"Superman: Man of Tomorrow" Animated Release Talkback (Spoilers)

"Superman: Man of Tomorrow" - Discuss and Rate This Feature!


  • Total voters
    9

James Harvey

The World's Finest
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Reporter
Joined
Apr 23, 2001
Messages
42,494
Location
Toonzone
It's the dawn of a new age of heroes, and Metropolis has just met its first – in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies. Discuss both the DC Universe Movie animated feature and its home media release right here!


Click the image above to read The World's Finest review!

Superman: Man of Tomorrow
Studio:
Warner Bros. Animation
Release Date: August 23, 2020 - Digital; September 8, 2020 - 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD; January 3, 2021 - HBO Max Streaming Service

Synopsis: Meet Clark Kent. Sent to Earth as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, he arrived with as many questions as the number of light-years he traveled. Now a young man, he makes his living in Metropolis as an intern at the Daily Planet - alongside reporter Lois Lane - while secretly wielding his alien powers of flight, super-strength and x-ray vision in the battle for good. Follow the fledgling hero as he engages in bloody battles with intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo before fighting for his life with the alien Parasite. The world will learn about Superman... but first, Superman must save the world!

Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss and Emmy nominee Zachary Quinto lead a star-studded cast as the voices of Superman/Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, respectively. Superman: Man of Tomorrow introduces a new producing vision to the DC Universe Movies series, which now numbers 41 films over its 13 years of existence. Supervising Producer Butch Lukic has a rich pedigree in DC animated productions and brings a new visual aesthetic to Superman: Man of Tomorrow that departs from the animation styles – of previous producers Bruce Timm (23 films) and James Tucker (17 films) – thus far represented in the DC Universe Movies. Chris Palmer is the director of Superman: Man of Tomorrow, utilizing a script by Tim Sheridan. Producers are Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau. Executive Producer is Sam Register.

Superman: Man of Tomorrow Bonus Content*
-Lobo: Natural Force of Chaos (New Featurette) – He's the rude, crude, galactic bounty hunter who has been more than a thorn in the side of DC's greatest heroes. This is a full throttle look at Lobo.
-Martian Manhunter: Lost and Found (New Featurette) – This is the personal journey of J'onn J'onzz. A stranger in a strange land who emerges from the shadows as a force for peace and justice.
-Look Back: Justice League vs. The Fatal Five (Featurette)
-Look Back: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (Featurette)
-From the DC Vault: Superman: The Animated Series, "The Main Man, Part I"
-From the DC Vault: Superman: The Animated Series, "The Main Man, Part II"
-Movie trailers: - Justice League Dark: Apokolips War - Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge - Superman: Red Son
-A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie - An advanced look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection.

Discuss the Superman: Man of Tomorrow animated release here!

Please note this talkback is for both the Superman: Man of Tomorrow animated feature and all aspects of the assorted home media releases. Discussion for both are now housed in one single talkback discussion thread. Spoilers are also allowed, so those who have yet to see the movie may want to avoid this thread until they have.

Related Threads:

-Superman: Man of Tomorrow Animated Feature Review (Spoilers)
-Superman: Man of Tomorrow Soundtrack Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman: Red Son Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Reign of the Supermen Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-The Death of Superman Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman: Unbound Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman Versus The Elite Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-All-Star Superman Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman Doomsday Animated Feature Talkback (Spoilers) Part I | Part II
-Superman 75 Animated Short Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman: TAS "Last Son of Krypton, Part 3" Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman: TAS "Last Son of Krypton, Part 2" Talkback (Spoilers)
-Superman: TAS "Last Son of Krypton, Part 1" Talkback (Spoilers)

Note: Remember, we appreciate and encourage discussion, but please keep your posts civil, relevant and insightful. Please do not post any improper or inflammatory material, as we will issue warnings if we believe it necessary. And remember to keep the discussion ON-TOPIC!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

-batmat-

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2010
Messages
960
Location
Argentina
It was OK. The best thing about it was the artwork. The action sequences looked nice, but as it seems to be with all the new movies, the dialogue scenes and characters emotions are a bit stiff.

I'm no filmmaker but the pacing of the movie seemed really slow and it just didn't build any excitement for me. Every scene feels very paused and slow and not in a good way. There was a whole scene so that Superman and Luthor can figure out "if he gets your powers, he gets your weaknesses". I liked the 75 minute runtime for these movies and it seems we're getting closer and closer to the 90 minute mark now.

Lobo was good, made me chuckle a few times. Though I didn't get why did he just leave in the end instead of going for Superman, which was his bounty. I also had no idea he could regenerate himself, so being alive in the end felt cheap, because I liked his sacrifice, but knowing this now, I guess it was expected.

Martian Manhunter was pretty cool. I loved that he's coming back and I hope they keep using him. I loved his design, aswell as his creepy martian design, and I was really surprised and dissapointed that they killed him off, and I was equally surprised when he actually wasn't.

