their core characters. A absolute requirement for these films is to have Tim Daly as Superman\Clark Kent, Kevin Conroy as Batman\Bruce Wayne. As a bonus you get Susan Eisenberg as Diana\Wonder Women. All of these are the voice actors for the Justice League and Justice League: Unlimted. Now as  topping on the cake you get Summer Glau and Kara Zor-El\Supergirl and Edward Asner as Granny Goodness. Pretty much a top notch voice acting cast.

Next this Movie is a sequel to Batman\Superman: Public Enemies. Its not all essential that you see this film but helps at least in the 1st few minutes. Also it is drawn again in  a darker style like Public Enemies so if you use to seeing DC animated cartoons this is not drawn anything like that. Also all of the women are drawn like they all had boob jobs. Which is AWESOME!

This story follows somewhat the story of how Supergirl arrived on Earth and has no memory of anything before she landed. She lands(crashes!) into the Gotham bay. Batman in mere seconds is on the scene to investigate. You know Batman someway somehow is thee most prepared person written in comics and animated films ever. He always has some gadget or something that will usually solve the problem or at least bring it to halt for a little bit. Moving on. So after Supergirl nearly wrecks half the city because she is unaware of the power she Superman speeds into the scene to save some people from a crashing automated blimp that the police use to monitor the city. Yeah Gotham as advanced as it is uses automated blimps to help stop crime. So it comes down to  Batman with a piece of Kryptonite from her own downed ship to stop her.

Now we move along to the Batcave where Batman is scanning Kara’s body from head to toe in his usual suspicious nature. He figures out that she is from Krypton and maybe related to Superman. He also determines that her body is more dense then Superman’s. He figures its her youth and they way her body processes sunlight to power her body. Throughout this scene and the next you see negative relationship between Batman and Supergirl form due to Batman’s distrust of just about everything. After a few witty comments between Batman and Superman the movie moves on.

Now we are at the Fortress of Solitude where they have Kara under lock down until she gets her powers under control and in one of the best cameos in DC animated history Krypto the Superdog  is chasing Kara because he is uneasy with Kara’s presence and Batman agrees with the dog. He says that the dog was always a good judge character. So after some more arguing about Kara place in the world and utter lack of control of her powers you get to see the great statues in the Fortress of Superman’s Mom and Dad, Jor-EL and Lara. This image of the two of them holding up a planet assumable its Krypton.   As you see them Batman asks her if this helps with the memory loss and she can only remember that they are her aunt and uncle.

So Superman now as Clark takes Kara on a shopping spree to make her feel like a earth girl(its hard not insert a Earthgirls are Easy joke here, Google that if you don’t know what it is). After that they enjoy a hot dog and she actually asks if they are made from real dog. That’s funny and creepy at the same time. So they move on to a park presumably one in Metropolis where there is a statue of Superman and Kara realizes  they somewhat worship him and decides that she doesn’t want to be a hero just a kid.

Now they get a attacked and someone  smashes Clark hard enough to push him away from the area(He is Superman right?). While he is gone Kara’s powers go off again and the previously mentioned statue is destroyed along with some other things in the park. Superman returns after the group of people try to take Kara and it turns out they are surrounded by the Amazons as they are trying to abducted her to bring her to Paradise Island to help control her powers better. So Superman throws about ten of Amazons away with ease and they realize it’s Wonder Woman and Batman who orchestrated the  whole affair as it would be better for the public for her to be away from them instead of Superman training her and reluctantly he agrees and they take her away.

Fast forward a year later and Kara is well trained and living the Amazon life. With Superman and Batman looking in on her training. Superman is frustrated with the fact that she is not around and is assuming the big brother roll. As Kara fights another generic Amazon that they give a ancient Roman name to Superman intervenes and stops her before she can hurt Kara. Then after another argument about her future they finally decide that she can choose her own path and she flies off with her psychic buddy. This is just in time for a Boomtube to open and a zillion Doomsday clones appear.

Remember Doomsday? The character that killed Superman? Here comes a slight issue with this film. Here is a clip to help…(I hate when people post videos on youtube and disable embedding! A-Hole!). After you watch the clip read on!

First off Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Amazons are all fighting the character that took down Superman. Thee most powerful character in the universe. At least this universe. Later they show Superman bumping them off with his freeze breath with ease. Ok I can see past this I guess.

I also love this clip because its the 2nd time in the DC Animated Universe that they show Superman seriously use his power and not hold back. This is when he melts the entire army of Doomsdays. Below is the 1st time he cut loose so to speak….

So after that they Kara is gone to Apocalypse to be brainwashed by Darkseid and Granny Goodness. So the hero squad arrives at a suburban location to see Big Barda. Recently defected from Darkseid’s ranks. She suits up and helps them. So Wonder Woman and Barda take on Barda’s former squad of psychos the furies while Batman has something excellent planned. Superman is heading straight for Darksied. They all have some excellent fight scenes and move on. Superman encounters Darksied and Kara dressed in Goth(really!) and she proceeds to pound him into the dirt. Meanwhile Batman activates the Hellspores that Darksied has stockpiled up. In the end of it all Batman gets Darksied to relinquish control of Kara and lets them all go.

Then in a somewhat sappy scene Kara is recovered and is standing before the statue of her lost friend. Crying. She decides that she will go with Clark to the old Kent farm and live with his parents. So as arrive at the house Darksied smashes through the house and a epic battle ensues. Clark out for part and Kara out for the other. In the end most of the farm house, barn and land are destroyed and Darksied is ejected into space via Boomtube.

Okay Kara decides to be Supergirl and follow in her cousin’s footsteps.

That was along way around it all.

Okay here is why this is awesome:

1. Its Batman, Superman, Supergirl, Krypto and Wonder Woman in one film!

2. The story and talent are awesome

3. Well the animation is beautiful. Especially on Bluray. Oh and the boobs!

Here is why its not so awesome:

1. The story really digs deep at some points. This should only matter to die hard comic fans. Superman taking out multiple Doomsdays when he had trouble killing one.
2. Some people may be turned away by some of the more violent battle scenes that take place.

3. The fact that Micheal Ironside was not Darksied. He made that character!

Well if you read this or not is your choice. Thanks for the time either way!!!

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