Superman/Doomsday

Director(s) - Lauren Montgomery (Scooby Do: Mystery Incorporated, Green Lantern: First Flight), Bruce Timm (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, The Adventures of Batman and Robin), and Brandon Vietti (The Batman vs. Dracula, Spider-Man)
Starring - Adam Baldwin (Full Metal Jacket, The Patriot), Anne Heche (Psycho, John Q), and James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Animated
Tagline - "Where were you the day Superman died?"
Format - 4K Ultra HD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I graduated high school I went to work for my dad for a year or so before deciding that college was where I needed to be.  Horror was literally everything I thought about but when I arrived on campus I found the environment lacked the atmosphere I was expecting.  I was hoping to meet some fellow students that had a love for horror and exploitation like I did.  I didn't but I did meet some people that would go on to become some of my best friends at the time.  During this time I would show them underground horror and b-movies and they would get me to step out of my comfort zone to check out more popular films that I would typically ignore.  One night we were all drinking and watching O' Brother Where Art Thou? when a friend of mine suggested we check out Superman/Doomsday that he had just picked up.  We all agreed to check it out but I honestly don't remember shit about it.  A few days back I got in The Death and Return of Superman to review and inside was a bonus disc of S/D on 4k.  I thought I would revisit this one before tossing in the new film.
     The film follows a scientific expedition by Lex Luthor to dig deep into the Earth when the team uncovers something ancient buried.  They accidentally puncture the shell with a laser freeing an indestructible monster inside.  Doomsday, the name the news gives him, is an unstoppable force that leaves Metropoles in ruins before Superman can arrive.  Superman and Doomsday battle for sometime but eventually the two kill each other.  The world mourns the loss of Superman and soon Superman returns.  He's acting strange and doesn't acknowledge Lois Lane as his love interest which throws up some red flags.  Lois does some investigating and uncovers that Lex Luthor used some of Superman's blood found at the scene of his death to clone him.  Now the cloned Superman is dishing out his own brand of justice which went against everything Superman stood for. Meanwhile, the real Superman's body was stolen and taken back to his fortress of solitude so he can absorb the radiation from the Earth's sun to regain his strength.  He has had enough after watching the news and rushes back to Metropolis to save Lois and the others from the clone.
     After revisiting this one I can say that I'm not a fan which may be the reason I don't remember a lot about it after my initial watch.  The movie itself looks good in 4K but the film itself is painfully boring and predictable.  The voice acting in this one is not that fun for me.  I grew up on the animated Batman and Superman shows and I find myself drawn to the newer animated DC movies but this one falls short compared to all those.  Honestly, the voice just doesn't match the character and they rarely change their tone throughout the film.  Voice acting is tough work.  You can't just act and use your facial features to show emotion.  You have to show emotion in your tone and pitch.  The cast struggles to do so.  The story for this one is nothing short of epic but the film fails to capture that.  Superman "dies" yet it's not as dramatic or suspenseful as one would expect.  The movie just moves at it's own pace which makes the segments in the story that should have the most impact feel weightless.  Finally, the animation in this one weird to me.  Superman/Clark Kent is so damn blocky and goofy looking that I had a difficult time taking this film seriously.  Lex Luther and other side characters look like they do in the animated show but Superman looks like he had the least amount of time spent on him.  Overall, Superman/Doomsday is worth a watch especially in 4K but don't expect an amazing experience.  The film itself has it's moments but is pretty forgettable.