By the name of the DVD alone, “Batman/Superman: Apocalypse†would appear to have nothing even remotely to do with the origin of Supergirl, but after 78 minutes, that’s the last thing you’ll care about.
Colorful, charming and full of energy, this is one of DC’s finest straight to DVD adventures ever, thanks to a great story and top-notch voice acting.
With both Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly on-board as the voices of Batman and Superman, dedicated fans of DC’s animated films over the past 15 years will instantly be at home. Closely following a 2004 story arc from the Superman/Batman comic series, the story telling here is on par with some of the best comic book writing in the industry today. Executive Producer Bruce Timm has made a living bringing these stories to the small screen and this one doesn’t disappoint.
For those who could careless about Supergirl, the story here is of a high enough quality to keep you interested. Coming to earth much the same way her cousin, Ka-El did, Kara Zor-El has to get adjusted to Earth. However, that process takes a bit longer than expected, as Batman and Wonder Woman are worried about her safety while learning to harness her abilities. After Kara is taken to Amazonia to brush up her skills, Darkseid kidnaps her and the story begins to truly take shape. Enlisting the help of Big Barda, one of Darkseid’s former associates who escapes to Earth, the quartet confront him in what is an epic battle, with each character playing their part.
In typical DC fashion, the battle scenes cater to each character, but end up throwing curveballs that give it enough originality to keep it fresh. Wonder Woman and Barda fight Darkseid’s sexy minions in an awesome, but skillfully played cat-fight, while Superman fights for his cousin’s soul. Batman, on the other hand, while using his detective skills for his part of the big plan, ends up confronting Darkseid in easily the most intriguing and entertaining part of the film.
And just when you think it’s all over, you get another 15 minutes of action that continues the great pacing and storytelling, a cherry on top of an already delicious comic book-inspired sundae.
In the end, it’s a film that you don’t want to see end. It’s got a great look and the voice-actors bring their respective characters to life. At times, you’ll even forget that you’re watching an animated film, focusing on the action and story with in it. Overall, if you’re a fan of anything DC-related or high quality animation, “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse†is a reason to continue to be. If you’re not, this is a great flick to jump into- as it provides a brand new world to adjust to, where animated films have just as much staying power as anything reality can conjure.
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