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Review: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

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Lex Luthor is the beloved President of the United States.  Most of the world’s superheroes, including Power Girl and Captain Atom, are agents for his government.  Refusing to join up, Superman and Batman are wanted criminals in the Warner Bros. animated movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.Based on the graphic novel by Joseph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, this alternate-universe story creates a low barrier of entry for any fan.  I didn’t have to watch all the previous DC Universe animated films or the Batman and Superman animated series to follow what was going on.  An engaging opening montage sets the stage for this alternate universe, and the focus is on the most well-known characters Luthor and Superman.
But as the story progresses, Superman and Batman teaming up against heroes and villains alike.  There are characters in this movie I’ve not thought of since I watched Challenge of the Super Friends in the 70s, including Solomon Grundy, Captain Cold and Black Manta.  For fans of the DC universe this deep roster of characters including Starfire, Bane, Metallo, Giganta, and dozens moren.  Plus there were many more characters I didn’t know but the comic fans would likely will be a treat to see in full-motion animation.  Power Girl, voiced by Allison Mack, gets a critical role as well in her first film appearance (boob window in full effect).The story reminds me of the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us where heroes fight heroes and villains in mortal combat.  It may be base, but it’s really fun to watch Superman punch out Shazam and Batman taking on Captain Atom.  The story is not what keeps me engaged–it’s the action.  In the end, it’s simply a fun film.
The animation is detailed, not feature film quality but better than most TV shows.  More than serviceable, it has moments of beauty.  With so many character designs it’s impressive that each get detailed representations.The ending is very silly (involving a robot that is literally half Superman and half Batman, split down the middle like Prince in the “Batdance” video), but getting there is fun.

I finished this movie thinking next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice  will be damn lucky if it is as good as Public Enemies.  Recommend.
Arnie is a movie critic for Now Playing Podcast, and host of the Marvel collecting podcast Marvelicious Toys.Hear Arnie review every Marvel Comics based film, and most DC Comics films, in the Archives at NowPlayingPodcast.com

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February 21, 2015 Posted by | Comic Books, Movies, Reviews | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments