What was the last movie you've seen?

[noiseredux]

So Lex Luthor is the president and Superman and Batman are demonized as threats to the country's safety. It's... an interesting premise for sure.

It is an actual comic series, from the Jeph Loeb run on Superman/Batman in 2003. The movie contains what was basically the first six issues of the series, after Lex had been elected president in the DCU.

Yes, that's actually one of my favorite things about the DC Universe Animated Originals; the vast majority of these films are based entirely on specific story arcs from the comics. It's been a great way to catch up on some major stories, without putting a lot of thought into picking them out. I've not had a ton of time to read for pleasure lately, but just going through these movies in chronological order has been a sort of greatest hits of DC stories. And I've grown to appreciate characters that I didn't before.

[samsonlonghair]

I sure hope you like Damien Wayne.


Seriously though, I just watched Death of Superman DC Animated feature. It's flipping perfect. They nailed the character of Superman just right here. One might assert that certain versions of Superman (cough) Henry Cavil (cough) portray him as an alien who cannot relate to human beings. On the other hand, Jerry O'Connell voices Superman as a farmboy from Kansas who just wants to help people because he's a nice guy. Good stuff.

Spoiler Alert!

At the end of the movie, Death of Superman, it turns out that Superman Dies.

Don't worry, I have a feeling he might come back.

[noiseredux]

Sam, what other entries in the series have you seen? Superman: Doomsday was excellent, for reasons you mentioned there. Surprisingly, Anne Heche's performance as Lois Lane actually really impressed me.

[REPO Man]

Day for Night, directed by Francois Truffaut. Good.

[samsonlonghair]

Sam, what other entries in the series have you seen? Superman: Doomsday was excellent, for reasons you mentioned there. Surprisingly, Anne Heche's performance as Lois Lane actually really impressed me.

I'm going to try to go in more-or-less chronological order here. These aren't all in exactly the same series, and the rotating voice cast sometimes obscures which movies are in which series. For Instance, we all love to hear Kevin Conroy as Batman, but he's not always the same Batman every time (if that matters to you).

Naturally, I saw Mask of the Phantasm and Sub Zero from back in the Bruce Timm days of Batman the Animated Series. Both are undeniable classics.

I saw Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, which is beautifully warped and twisted. I love this movie thematically, but I wish they had a slightly higher animation budget. The backgrounds could use an extra layer of TLC.

I also watched Justice Leage: Starcrossed, which is something of a made-for-tv movie that concludes the second season of Justice League. This was designed to be re-cut into thirty minute episodes. Not bad overall.

I saw Superman: Doomsday, but it's been a few years. I may need to rewatch that. It's still on my DVD shelf.

I saw Justice League: New Frontier after reading the comic. I think this was a perfect translation that captured everything good about the retro-throwback 1950s style of New Frontier coupled with McCarthy Era Cold War Paranoia. So far as I can tell, this has no relation to any shared Universe.

I saw Batman: Gotham Knight. This is a short anthology similar to the Animatrix. It's not bad at all if you don't mind the style-over-substance-approach. As previously mentioned, this is set in the Nolan universe. I liked it well.

I saw Batman: Under the Red Hood, which tread on some of the same ground as return of the Joker. This one shows more violence on screen than any previous Batman animated movie. This one also FINALLY gives nightwing some well-deserved screen time. Overall, I think Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker has a better script, but this one has better visuals.

I saw Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. I liked it a lot, but I felt the title was misleading. It's really a movie about Supergirl as I recall. By the way, Supergirl is a cool character, and I didn't mind one bit that she was the central protagonist in the movie. I just think they should have changed the title.

I saw Batman: Year One. Gotham Knight and Batman Begins borrowed elements from Frank Miller's Year One, but this is the most faithful adaptation. If you've already watched Batman Begins and Gotham Knight, you're going to retread some familiar ground when you watch this one. Still a good story. You can tell why so many different pieces of Batman media reference this.

Justice League: Doom portrays sets Batman as extra paranoid, and displays a fairly believable scenario wherein Batman's Legendary preparedness comes back to bite everyone.

