[.ca] Superman: Doomsday

Not a Kids Cartoon:
Digging deep beneath the planet's surface, Lexcorp accidentally unearths the merciless killing machine known as Doomsday. Immediately, the behemoth of rage goes on a rampage, destroying everything in its path, and all efforts to stop it fail. The Man of Steel, learning of the destruction and deaths in Metropolis, takes it upon himself to take the monster down before more lives are lost. The battle is epic. The action is huge. The consequences are dire. Superman fails, falls... Dies. Adapted from the biggest and most shocking comic book story of all time, Superman: Doomsday is the emotional and action-packed tale of the life, death and return of the world's greatest superhero. This story is dark, and not just because Superman dies. This isn't a kids cartoon. The themes are mature (i.e. Lois half-naked in the Fortress of Solitude), Lex Luthor, distraught over Superman's absence in his own weird way, is the most evil Lex ever seen in a cartoon and the things he does at some points in the film make you go, "Man, that's evil. Not just evil. HUGELY evil." What was most astonishing was the swearing. I never would have expected that from a Superman cartoon. On the plus side, the battle between Superman and Doomsday is the greatest slugfest this reviewer has ever seen in a superhero cartoon (and I've seen nearly all of them). The story is solid and packs a lot in given the amount of time Warner Brothers seems to allow for these direct-to-DVD cartoons of theirs. The animation is dynamic, the coloring bold, the art in the style of the Justice League cartoons. This DVD includes a few special features, most notably the enthralling documentary on the life, death and return of Superman, chronicling the death saga from conception to fruition, with interviews with the many artists and writers and editors on the project. Language warning: Cursing and blasphemy

not too bad,but not that faithful to the comic version of events:
as an animated movie,this one isn't too bad.i liked the story and the great action sequences and there are some great fight scenes.but if you're really into the history behind the battle between Superman and Doomsday and the aftermath(in other words,if you've read the comic version of the events)you might be disappointed,as i don't think it is that faithful to the source material.but beyond that,the movie does seem a little rushed.i think they may have tried to jam too much into the short 75 minute running time.still,the movie is entertaining.you shouldn't get bored watching it.DC has done better though and although i liked it,it wasn't as good as i had hoped or expected.all in all,though,i'd Give Superman:Doomsday a 3/5 based on its entertainment value.

Not all its cracked up to be...:
Ok, so... if you're one of the die hard comic fans, you'll probably be a bit disappointed. On many levels the storyline did not stick to the actual storyline of the comic and some key characters and plot are missing in the movie. It was enjoyable, but could have been better. 2/5 stars

Enjoyable, but could have been expanded:
DC has released what I believe is their first superhero movie--not counting of course the various Justice Leagues and Societies, etc. Their decision to go with the 'death' of Superman, which garnered so much publicity a few years ago, makes sense, and I admit I had high hopes. I will also admit right up front that I have not read the Superman comic book version of Doomsday, but it is obvious that the story has been quite condensed for the movie. I liked the movie overall; I thought the voices, animation, and script were all well done. At about an hour and 15 minutes, some of the condensing could perhaps have been unpacked, particularly around the appearance of Doomsday and the build up to the confrontation with Superman. The 'big fight' takes you to only about the half way point, with the rest focused on the 'return' of Superman, and the inevitable confrontation that follows. It is a good thing that we all know the Superman character, because with so much of his screen time spent fighting, he doesn't really say a whole lot in terms of moving the plot along. The first thing I noticed was that Superman was clearly drawn to look older--an understandable change perhaps, but not everyone may like it. It is Lois Lane's role that carries the plot, and she is even more interesting that Superman. She certainly has the best lines.... While I did enjoy the movie, I had hoped for a stronger, more involving movie from DC in their first attempt. Balancing action with plot is perhaps easier in written form, but I can't help but wonder what was left on the cutting room floor; maybe there will be a Director's Cut!

An Interesting Take:
Superman: Doomsday, a Warner Premier production is based on the best selling graphic novel on the death of Superman, although it's not completely devoted to the original novel. Essentially, the movie itself is very well done with great animated action which is a trademark of Warner Brothers since they've started producing animated versions of the DC comic superheroes, like Batman, Justice League, and Superman as well as all the different itterations. I was hoping for a few years since the graphic novel and even with the newer Superman live action movie that someone would make the jump to the death of Superman. Overall this movie is very good, and the voice acting is decent, although with the exclusion of some of the other DC super heroes made me wonder about that, also not to ruin the film. The movie ends with just this movie, well maybe, but for some reason the whole alternate Supermen, like Steel, the android, the alien copy, as well as the Superteen. I would've liked to at least see the android instead of the genetically made version. Also, pappy Kent is oddly missing from the story, I thought that he died so Superman could return. All in all, this is a great adaptation, and very entertaining. This could've been made a series of movies with all the entire the death of Superman being addressed which would've made the devotees happy, but I'm sure the fantics will find nothing but issue with this film and how the story wasn't completely adhered to. But I think it's an enjoyable movie.