Review: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Available September 29, 2009 on Blu-ray and DVD!

On September 29 Warner Home Video is releasing the next DC Universe animated movie, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, on DVD and Blu-ray!

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is loosely based on the Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness graphic novel of the same name. As with most movies based on comic books, this incarnation of the Public Enemies story line differs from its source material, but the feel and overall story is still mostly intact.

The film opens with a sort of fast-forward of Lex Luthor's campaign for Presidency, which he wins. One of his promises as President is to enlist the help of all the Superheroes to take orders from the Government (see: President Luthor), something that Power Girl, Captain Atom and a few others agree to right from the start. Of course, Superman is hesitant to join up with President Luthor, knowing that he hasn't reformed like he's claiming and that it's only a matter of time before his true colors show once again. In the mean time, there is a asteroid the size of a small country made completely of Kryptonite headed towards Earth, something that Superman obviously can't prevent. Lex uses the meteor to frame Superman (claiming that the massive amounts of Kryptonite radiation it's giving off is psychologically affecting Superman, making him more aggressive) and places a $1 Billion bounty on his head. Enlisting the help of his old friend Bruce Wayne, Supes and Batman go toe-to-toe with an endless string of villains from both of their rogue galleries -and fellow superheroes. Now outlaws, Superman and Batman must fight off villains and heroes alike to expose Luthor for what he really is and find a way to stop the asteroid from kill millions of lives.

As far as DC animated movies go, I have seen all of them, and I must say that I think this one may be my favorite so far. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is exciting and action-packed during its short 67 minute run-time. The animation is solid and the style suits the action and the story perfectly. Superman is a hard-hitting powerhouse and Batman is sneaky, nimble, and tough as nails and the animators took this into account when creating these amazing action sequences. All of the fight scenes were clear, you could tell what was going on, and they keep you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the entire film you are just anticipating who is going to confront Bats and Supes next, who is going to take a stab at them for the bounty, and how they could possibly keep the fight up. One scene in particular that I was just fixated on (and actually rewound to watch again) was the big brawl about halfway through the movie. Batman and Superman throw down against more than a dozen villains and heroes simultaneously. Working together the two fight for their lives - and we're not talking about the kung-fu style of taking on multiple baddies one at a time as they stand around in a circle, either. We are talking every character is participating in the fight at the same time and Superman and Batman are holding their own with multiple characters at the same time. In a word, it's fantastic.

The story is well done, though it does differ in many ways from its source material. The plot is clear and despite having a large cast of DC characters in it doesn't get convoluted or hard to follow at any point. Though, it isn't hard, the plot is essentially that Superman and Batman must prove that Lex isn't the reformed President that he's pretending to be, clear Superman's name, and save the world from a Kryptonite asteroid. But this allows for a movie that can get away with pretty much non-stop action. It's a linear plot and our two heroes must fight their way to the end.

I think it goes without saying that the voice-acting is superb. We have Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy back as the voices of Superman and Batman -it's like getting a visit from an old child-hood friend. We also have Clancy Brown returning as Lex Luthor, Allison Mack as Power Girl, John C. Mcginley as Metallo, and LeVar Burton as Black Lightning, and many others. There is no wrong done here, all of the actors do a great job as most are already acquainted with their characters, and the new comers hold their own. I was a little confused though about the use of LeVar Burton and John C. McGinley; both are big names and both barely talk in the film -in fact, Burton, besides some screams and groans, only has one line.

While great, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is not without fault. For instance, there is a certain emotional aspect missing from it, but I think this can be said about all of the DC animated films that have been made thus far. This is a small offense though because Superman and Batman are familiar enough characters to the general audience it makes a lot of character development not necessary and leaves room for a movie that can pretty much get away with jumping from one great action scene to the next and not make the audience feel not connected (the same did not apply to Green Lantern: First Flight). These are, afterall, already beloved characters, we all already want to see them prevail! My other complaint about the movie is another common one with these PG-13 DC Animated movies. There are some things, mostly in the dialogue, that just seem to be done deliberately to elevate the rating. I'm no prude by any means, but some of the swearing inserted to the film just felt forced and out of place. Other than these what-seem-to-be par for DCAU movies there are a few instances of some dialogue that was out of character for both Superman and Batman. Their relationship has always been a rough one but Public Enemies painted it in a much lighter tone than what it is. Again, it worked okay for the movie, but for those familiar with the comics and characters there may be a few chuckles at some cheesy dialogue between these two.

While it's a close call with the likes of New Frontier and a few others, I consider Superman/Batman: Public Enemies to be the best entry to date in the DC Animated film library. They are donig a great job pumping these good animated films to DVD, it's a shame they can't do the same with the live-action counterparts. If you are a fan of the DC Animated films this will not be the one to disappoint you, and if you have never seen a single one of these, this one will definitely get you on board. This one is buy-worthy for sure. You can pre-order it now over at Amazon.com!

Special Features Include:

Two-Disc Special Edition

Blackest Night Featurette: Inside the DC Comics event
A Test of Minds Featurette - Highlighting the relationship between Batman and Superman
Dinner with DC featurette, feat. Kevin Conroy - Conroy joins the crew for dinner to discuss their approach to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Extended Sneak Peak at the Next DCU Film!
Two episodes of Justice League hand-picked by Bruce Timm

Blu-ray

Includes all of the same special features as the two-disc special edition DVD
Includes four episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited!

You can also check out all the great Q&A's with the cast and crew that Warner Bros. provided leading up to the release of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies below and see an exclusive clip from the movie here!

For even more information, visit the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies official website!

Superman Batman: Public Enemies - Official Trailer

Tyson Huber welcomes comments, recommendations, suggestions, etc. Email him directly at SLCDVDExaminer@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter @tysonhuber, become a fan on Facebook or visit him at the nerd news and reviews site, Big Shiny Robot!