I saw Superman vs The Elite. Which I thought was kind of a yawn. Stop me if you heard this one. There are new Superheroes in town, and the public loves them, but it turns out they're really just vigilante executioners who are secretly bad guys.

I saw Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Much like Year One, this is made to be a faithful adaptation of the Frank Miller Comic. Dark Knight Returns is a legendary thematic deconstruction of Batman. Everyone has an opinion on Dark Knight retruns, so I will spare you mine.

I skipped Son of Batman because I don't like Damien Wayne. I shouldn't have because he stays relevant in many proceeding movies. Like it or not, there's no getting around Damien.

I saw Batman VS Robin which is a direct sequel to Son of Batman. I believe this one is also set in the same timeline as Under the Red Hood. Once again, Nightwing is featured here. Heavy emphasis on the Bat Family.

I have more to type, but I'm out of time for now. I will try to type the rest later today. To be continued...

[noiseredux]

Naturally, I saw Mask of the Phantasm and Sub Zero from back in the Bruce Timm days of Batman the Animated Series. Both are undeniable classics.

I saw Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, which is beautifully warped and twisted. I love this movie thematically, but I wish they had a slightly higher animation budget. The backgrounds could use an extra layer of TLC.

I also watched Justice Leage: Starcrossed, which is something of a made-for-tv movie that concludes the second season of Justice League. This was designed to be re-cut into thirty minute episodes. Not bad overall.

^none of these are part of the DC Universe Animated Originals. The above are all part of the "Timm-verse" stuff that was an extension of the animated TV shows of the 90's. The DCUAO begins with Doomsday...

I saw Superman: Doomsday, but it's been a few years. I may need to rewatch that. It's still on my DVD shelf.

I saw Justice League: New Frontier after reading the comic. I think this was a perfect translation that captured everything good about the retro-throwback 1950s style of New Frontier coupled with McCarthy Era Cold War Paranoia. So far as I can tell, this has no relation to any shared Universe.

These are both great. I thought New Frontier was really excellent, having not been familiar with the story first. And you're mostly right about it not really connecting to the rest of the series. Some of the early ones were just kind of one-off's. Although technically it DOES connect to Green Lantern: First Flight. So there's that.

I saw Batman: Gotham Knight. This is a short anthology similar to the Animatrix. It's not bad at all if you don't mind the style-over-substance-approach. As previously mentioned, this is set in the Nolan universe. I liked it well.

I wasn't into this one. I found it pretty boring honestly. And one of the vignettes was basically just a retelling of an episode of Batman: The Animated Series.

For now, I'm not commenting on the ones I haven't seen yet myself since I'm doing the chrono-deep dive. But it's cool to see that you've watched so many of them.

I have more to type, but I'm out of time for now. I will try to type the rest later today. To be continued...

Awesome!

[samsonlonghair]

I meant to finish this up the other day. Better now than never, right? Before I proceed, I feel that I need to make a note about continuity...

^none of these are part of the DC Universe Animated Originals. The above are all part of the "Timm-verse" stuff that was an extension of the animated TV shows of the 90's. The DCUAO begins with Doomsday...

I believe that I specifically acknowledged that they were from the Bruce Timm days. The DCUAO doesn't really share a strong continuity the way the "Timm-verse" did. Some are direct sequels; some are original stories; some are meant to be faithful adaptations of comic books; some of them are different/better adaptations of the same comic. Year one and death of superman have both been adapted twice in the DCUAO. What's more, at least one DCUAO is explicity a part of the "Timm-verse", and another is implicitly connected to the "Timm-verse". Just to add another level of caveats, there are also multiple alternate universes, there's a flashpoint / new 52 reboot, and there's an "elseworlds" thrown into the mix. The rotating voice cast doesn't help to clarify continuity either.

In other words, continuity is NOT a strong suit of the DC Universe Animated Originals.

That said, let's proceed...

