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SUPERMAN SHAZAM! THE RETURN OF BLACK
ADAM
(***)
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SUPERMAN SHAZAM! THE RETURN OF BLACK ADAM DVD Movie-Short Review by:
Jim "Good Old JR" Rutkowski
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Directed by:
Joaquim Dos Santos |
Written
by:
Michael Jelenic |
Starring the Voices of:
George Newbern, Jerry O'Connell, Arnold Vosloo |
Running time:
63 minutes
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Released:
11/09/10-direct to dvd |
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Rated PG-13 |
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"There is just enough substance between the fistcuffs to make it a
worthwhile endeavor."
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There's not too much to say about a 24 minute
slugfest. The story is pretty simple: Black Adam shows up, Billy Batson becomes
Captain Marvel, action and thematic elements occur. Most of the entire second
and third acts of this extended short film is basically a smackdown between
Captain Marvel and Black Adam, with the occasional assist from Superman. There
is just enough substance (what makes a hero, the difference between being good
and doing good, etc) between the fistcuffs to make it a worthwhile endeavor. The
animation is bright and gorgeous, and the vocals are solid per usual. Except for
James Garner as the old wizard Shazam. Here, Garner seems tired and a bit
disinterested.. Arnold Vosloo makes a fine Black Adam, and he works well off of
Jerry O'Connell's virtuous but questioning Captain Marvel. But the best part of
this little mini-movie is the return of George Newbern as Superman.
As you might recall, when the Justice League animated series went into
production, Tim Daly (who had voiced Clark Kent for Superman: The Animated
Series) was tied up with the revamp of The Fugitive. Newborn, a sound-alike
(and, oddly, look-alike for Tim Daly) took some getting used to, but he
eventually made the role his own. In fact, George Newbern actually has more
animated Superman appearances under his belt that Tim Daly, as he was featured
in 62 of the 91 Justice League episodes. What's noteworthy about this
performance is that it may be the first time that Newbern has had the
opportunity to play Clark Kent for more than a moment or two in a few Justice
League episodes. Since Justice League de-emphasized the secret identities of
their heroes, Newbern was pretty much all-Superman all the time. And the
expanded role for Clark Kent, as a mentor and a moral compass for young Billy
Batson (Zach Callison) is what makes this short piece stand out more than
anything else.
The film looks and sounds gorgeous, to the surprise of absolutely no one. The
disc comes packaged not just with this 25 minute short film, but with slightly
extended versions of the three previous 'DC Showcase' short films. The Spectre
remains a moody and surprisingly gruesome 1970s film noir, while Jonah Hex
outdoes it's live action counterpart at every turn. Green Arrow is still the
best of the shorts. It's a rousingly exciting and laugh-out-loud funny action
story. The plot involves a distracted Green Arrow having to perform unplanned
heroics at an airport when terrorists attempt to murder a young princess. The
action is terrific and the dialogue between Green Arrow and the wise-beyond her
years princess is witty and droll.
Extras are pretty slim this time around. There is the standard digital copy.
There is a commentary for each of the four short films, and four cartoons
highlighting each of the main characters. We get the Batman: The Animated Series
episode that had Jonah Hex facing off against Ra's Al Ghul. We get the Green
Arrow introduction from Justice League. We get a Superman Vs. Captain Marvel
episode of Justice League, which is smack-dab in the middle of an ongoing story
arc, so it might be a little confusing as a stand-alone episode. We also get, a
first for these DVDs, the inclusion of an episode of Batman: The Brave and the
Bold. And it's a doozy. "Chill of the Night" is a shockingly dark retelling of
how Batman found and confronted the man who murdered his parents (Adam West and
Julie Newmar). It's basically the Joe Chill/Lew Moxon story, with the added
element of the Spectre (Mark Hamill) and the Phantom Stranger (Kevin Conroy)
wrestling over Batman's soul, as he debates whether to exact justice of
vengeance. In an odd irony, this 'lighter, more kid-friendly' Batman show has
always been far more violent than even Batman: the Animated Series and Batman
Beyond. Batman: The Brave and the Bold has been a smart and fun look at the
gee-wiz side of Batman from the start, but in its second season, it's
occasionally ventured to some very dark places while becoming a sharper, better
show in the bargain. This episode is a prime example.
Considering there are only 66 minutes worth of DC shorts, along with about 88
minutes of previously-televised cartoons, it's tough to recommend buying the Blu
Ray. For $20, it's not the world's worst bargain, and every bit of content on
this disc is worth sampling. For the casually curious, this is purely a rental. |
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SUPERMAN SHAZAM! THE RETURN OF
BLACK ADAM © 2011 Warner Home Video
All Rights Reserved
Review © 2011 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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