Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons

Director - Matt Peters (Injustice, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War)

Starring - Jack Dylan Grazer (It, Shazam!), Jack Griffo (The Loud House, Overrun), and Laura Bailey (American Dad!, Big City Greens)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I’ve learned to appreciate the DC animated films over the years. I was reluctant to take the dive into these films but after seeing consistent release upon release I decided to finally take the plunge into the animated depths. While some of them just didn’t pack that big of a punch, most of them were a lot of fun and well worth my time. A few weeks ago I received word that a new film was in the works. Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons looked like interesting enough so I reached out to WB who was kind enough to send over a review copy. Like always, I want to thank WB for supporting Horror Society and myself. 

      The film follows Jonathan Kent, the 11 year old son of Superman and Lois Lane, discovers that he has powers along with his father’s super identity. However, it comes at a bad time as the parasite Starro infiltrates the Watch Tower and takes control of the Justice League forcing him to team up with Batman’s sidekick and Bruce Wayne’s son Damien Wayne. The two youths put their lives on the line to save their parents and the world from the interstellar star fish. 

      It took me some time to look passed the film’s animation style. Even now looking back, I have to admit that I never fully got passed the art style. It’s not bad but it’s just not something I enjoyed especially when you compare to other animated DC films that I’ve been lucky enough to review in the past. I liked the story and the set up for the film but I think the second Suicide Squad did Starro better. Regardless, I liked it and could see myself revisiting it. The voice acting is solid. I’ve seen some DC films miss the casting and I’ve seen others hit perfectly. Super Sons falls somewhere in between. I found the casting to work for the film but there was several instances where it felt a little flat and emotionless. Almost as if some of the rehearsals and table reading was cut into the film. The story is a decent attempt at an origin story for Jonathan Kent before he dons the mantle of Superboy. I liked the set up and how he struggles to find his own before teaming up with Robin to form the Super Sons. I also liked the premise of their parents becoming incapacitated forcing them to work together to save the world. However, there could have been other DC villains to use instead of recycling James Gunn’s Suicide Squad. DC is too vast and limitless to reuse characters like this. Finally, the animation didn’t really work for me. I wouldn’t say it looks bad but I thought it looked cheap and rushed. It didn’t have the texture and boldness that I grew up enjoying. Animation, like most millineials my age, is a huge part of our lives regardless if it’s something new or something nostalgic. This animation may be a new style but it just didn’t have the same qualities I like. Overall, Battle of the Super Sons may not be the best DC animated film I’ve seen or one that stuck with me but it was a lot of fun. I highly recommend checking it out. You will not be disappointed.