Animated Movie Review: Superman Batman Public Enemies

A new month and day dawns upon us. In the wake of the typhoon disaster that hit us this past weekend, people from all walks of life continue to donate goods and volunteer for relief efforts. In many ways, that reflects the spirit of what being a true hero is and helping others in their time of need. True enough, we look up to inspiring figures from comic books and movies, but the true test of one's character is being able to go and make a difference in other people's lives. Despite the hardships, we persevere, we rely on one another, and we stand tall even when all hope seems lost. I was reminded of these values when I got the chance to view the latest animated movie from Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics, and it starred two of the most beloved and well known heroes that continue to inspire people the world round.


Superman Batman: Public Enemies
Starring: Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tim Daly as Superman, Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor
Written By: Stan Berkowitz
Produced By: Bruce Timm
Directed By: Sam Liu

When Lex Luthor manages to sway the public into electing him President Of The United States, his first act is to gather and put together a super hero task force to respond to emergency threats around the world. Heroes like Captain Atom and Power Girl willingly join the cause, but the world's greatest hero, Superman, does not believe his archfoe's sudden change of heart. When a meteor full of Kryptonite makes its way toward Earth, President Luthor responds to the world's call, even asking the hero of Metropolis for his assistance. Their meeting, however, proves to be a set up, and Superman soon finds himself as a fugitive for "attacking the president" while under the influence of Kryptonite. Now on the run alongside Batman, The Man Of Steel and The Dark Knight must work together to stop the meteor and expose Luthor for the criminal that he is.

This film is another great effort from the minds of DC and Warner Bros. It's an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name I collected back in August of 2003. Written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuiness, Superman/ Batman offered fans a unique look at the sometimes powerful/ sometimes complex relationship the Boy Scout and Gotham Knight shared. Right on the heels of Loeb's Batman run on Hush, I had a newfound respect for the World's Finest duo, and I was craving for more interaction between the two, which was answered with the release of this new ongoing series. Suffice to say, the artsytle by McGuiness reminded me so much of the relatively new Justice League animated series back then, and it played well into the dynamic action and constant thought process Loeb fed into his stories. 6 years later, the seminal story arc is transformed into what isn probably one of the best animated features ever produced by Warner Bros. Animation. To say it's good is an understatement - it's literally a must see for anybody who's a fan of DC's two poster boys.

Around two months ago, I saw Green Lantern: First Flight - another DC Animated Film that represented the origin story of the Silver Age Emerald Warrior himself, Hal Jordan. While I enjoyed it for the most part, I found the reconfigured and modernized tale to be somewhat lacking on the epic adventure requirements. It does give those unfamiliar with the GL mythos a concept to grasp upon, but being a veteran reader, I felt a tad disappointed with certain elements, particularly the depiction of Sinestro and how the final battle of the film came to be. That's not going to be a problem here with Superman Batman. Those who haven't read the actual comic it was based on won't have to backtrack just to understand it. DC has taken great care in constructing a movie the follows the same plot, but changes a lot of the elements in it to coincide with changes in the comics and in the times. In fact, it reflects on current issues happening in today's world, including the recession and conflict among egotistical minds who can't look past each others differences. It's a brilliant movie made by the team of Bruce Timm and Sam Liu, and, again, it has nothing to do with the DC Animated Universe.



As for the movie itself, what more can I say? Heart stopping action, fan service, and beautifully cast voice actors make it peach perfect for viewing. I love the team up and chemistry Supes and Bats share, and it's played on well that they're best friends who can count on each other even if they have different ideologies in life. Lex Luthor is still as calculating and brillaint as ever, and this is only enhanced by his new status as President Of The United States. We see his rise to power and descent into madness too, so it's a perfect movie to expose the villain for who he truly is. Other heroes and villains in the DCU make cameo appearances too, so watch out for the important ones and fan favorites.

As for the voices behind the characters, Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Clancy Brown reprise their roles as Batman, Superman, and Lex Luthor respectively, and their reputation alone makes fans aware that everything is going to be good and fine. I couldn't even think of anyone else to play these characters other than them, especially Conroy, who's almost two decades into being the legendary voice behind the Dark Knight. C.C.H Pounder also reprises her role as Amanda Waller. Her character's less villainous in this movie as compared to her DCAU counterpart, but the voice still fits the role perfectly. I was also surprised to find out that Alison Mack, who plays Clark Kent's best friend, Chloe Sullivan, in Smallville, voices Power Girl, bringing her another Superman related role she can add to her resume. She's not too bad as Kara either, and I hope we'll be seeing more of her in other adventures.

In the end, Superman Batman Public Enemies is a great animated adventure no fan of the World's Finest can deny. It has all of the elements you could ask for in a superhero movie, and with beautiful writing and a stellar cast voicing the roles, there's hardly any reason for you to skip this besides work or important matters that need attending to. As someone who has grown up seeing much hero worship being done, it also puts things into perspective that we can be heroes ourselves if we put our mind into what we do, and by setting a good example for others to follow as well.

Score - 5/5

Movie Review: Public Enemies

Movie: Public Enemies
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale
Directed By: Michael Mann

Johnny Depp is everywhere again.

With the San Diego Comic Con starting up, it took the appearance of Mr. Depp to send fans into a frenzy. The guy's got a lot of talent and an impressive resume of film work, and his upcoming film with director Tim Burton, Alice In Wonderland, already has people talking. I wonder how that film will turn out... his Mad Hatter looks like a good candidate for the next Batman film by Christopher Nolan, hehe.

