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SUPERMAN VERSUS THE ELITE DVD |
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(***) |
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Reviewer:
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Jim "JR" Rutkowski
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Writers:
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Screenplay by: Joe Kelly |
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Starring the Voices of: |
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George Newbern, Pauley Perrette, Dee Bradley Baker |
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Released:
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061212-direct to dvd |
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Rating:
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PG-13
for violence. |
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“...an unexpectedly dark, at-times poignant dissection of the Superman mythos
and the political perils and pitfalls of our modern age."
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 Is
Superman still relevant? Is truth, justice and the quote-unquote American Way
sufficient? Should remorseless villains be granted the same rights, due process
and mercy as lesser criminals? Is moral fortitude still something we as a
society can afford to cling to? Is it even attainable? Would the world rally
behind a moralistic hero or demand a savior willing to get his hands dirty for
the good of the planet? Do we really want heroes who are willing to serve as
judge, jury and executioner? Do we dream of heroes like Superman anymore? Or has
fear and escalating global violence left little room for idealism in our
ideology? These were valid questions in early 2001, when fan-favorite comic
scribe Joe Kelly took Superman's relevance and seemingly unshakable morals to
task in the critically hailed Action Comics #775 (easily one of the best
Superman stories ever committed to print), and they remain valid questions in
2012, with Kelly revisiting his now-eleven-year-old work and penning its even
more timely animated adaptation, Superman vs. The Elite. Is it one of the best
DCU animated movies to date? Not by my estimation. Is it better than Action
Comics #775? Not by a long shot. Does that spoil the movie? Not as much as you
might think. Unless you count Kelly's original Action Comics issue as one of the
books in your comic bible, Superman vs. The Elite will be an unexpectedly dark,
at-times poignant dissection of the Superman mythos and the political perils and
pitfalls of our modern age.
Even when it isn't asking big questions or unleashing the full force of
Superman's frightening fury on a bewildered adversary, Superman vs. The Elite
covers a lot of ground in seventy-six minutes. After bringing the Atomic Skull
(Dee Bradley Baker) to justice... again... Superman (George Newbern) encounters
a new group of heroes who soon begin referring to themselves as "The Elite":
foul-mouthed, telekinetic powerhouse Manchester Black (Robin Atkin Downes), bio-EMP
metahuman Coldcast (Catero Colbert), drunken magic-wielder Hat (Andrew Kishino),
and symbiotic alien-worm host Menagerie (Melissa Disney). Superman doesn't
exactly trust the Elite but takes them on their word, giving them a chance to do
some good by his side. But when Manchester and his unruly team begin endangering
civilians, torturing enemy soldiers and killing super villains, it becomes clear
to Superman that the Elite pose a grave threat to the world. Not that the world
is complaining. As journalists, pundits, the vast majority of the public, and
even Lois (Pauley Perrette), Superman's wife, begin questioning his tactics and
unwillingness to kill a dangerous villain, the Elite position themselves as the
new lords of the planet. Can Superman convince the world that the righteous path
is still the right path? Can he defeat the Elite without lowering himself to
their level? Or will he snap and lose himself to rage and revenge?
Kelly's Superman eventually embraces his inner-Batman (and then some), but to
what twisty, turn-y ends should surprise those unfamiliar with Action Comics
#775. DC's Big Boy in Blue has long been an agent of peace and justice (much as
punching giant aliens in the face suggests otherwise) and seeing such an
unshakable hero reduced to his baser impulses is a bit unsettling, even when
animated. Still, Kelly doesn't hinge his script on an explosive third act,
taking great care to showcase Clark Kent the Man as well as Superman the Force
of Nature. Clark and Lois's marriage, as well as his relationship with his
parents, is given just enough screen time to make everything that happens when
he dons his tights and cape that much more meaningful. Superman isn't just
fighting to save people in the latest DCU animated movie, he's fighting to
preserve a way of life; something he knows is all too easy to lose in a century
plagued by terrorist attacks, genocide and devastating war. The Atomic Skull is
small potatoes compared to two feuding nations, and the arrival of the Elite
forces Superman and the world at large to look inward and decide if they're
willing to sacrifice freedom, individual rights and principle in the pursuit of
safety and security. For those paying attention, it's the same debate that's
been turning brother against brother since 9/11 and the same debate that
continues to be held nightly between the 24-hour news networks, oblivious as
they've become to it.
But for all its thrilling super-powered battles, lofty sermonizing, barbed
political satire, and end-of-days dust-ups and beat downs, there are a few too
many shortcomings that hold Superman vs. The Elite back from greatness, most of
which originate somewhere other than Kelly's script. When it comes to voice
casting, DCU animated movies tend to either score big or drop the ball. Newbern
sounds almost too wholesome, undermining the raw ferocity of Superman's final
showdown with the Elite; Colbert, Kishino and Disney aren't nearly as magnetic
or engaging as Downes, making the baddies a one-man show; Perrette's scenes
would have benefited from sharing a recording booth with Newbern; and a number
of supporting characters are wooden, especially compared to Downes, who seems to
swipe every scene. The animation, meanwhile, works when action erupts or
Superman takes the fight to the Elite, but doesn't quite impress when Clark goes
out for a stroll, the U.N. holds a meeting, Black reveals his tragic back story,
the Elite blast a pair of city-trampling bugs, or Lois runs into an unexpected
ally from Black's past. The world of Superman vs. The Elite is too small and
sparse for the grand ideas being presented, and the inclusion of plot-hole plugs
like Superman's fleet of robots, the all-too-brief appearance of the
aforementioned ally, and the like is a bit Saturday Morning Cartoon for a
Superman movie as (relatively) dark as this one. It doesn't help that pacing,
while strong in spots, lags in the middle; which isn't so much Kelly's fault as
is the manner in which some of his chattier, more low-key scenes are presented.
I'll be the first to admit my love of Action Comics #775 probably set my
expectations too high, leading to the sort of inevitable disappointment that's
bound to affect even more comic fans when the first part of Warner Premiere's
animated adaptation of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns arrives on Blu-ray
later this year. An additional fifteen or twenty minutes would have allowed
Kelly to create a grander sandbox for Supes and the Elite to tussle in, sure,
but, for once, I don't have much to say about a DCU animated movie's runtime.
Seventy-six minutes doesn't seem like much, but Kelly makes the most of every
minute, executing nonessential elements with malice, avoiding tangents, and
focusing only on that which is crucial to the central debate. No, it's the
bright, open world of Superman vs. The Elite that makes it so small. Heavy
shadow and endless night goes a long way in an animated Batman movie, saving the
animators a lot of work by allowing the imagination to fill out every last
corner of Gotham City. Sunny skies and spring-day afternoons, though, reveal how
empty and simplistic Superman's animation can be. On the one hand, it's on par
with the animation DCU animated movies always deliver. On the other, Kelly's
story and set pieces are so cinematic that the traditional DCU animation style
is rendered a tad inadequate. Be that as it may, Superman vs. The Elite isn't a
failure by any means. You might find yourself shouting its praises when all is
said, done and scraped off the Metropolis sidewalk. |
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SUPERMAN VERSUS THE ELITE DVD © 2013 Warner Home Video
All Rights Reserved
Review © 2013 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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