Login
I’m growing tired of every other direct-to-DVD animated film from DC being about Superman, Batman, or a mash-up of the two of them. Granted, they’re the tent pole heroes of that particular comic publishing powerhouse, but can’t we spread the wealth around a little bit more? Would a movie about the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, or some more about Wonder Woman and Green Lantern be too much to ask for? I suppose so. But even more so then the tidal wave of Superman and Batman animated adventures, I’m tired of each of these outings forcibly adapting the artist’s style for the films.
Frank Quitely can be a very gifted, quirky and ingenious comic artist, but his designs don’t translate to animation at all. Superman looks egg headed with a Jay Leno jaw line and lips that look like he’s been sucking on exhaust pipes. And I don’t understand his gargantuan Parasite redesign. The fluidity and cleanness of the animation is nice, but the overall design of it is fairly ugly. The anime-inspired and already cartoonish drawing style of Ed McGuinness in Public Enemies was probably the last time this approach translated properly. Apocalypse left us with a Superman who looked a few more minutes away from coming out in Wonder Woman drag, amongst other design problems.
But even more problematic is the narrative. What’s refreshing about All-Star Superman is how meditative and melancholic its overall tone is. But the problem is that every five to ten minutes or so we’re introduced to another new plot element that doesn’t further the main storyline but instead drags off on an unnecessary detour. I know this can be traced back to the comic storyline from which they’ve been adapted, but the point of adaptation is to take the overall tone and characteristics of the work and translate it into a concise and manageable storyline for film. All-Star Superman fails on that front.
What was the point of the fight with Parasite in the jail? None, really, besides providing a cool action sequence that sees Clark Kent fighting off scores of prison inmates and Parasite while trying not to reveal he’s Superman in very clever ways. But it derails us from the fact that Superman is dying from radiation poisoning from too much sun exposure. If the film had foregone action sequences (each of which is more pointless than the last) and instead focused more on Kent/Superman making peace with Lois Lane and Ma Kent, saying his good-byes and setting up some kind of plan in motion to take his place it would have been much better. And shown more balls on the creator’s part in telling a superhero story in which the super heroics are left to the spiritual, emotional and ethical/moral planes.
I’ve never understood the constant need for writers to come along and try to kill off Superman or (re)introduce more Kryptonians which claim Superman as a betrayer of their people and try to overthrown Earth. These are two very tired and over-abused story elements in the Superman mythos which rear their heads here again. At least the possibility of Superman’s death provides a unique entry point for the story and his actions; since he is aware throughout that he is slowly dying. But the super-powered Kryptonians are useless. They whiz in and out of the movie in about five to ten minutes adding nothing but dead weight and overriding sense of filler. This overt, practically reverential, adaptation of Grant Morrison’s story also includes needless visual asides like Jimmy Olsen showing up in drag for no reason. Some of these things could have easily been cut and I doubt anyone would have missed them much.
All-Star Superman is quite easily the least satisfying of these films. With it’s uneven midsection and some poor character designs and vocal work (Christina Hendricks just doesn’t work as Lois Lane for me), it leaves a lot to be desired. Especially when it’s compared to the much better work done on say Wonder Woman or Batman: Under the Red Hood. All-Star is a very good idea that gets bogged down by the need to thrown in the noisy bits and pieces that derail the overall emotional and honest examination of Superman’s final days. Here’s hoping that the next solo Superman adventure will rise above and not fade away like the previous two.