I nearly for got to mention Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam. This one is a twenty-five minute short, rather than a full-length movie. Return of Black Adam tells the origin story of Captain Marvel. Superman swoops in to save the day, which is great if you're a superman fan, but otherwise doesn't add much substance to the plot. Zach Callison (Steven Universe) voices Billy Batson. Jerry O'Connell voices Captain Marvel, but in later movies he voices Superman. Rather George Newburn (who voiced Superman in Justice League and JLU) returns to voice Superman in this movie, but this is not directly connected to "Timm-verse" Justice League. Can you see where the rotating voice cast can make the continuity ambiguous?

I skipped Justice League: War, but I should not have. I was put off by the generic sounding title, and by origin story fatigue. It turns out that Throne of Atlantis is a direct sequel to War.

I saw Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. This one is a moody take on Aquaman. We've seen a lot of different takes on Aquaman. It seems like DC has spent a prolonged effort trying really hard to make Aquaman cool. Remember that episode of JLU when Aquaman cuts off his own hand? Badass! Throne of Atlantis is another attempt to make Aquaman cool. This time Aquaman comes across as a moody, reluctant prince in a kingdom full of conspiracy (gasp). Sometimes I get the feeling that "Evil brother trying to usurp the throne" is the only story Aquaman has. Guess what the plot of Jason Momoa's upcoming Aquaman movie will be.

I saw Batman: Bad Blood most recently, so I have the most to say about this one. Bad Blood has more heavy emphasis on the Bat Family. The story asks what would happen if Gotham suddenly lost Batman, and who steps up to fill his role? Damien Wayne is here again (yay ). We also get a lot of screentime for Nightwing. Watching Dick Grayson don the cowl is probably the highlight of this movie. We also get Batwoman, who tries very hard to come across as edgy. Batwing is a new (to me) character who feels a little tacked on. He's kinda like Cyborg in that he's the son of a genius inventor who gets technology superpowers. His character arc is basically a straight line. First he wasn't a superhero... then... he was a super hero. I don't make it a secret that I dislike Damien Wayne, but at least he contributes something worthwhile to the plot of the film. Batwoman contributes fairly little, and Batwing contributes basically nothing. I'm pretty sure he's just here to sell toys.

Despite my criticism, Bad Blood is actually pretty good overall, especially in one scene in particular. There's an action scene that capstones the second act. This scene is so beautifully bizarre that it basically justifies the whole movie unto itself. The Bat family storms a castle full of rifle-toting nuns! I'm not making this up. Once the Bat family breaks through the walls, the nuns ditch their rifles to become ninja nuns with swords! Batwoman casually pulls a pistol and shoots one of the ninja nuns in the face! Then she deadpans to Nightwing, "I can't believe I let you talk me into rubber bullets." This is the kind of over-the-top camp that made Batman great. Watch Batman: Bad Blood if only for this scene.

I saw Batman: The Killing Joke. Bruce Timm returns to produce; Kevin Conroy reprises his famous role as Batman, and Mark Hamil reprises his infamous role as the Joker. This one was bound to be controversial. There was an episode of Batman Beyond wherein an older Barbara Gordon gives a knowing smile as she implies that she had a sexual relationship with Batman. The first half of The Killing Joke makes good on this premise years later. Fan reaction to the first act was highly negative, but I like it personally. The rest of The Killing Joke follows Alan Moore's infamous 1988 comic of the same name. The Killing Joke is a faithful adaption for better or for worse. Before the phrase "women in refrigerators" entered comics criticism, The Killing Joke was considered shocking and edgy. In modern times, the same story comes across as misogynistic. Batgirl gets shot, paralyzed, and raped just for the sake of a plot device. I can't say whether The Killing Joke is a good movie or a bad one because it's intrinsically so devisive. I will say that this one is implicitly connected to the Timm-Verse while also skating the line around the faithful adaptations that Year One and Dark Knight Returns saw.

