Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back once again! Back in March I started a series of DC Animated reviews building up to my review of Batman v. Superman titled 'The Road to BVS'. Unfortunately, there were 2 reviews I didn't get to before watching Dawn of Justice; and with the summer season of movies over and all the big superhero movies done with (until Doctor Strange), what better time to wrap this series up? Welcome folks to my review of Superman vs The Elite.
Superman vs The Elite is based on the 2001 Action Comics Story "What's so funny about Truth Justice and The American Way?" A new group of anti-heroes called The Elite led by Manchester Black gain fame around the world for killing criminals and Superman isn't a fan of that, so he goes to deal with them. .
Superman vs The Elite sees the return of George Newbern (From the days of the old Justice League animated series) voicing The Man of Steel; and he knocks it out of the park voicing a mature, inspirational and very menacing (when the situation calls for it) Superman. Which for this kind of story, where the big blue boy scout is giving big speeches, it's important to have the right voice actor for the job.
It's been said that it's incredibly hard to write for Superman because he's an invincible hero and because of how powerful he is, it's hard to make threats for him. But to me, the signs of a great Superman story is one that throws him in situations that not only challenge him physically, but also challenge his morals. In comes Superman vs The Elite, a story that calls everything Superman stands for into question. In a more modern world that deals with super villains constantly breaking out of jail and going back to killing people and other terroristic threats, people feel that Superman's ways, that "Truth, Justice, and the American Way", is outdated and they slowly start losing faith in The Man of Steel. It gets kind of political and watching Supes fight to prove that his way of doing things still works makes for really compelling stuff.
In to make the matters worse for Superman is The Elite, a group of vigilantes that believed that killing criminals is the way to help fix the world. Their more brutal methods serves as the perfect antithesis to Superman's moral compass. The only one of this group that really stands out is Manchester Black. He's the one seen interacting with Supes the most and his wit and sarcasm left an impression on me. Then again, there is Menagerie, and the only reason she stands out is because I swear half her dialogue involves her wanting to sleep with someone.
As previously stated, the movie is about the conflicting ideologies between Superman and The Elite and the majority of the world growing more and more in their favor. The perfect representation of this comes from Efrain Baxter and his son Terrence with Efrain representing the old guard believing in Superman's methods while Terrence is more in favor of the younger more violent Elite. They serve as the two point of view characters in the film; I feel these two are worth mentioning because they kept coming back.
And the last thing to comment on is the superb animation from this movie. If the pictures I'm showing seem off putting because of the art style, don't be fooled. There are some great images in this movie and when it comes time for action, it delivers on all fronts. Most specifically the final fight to the very end of the movie which, if you haven't seen it, will really surprise you.
If you want to see Superman at his absolute best, Superman vs The Elite is one of the best choices to make. It's a movie that not only deconstructs the anti hero (in my opinion), but it's also a movie that shows why even after decades, even with your Batman, your Deadpools, and your Punishers, Superman and what he stands for is simply timeless.
But that's all for this review everyone! I hope you've enjoyed what you read. Till next time, I'm the Shaman of Animation
Take Care...
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