Since Andrea has been updating (and I have so many films backlogged) I thought I might as well start off with something, though not as classy as Momofuku or as great as the Departed, that is near and dear to my heart: the comic book. Ever since I was a kid, I grew up on comics. Sure there were some lulls here and there but after High School it really kicked off again. Within these years, I've read, loved, and memorized the mythologies of dozens of superheroes. Every time I would go into a Barnes & Noble, I would pick up another graphic novel. Either it be Batman, an Alan Moore story, or just about anything really. As long as it wasn't a graphic novel adaptation of a film or a book, I devoured it like a good meal that never ended.
I won't lie and say that I started reading the comics before I saw their screen interpretations. Far from it. Like most people that have gotten into comic books today, it was the film adaptations that inspired me to learn more about these fantastic universes. I ended up catching up on a lot of them far ahead of many recent film adaptations...so I can boast that I've read them before seeing the film adaptations. When I was a kid, after school, I would always manage to watch the new Batman: The Animated Series episodes and, every Saturday, the new Spidey and Tick. Now that I'm an older and wiser man, the stories on Batman: TAS have withstood the test of time. They are marvelously complex, the animation though not consistent in quality from episode to episode was above the standard weekly fare, and the characters are iconic. The same really can't be said about the Marvel shows.
Watching the Marvel shows today, it's a wonder how many kids enjoyed it. The animation was horrible (the lip-synch was always off and the action was incredibly clunky), the dialogue was stilted, and the stories were not as memorable as the ones on Batman. Yeah, Marvel was still the tops with everything but almost everyone can agree that the DC animated shows were by far superior. Today, however, it is a different story. DC suffered with the crummy animated show The Batman for a while and Marvel has been kicking its ass with the new, revamped, and vastly improved Spider-Man show. Where did the DC talent go you may ask? Well, to the animated film division of course.
For six movies so far, the DC animated film division, headed by Bruce Timm the legendary creator of Batman: TAS and all the series that followed until The Batman, has shown how you can make incredible stories with as little time as possible. All of the films clock in less than 75 minutes but they still manage to tell a complete story with surprisingly deep character studies at times. They're also all rated PG-13 so you know you're going to get some hardcore violence and adult situations that couldn't have possibly been shown on Batman back in the day. Sure, the Batman show may have hinted at it, but this medium has allowed Bruce Timm to play with all the colors in the paintset. Overall, the only off-putting thing I will say about these films is the constant shifting around of animation styles and voice actors for the characters. Nevertheless, lets begin our long day's jouney into Dark Knight. I'll start off at the beginning: Superman Doomsday.
Superman Doomsday takes one of the most indelible comic story lines of recent times, the death of Superman, and manages to weed out all of the convoluted plotlines that followed. In the comics, after Superman died, about four different "Supermans" showed up and basically battled it out to be the next Superman until, well, the real Superman showed up and put an end to that mess. In the movie, there's only one Superman clone after Superman dies and it works greatly to the film's advantage. The Superman clone is essentially the dark side of Superman. The "Punisher with the powers of Superman" sort of Superman. Though it does ultimately feel rushed, its flaws can definitely be forgiven since it was the first film they released and they were still playing around with the medium.
Justice League: New Frontier, though not as good as Superman Doomsday, was still a pretty decent film in its own right, though potential future flaws in these films could be seen. Placing the Justice League during the Cold War was a great backdrop for creating a film about the paranoia of the period. It's also interesting how they positioned the characters within this new world. Wonder Woman is a liberator of third world countries, Superman is a pawn of the government, and Batman is a dangerous outlaw. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan becomes the Green Lantern for some reason. It feels like there's so many characters at times that the 75 minute runtime makes the film weigh down under the weight. I have yet to read the source material of this film written by Darwyn Cook. However, I feel like some of the cuts they had to make here would've been even more glaring if I read it beforehand.
A lot of the flaws that I feared would happen in future DC Animated films came true in Batman: Gotham Knight. Yeah, it's got the original voice of Batman in a faux-anime world that may or may not be based off the world Christopher Nolan created for Batman, but it feels off. Mostly I think because it was rushed out to be a tie-in with The Dark Knight so it's comprised of short stories about Batman. The short stories are really hit or miss as the animation on Batman shifts ever so slightly for each installment. Villains that are staples in the Batman universe (Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and Deadshot for starters) all battle with Batman as characters within the film give their wildly different interpretations of Bats. This style has been done before (and better) in the animated series with the episode "Legends of the Dark Knight" except this is slightly darker and bit more gritty (mostly because of the PG-13 rating). However, how fast these stories begin they end just as quickly. It's like a lesser version of the Animatrix but it does have the benefit of, well, not being The Matrix.