I saw Johnny's latest flick last night, Public Enemies - a crime movie that pairs him alongside with none other than Batman himself, Christian Bale. Set during The Great Depression, Depp plays the role of the legendary criminal, John Dillenger, who was notorious back in the 1930's for robbing banks and evading the law by all means. Crime was the talk of the town of that period and the FBI was just making its bones... a perfect setup for Director/ Producer Michael Mann, who knows his movie stuff and directed many other action flicks such as Heat and Miami Vice.

Honestly going into this movie, I didn't know much about the history of Crime back in 1933, but this film really takes you back into that era, where people cared less about their lives and tried to enjoy the moment, full of jazz music and noir elements that somehow get you into the mood of things. Depp's portrayal of Dillenger exemplifies this lifestyle, and he has that flamboyant, carefree attitude which attracts the wrong attention and publicity, enough to piss off any federal lawman and state cop who want his hide so badly. As for Christian Bale... I'm totally impressed with his role. The man who has been praised for his acting ability has once again transformed his voice into a convincing accent common of people that time. I read up on the person he plays, Melvin Purvis, and with the exception of his height, I think Mr. Bale did an outstanding job portraying the man who led the manhunt for Public Enemy No.1 - John Dillenger. He had a lot of gun fights and action scenes in this movie too, which is a stark contrast to his no gun/ kill rule as Batman, hehe.

I'll have to abide by the old rule about movies like these: Even if it is based on true events, the film is a dramatization at best. Some inconsistencies may appear or contradict the actual details written in the books, and historians will debate over what transpires in the movie as fact or fiction. However, to the filmmakers credit, they did what they could to recapture that period, and did a bang up job telling this story to viewers who don't know squat about who Dillenger, his cohorts like Baby Face Nelson, Red Hamilton, and other known crime personalities were. Ironically, the gang's exploits also led to the rise of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was created by J. Edgar Hoover and saw the incorporation of methodical, modern ways to catch criminals effectively. As we see the rise of the interstate G-men, we also witness what great lengths the law would go just to catch these criminals and prosecute them... by any means necessary.

Overall, I found Public Enemies to be a decent Crime film. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale once again prove their worth, and the roles they play here are nothing short of the excellence they inspire to others. I'll admit, I found the ending typical and it could've been better, but that's how it happened in history and I guess they wanted to end things on a simple note. My recommendation? It's good for a single viewing if you have time to hit the cinemas.

Score - 4/5

Preparing For The World's Finest....

When I first heard about Green Lantern: First Flight months ago, I've been anxiously looking forward to its release in home video and Blu-Ray. Being a fan of the DC Universe Animated films, I've found their string of movies to be exceptional, with every project improving for the better and showcasing some of the best artwork ever to grace an animated feature. Keeping up with the latest updates, I finally found out that First Flight is due by the last week of this month, but at the same time, another revelation came up that shows how DC Universe Animated seems to be pulling all the stops and releasing more action packed mayhem one after the other intentionally! Another highly anticipated film, which has been teased in the past few months during the build up of the GL movie, finally gets a release date, as Superman/ Batman: Public Enemies has been officially announced for September 29, 2009!



Does the title seem familiar to any of you? If you're a comic fan, then it definitely should be. "Public Enemies" is based on the storyline of the same name, also known as "World's Finest", that birthed the Superman/ Batman comic book series in the first place, taking place in the first six issues of the book. Originally written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuiness, the story places Superman and Batman on the world's most wanted list, branded as fugitives by Lex Luthor, who happens to be President Of The United States. The trouble stems from a Kryptonite asteroid making its way to earth, with Luthor framing Superman and placing a $1 billion bounty at the same time. The heroes are thus chased by every superbeing imaginable, which include allies and villains, and the two have no choice but to evade and outwit these obstacles in order to stop Luthor's schemes and clear their names once and for all.



I remember picking up this storyline in 2003, and it was during a time of renewed interest for Superman and Batman, especially with the latter when Jeph Loeb did his seminal run on Batman with the Hush storyline alongside artist extraordinaire, Jim Lee. Loeb's writing on Supes/ Bats actually reminded me of his work on Hush, which I enjoyed to a certain extent for being a simple storyline to follow even if the ending was kind of diappointing. Here, he takes advatage of his constant use of "thought bubbles" to play around with the sometimes complicated relationship between The Man Of Steel and The Dark Knight. Each hero has known the other for a long time, and Loeb uses that chemistry by showing how they regard and think of one another, regardless if it's positive or negative. Add dramatic retellings of their origins and upbringings that establishes the obvious differences between the two, and you have a book that works out as the "Odd Couple" wearing superhero spandex, and that is what it always was intended to be. The artwork by Ed McGuiness only adds a cartoony yet welcomed energetic element to everything, and that's why this book came out great back in the day. It's the type of artsyle that reminds me of the Justice League animated series, and I find it quite ironic that it now gets the animation treatment to which it was compared to in the first place. Fitting.



With a few months to go before the release of this hot movie, Superman/ Batman: Public Enemies is a good read to prepare for those looking for good comic book hero action. It's the kind of story that shows the heroes in a bind, yet even in the face of danger they manage to overcome all odds, and ultimately come out triumphant in the end. Overall, it's a solid hardcover/ graphic novel worrth purchasing if you come across it in your regular bookstore. However, if you're patient and willing enough, the very same book will be packaged with the special edition of the Public Enemies animated movie, so there's your collector's item set there. Also adding to the sweetness of watching this movie is that Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Clancy Brown reprise their roles as the voices of Batman, Superman, and Lex Luthor, respectively! With this to look forward to and with Bruce Timm producing, this may be the finest DC animated movie yet. If you're a fan of Superman and Batman, then this is one film you won't want to miss out on. Count on it. - Timster