In a complete turn around, I next watched Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders which could not be farther thematically from The Killing Joke. None other than the legendary do-gooders Adam West and Burt Ward return to voice Batman and Robin. They face off against Julie Newmar as Catwoman. I cannot put into words just how much I love this movie. Return of the Caped Crusaders is a celebration of all the campy fun of the technicolor 1966 Batman series. This movie is full of colorful fun, tongue-in-cheek heroics, sexual double-entendres, and terrible puns. Not everyone is going to like this one… In fact, no one is going to like this movie. You will either LOVE Return of the Caped Crusaders, or you won't even bother to finish watching it all the way through. At least keep your ears open for Aunt Harriet's Innuendos before you make your decision.

I also saw Green Lantern: First Flight. I forgot to mention this one earlier because… Well… It's kind of forgettable. I was never a fan of Hal Jordan; I think he's fairly vanilla. That same criticism can be applied to many superheroes of his time. You might feel differently if you like Hal more than I do. Hal becomes a member of the Green Lantern Corps, meets the other Lanterns, and travels into outer space. Hal is mentored by Sinestro. Spoiler Alert:

A guy named "Sinestro" turns out to be a bad guy! OMG!

Just in case you didn't get the message about how edgy DC comics is, they released a movie called Justice League Dark. It's a little on the nose, don't you think? I'm going to be honest, I haven't worked up the gumption to watch this yet. Lay off the emo trip already, DC.

I just had to watch Batman Vs. Two-Face because I loved Return of the Caped Crusaders so much! This was Adam West's final role before his passing. Burt Ward and Julie Newmar return to voice Robin and Catwoman. Lee Meriwether (who played Catwoman in the 1966 movie) has a cameo voice role here too. And who do they get to voice the incorruptible district attorney Harvey Dent? William Mother Effing Shatner! This one is more of the same for fans of Return of the Caped Crusaders. Batman Vs. Two-Face feels like a missing story from the 1968 series.

I saw Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. This story arc was my favorite part of the 2003-2006 Teen Titans series, so I was looking forward to this. I can say that The Judas Contract does not disappoint. The tone feels much closer to Young Justice than Teen Titans Go. Christina Ricci voices Terra as a deviant sex kitten who is madly obsessed with Deathstroke (who is old enough to be her grandfather). Nightwing gets plenty of screen time, which I always love! Damien Wayne also get's plenty of screen time… which I begrudgingly accept. Also, Kevin Smith makes a cameo just for fun. Cool movie overall.

I saw Batman and Harley Quinn which I absolutely loved. Bruce Timm produced this one. Kevin Conroy brings back his legendary gravel voice to Batman. Loren Lester (who voiced Robin back in the day) returns to voice Nightwing. Even Bruce Timm himself voices Booster Gold with his tongue firmly in his cheek. This movie is explicity a part of the Timm-Verse, and yet it somehow managed to absorb a little bit of that campy magic from Return of the Caped Crusaders. There's plenty of fun sexual humor and double entendres. It's a great sendup of the Timm-Verse. My favorite part is that Bruce Timm - the man who gave the world Harley Quinn (for better or for worse) - gives us a version of Harley Quinn who has finally written off the joker and tries to move her own life forward.

I saw Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. This movie is based on the "Elseworlds" comic that sets Batman in a Victorian Steampunk Gotham. I really dig this one for all the reasons that fans dig "Elseworlds" stories. We don't have to stick to canon. We can be weird and have fun without worrying about the repercussions in the rest of the DC universe. Want to make Robin into a Dickensian-style oliver twist character? Go for it! Want to make Batman fight Jack the Ripper on top of a Ferris Wheel at the Worlds Fair? Who's stopping you? The ending of Gotham by Gaslight is different from the source comic book, but I think I like this version even better. Check out Gotham by Gaslight.

I'm happy that there are so many animated movies based on DC comics superheroes now. I'm also happy that we are seeing faithful adaptations of critically-acclaimed DC comics. I think that the best ones here are the ones that don't take themselves too seriously. Just remember that continuity is optional in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

[noiseredux]

Great post again dude. I loved the Killing Joke movie myself. Mostly for the second half staying so closely to the graphic novel.

[REPO Man]

Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour. Loved it! I rented it from Netflix and then bought it from Amazon a day later.

A Wrinkle in Time, which was just mind-blowing!

[REPO Man]

Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Director's Cut. The original ending is just… wow!