After being slightly disappointed with New Frontier and Gotham Knight, popping in Wonder Woman, I felt like the DC Animated Universe had already fallen into a rut so shortly after it had begun. Happily, I was proven wrong. People say the third time's the charm but, seriously, it's the fourth one that really counts. Wonder Woman, though considered one of the big three in the DC Universe, is often given the short shrift when it comes to her own series. She doesn't really have any memorable enemies like Batman or Superman and her own backstory is convoluted and muddled after so many different retellings. When the film began, I feared this would still be the case. Thankfully, this film gives her a definitive origin story, finally. The big bad too, Ares the G-d of War, also stands up on his own as an interesting villain that I could see in the eventual live-action Wonder Woman movie. It's amazing how well the film blended Greek mythology and superheroes so seamlessly. As a feminist, I loved how this film came off at times as the female version of 300. Plus, Nathan Fillion. Come on. You can't beat that.
After seeing Green Lantern's origin in New Frontier, picking up Green Lantern: First Flight, I was expecting a quick cash-in retread. Nope. Not in the least. This is THE definitive DC Animated Universe film that really has set the standard for any film in the future. This film came out of nowhere. I've recently been reading more Green Lantern considering Geoff Johns run on the comic, like his run on the Flash, has completely revolutionized the character. It's sad at times that it's so amazing because no other interpretation can come close to it. This is the closest I've seen so far and if the live-action film is even a quarter good as this, we're going to be in for a helluva ride. I don't want to spoil anything for this film because what makes it is the surprises. Sure, you know Sinestro is the Green Lantern's archnemesis but, in this film, you really get to see how devious he could be. Seeing him and Hal Jordan as green lanterns working together is utterly brilliant. A lot of people have compared this to "Training Day" but I have to say I was reminded sometimes of "The Departed" throughout it...except, well, in space and more epic. In 70 minutes, the film told the perfect origin story of Hal Jordan. A lot of films spindle around 150 minutes and blow it all on big special effect battles and little else (*cough*Spider-Man 3*cough*) This film shows how an economy of time does not necessarily mean dearth of story. By the time it was over, like Wonder Woman, I'm eagerly anticipating more films of this Hal Jordan.
Finally, the latest film, Batman and Superman: Public Enemies. This film fits in an odd place within the DC Animated film totempole. The story isn't as refined as Green Lantern: First Flight or Wonder Woman, but it has the excitement of the latter two titles over the previous three. What makes this film is that it's a reunion of sorts. The original voices of Batman, Superman, and Lex Luthor finally return in a PG-13 movie but with a completely different animation style. Plus, seeing the original voice of Luthor saying "bitch" was pretty mind-blowing. This really feels like the true return of Kevin Conroy (the original voice of Batman) considering Gotham Knight was merely okay. The film is essentially an extended battle as Batman and Superman flee a plethora of a supervillains and superheroes that are trying to collect the billion dollar bounty on Superman's head by President Luthor. The film begins auspiciously with the world plunging into chaos due to a terrible economy (socially relevant much?) and President Luthor comes to power to rectify all of this. Of course, he does, 'cause he's a real smarty but he's also still Lex Luthor. Hilarity and battles ensue. It doesn't have the emotional impact as Green Lantern (I mean, when you're being framed for murdering an android, it doesn't really necessitate the extensive manhunt that ensues) but it's still fun to watch. Something about Batman and Superman fighting an onslaught of all the ice villains in the DC Universe is something endearing.
Well, that was the DC Animated Universe so far. What of the Marvel animated film universe you ask? Well, it sucks mostly. Just like the situation on TV, apparently all of the people working on the 90's Marvel toons ended up on the films. Their quality really reflects the current animated film slate. Seriously, how could they screw up the Avengers movie? Especially after basing it off Mark Millar's incredible run on The Ultimates? It's sad even to think about.
Phew, that was a lot to write in one night. I need to get some sleep though all. The perils of the working world have given me a migraine and the sleeping patterns of a man three times my age. Goodnight one and all! I remain obediently yours, -Brett
Film Scores:
Superman Doomsday: 8 out of 10
Justice League: New Frontier: 7.5 out of 10
Batman: Gotham Knight: 7 out of 10
Wonder Woman: 9 out of 10
Green Lantern: First Flight: 10 out of 10
Superman and Batman: Public Enemies: 8.5 out of 10
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