All-Star Superman

Director - Sam Liu (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, Batman: Soul of the Dragon)

Starring - James Denton (Good Witch, Face Off), Christina Hendricks (The Neon Demon, The Bad Santa 2), and Anthony LaPaglia (So I Married an Axe Murderer, Empire Records)

Release Date - 2011

Genre - Action/Sci-fi

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     A few years back I was introduced to the DC animated universe. I believed the film that did this was Gotham by Gaslight or Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. I can’t remember which one it was that I first received for review but it was the film that jump started my love for these animated features. Since then I’ve reviewed most of them and loved almost all of them. However, I have not been able to review some of the older animated flicks. That changed a few weeks ago when I received the UHD release of the 2010 film All-Star Superman. I couldn’t wait to check this one out and I want to thank WB for sending this one over my way for review. 

      The film follows Superman who finds himself dying after a failed mission to the sun that was sabotaged by Lex Luther has Superman overdosing from the radiation. Knowing that his end is near, he takes Lois to his Fortress of Solitude and reveals that he is Clark Kent. He gives Lois a special serum that makes her like him for 24 hours and eventually stop an invasion before Samson and Atlas arrive. They give Lois a rare necklace and try their might against Superman to win Lois’ affection. However, the necklace was stolen by them and the real owner, Ultrasphinx, takes Lois forcing Superman to save her. Now, knowing his life is at an end, he takes the city of Kandor to another planet to survive not expecting to make it back from the journey. However, he does and finds the world he left behind now changed when two other survivors of Krypton found their way to Earth following in Superman’s trail. They use the world as a template to rebuild their beloved planted regardless of the people currently living there. When Superman tries to intervene he discovers that they are sick and sends them to the Phantom Zone until he can find a cure. 

      I didn’t mind All-Star Superman. In fact, it was a decent animated DC flick but it’s nowhere near as enjoyable as some of the later titles. In fact, I found it to be a bit too chaotic with too many story arcs going at once. It was a fun first time watch but I would rather revisit some of the other DC animated films instead of this one. The voice acting in this one is very well done. The film has a bunch of iconic characters from the DC roster and they are all voiced very well. The story for this one felt like several episodes from an animated Superman show that I was not familiar with that was strung together to make a feature length film. I didn’t mind the story but the different arcs and plot points could have been expanded resulting in a film series or a trilogy that would have been far more enjoyable. Don’t take it the wrong way. The film is still a decent watch as is but the story does feel a bit too chaotic and all over the place. Finally, I really enjoyed the animation and it looked great in 4K. This is more of a traditional animated style that I expect when I toss in an animated DC flick and it looks very crisp and bold on this release. Overall, All-Star Superman is not something I typically review but granted with the opportunity I couldn’t pass it up. It was a lot of fun and one that looks fantastic in 4k. I highly recommend snagging this UHD release especially if you are a collector.