Superman vs. The Elite

The whole Versus part of the title itself made me frown considering how often movie makers have used it to offer up worthless junk—Aliens Vs. Predator; Freddy Vs. Jason; Aliens Vs. Cowboys—you get the idea. But don’t be fooled by the title, it’s far from a mere brainless action brawl but a look into the question of Superman’s validity as an icon.

Is Superman relevant anymore? Or is he simply a tired old joke? He’s been trivialized, satirized, belittled, mocked, and dismissed for his old time values. For being a fuddy duddy Boy Scout. For representing a brighter, more idealistic, and innocent age in this dark and grim and gritty modern day which doesn’t view his moral standards as being valid anymore. A lumbering dinosaur that doesn’t realize that the rest of his race is extinct and that he should have fallen over and died with the rest of them.

It’s easy to think that. It’s easier to believe it.

But Superman shows his stuff in Superman Vs. The Elite and demonstrates that his values and views aren’t any less important in this modern age—in fact, they might be even more necessary and essential than ever before.

This animated film was based upon the epic comic book story, “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” by Joe Kelly (who also wrote this adaptation) which was one of the better Superman stories in recent years. DC has struggled to make truly great Superman animated movies—but they have tended to flop in my opinion with so-so plots and rushed storylines. All too often, they have tried to wow us with Superman’s powers and epic battles but they have yet to deliver a superbly crafted script like this film. Yet this film manages to do both; delivering jaw dropping clashes with a great story.

And it is the human element that makes it so damn fascinating with the little morality story that the writers hid behind all of the action scenes.

Because why don’t we bother with all of this rigmarole of a fair trial and juries? Why do we have these stupid rules that seem to protect the criminals rather than the innocent? Why don’t we kill? It’s easier, it’s simpler, it’s faster. The film shows us the ugliness of violence unapologetically; that we rarely understand the cost of descending into barbarism where might triumphs over civilization and the rule of law.

I think that one of the most important bits to this film is the telling absence of Lex Luthor. Don’t get me wrong; Luthor is a great villain—megalomaniacal, evil to the extreme—but having him as the central bad guy gets a trifle bit repetitive and boring after a while. Here—he’s not even seen—even as background filler.

The voice actors were some of the finest DC has had. I didn’t have any complaints of any of them. George Newbern was a stellar Superman—and Pauley Perette was an intriguing Lois Lane with her gravelly yet emotional voice as well. Robin Atkins Downes as Manchester Black unabashedly stole the show, but he did after all, have some of the best lines.

Animation wise, the film came off as so-so. I failed to note any major mistakes or errors, but there were times where I thought certain sequences looked a bit crude. Other scenes however were definitely superior in quality. I think that the final fight sequence with Superman vs Manchester Black was one of the better ones; seeing Superman’s badly damaged costume and even totally bloodshot eye was a disturbing image of Superman truly being pushed to his limits.

All in all,Superman Vs. The Elite was one of the better DC animated films and the best animated Superman feature that I have seen. I think it’s a must see for any superhero fan. It revitalizes the importance of Superman for the 21st Century and makes us believe in superheroes once again.

RATING: 4 and 1/2 STARS!!!!