Parasite started off pretty good and creepy but he just turned into an almost mindless monster. Looked like 1998 Godzilla. Lost all interest in him as a character then. Superman's speech in the end with the giant monster just standing behind him felt really cheesy, and not in a good way. I wasn't convinced that he could steal energy from basically anything, and the idea of him changing and growing while absorbing more and more energy was interesting, but it didn't really work out for me.

It felt weird as an origin story because the movies treats a lot of characters and things that happen like we should know about it (and we all do, so it's no problem) but you'd expect more introductions in origin films.

I felt the other characters weren't really fleshed out that much , like Lois and the Kents. Perry also seemed too much of a jerk here.

I had just completed a rewatch of STAS a day before watching this so I guess it really influenced how I felt about it. Everything that was done before, STAS did better, specially Lobo and Parasite, and most of the new stuff they tried, didn't do much for me.

Metropolis looked really cool. Had a futuristic, almost Krypton vibe going on.

Had a few good moments but as a whole it didn't really do it for me.
3/5
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
If anyone wanted to know, the animation studio used was The Answer Studio (Japan), who last worked on Justice League vs. Teen Titans for this DTV line, and Studio Grida and the character designers were Dusty Abell, Dou Hong, Otto Schmidt, and Jon Suzuki (there was no Lead Character Designer).
 
Last edited:

Marvelman02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
1,109
Location
Canada
Near the end of Superman's first fight with Lobo, Superman shoots like a meteor from space down at Lobo. Then, he stops just a hair's breadth from flattening Lobo, and merely punches him instead. One problem:

What happened to Lobo's kryptonite ring? Superman should have been unconscious from being anywhere near Lobo. Where did the ring suddenly go? It was a good movie, but this stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Please let me know if I have this wrong.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
What happened to Lobo's kryptonite ring? Superman should have been unconscious from being anywhere near Lobo. Where did the ring suddenly go? It was a good movie, but this stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Please let me know if I have this wrong.
He has the ring up until he picks up Clark then when Martian Manhunter grabs and throws him, the ring is no longer on his finger when he hits the asphalt. So as he was thrown, it must have fell off. Presumably the S.T.A.R. Labs crew confiscated it offscreen when they locked up Lobo in the chamber but once Lex used his connections, Lobo and all his possessions were returned to him, hence he has the ring at the power plant at the end.

EDIT: Hmm, I think they appropriated the Metrotower and property from JLU and redressed it for S.T.A.R. Labs in this movie.
 
Last edited:

Otaku-sempai

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
3,303
Location
Lackawanna, NY
What happened to Lobo's kryptonite ring? Superman should have been unconscious from being anywhere near Lobo. Where did the ring suddenly go? It was a good movie, but this stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Please let me know if I have this wrong.
Or J'onn could have phased the ring off of Lobo's finger. Either way, we shouldn't have to guess. The story-telling could have been more clear. Caveat: I haven't seen the movie yet, and probably won't until the physical release.

EDIT (09/13): Clark didn't fall unconscious from his first exposure to the kryptonite ring, so I don't see why he should automatically do so later. The events were happening fast enough that Clark could have landed his blow on Lobo before the ring had a significant effect. If the ring is missing from Lobo's hand at some point, it might have just been an animation error. We know it is recovered and returned to him later.
 
Last edited:

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
8/26: I submitted the ring question to Tim Sheridan and he'll answer it on tomorrow's livewatch.

8/27: Some of Sheridan's tweets:

Tim Sheridan pitched the opening scene to Chris Palmer when the bosses were out of the office.

Originally, the script started further into the story with a title sequence of a carefree Clark walking to the Daily Planet.

Butch Lukic made Tim Sheridan change a "I'd watch my six" line in the script.

Tim Sheridan had to remove a lot of F words from the script.

Butch Lukic decided to include Lobo in the movie.

"It's never gonna catch on" was either a late addition by Wes Gleason or an ad lib by Darren Criss.

In the script, Lobo was eating a bowl of noodles instead of drinking whiskey.

9/3: Short story - I liked it. Long story, see below. :D

Tim Sheridan is no stranger to Superman having previously penned him in movies and television. But this time, he wrote more for a young Clark Kent rather than an already actualized super hero. From the beginning, the flag is planted about this movie being about character. It opens on Clark's deepest, darkest vulnerability about being an alien, an outsider. Also opposed to doing a traditional Superman origin story starting with a doomed Krypton and a couple finding a baby in a corn field, skipping to Metropolis, and ending triumphant against the villain, Man of Tomorrow is essentially just Act 2. The crux is really Clark Kent trying to figure out how to best help people without revealing his origins yet still upholding the tenants of truth and justice. And along the way, the familiar journey of Clark coming to accept he is an immigrant from another world and how much will Earth accept that and how much it won't. Yet, the movie does isn't some kind of a political allegory about immigration and xenophobia but something universally understood, a young adult trying to find his way in the world. Jonathan and Martha Kent serve as arguments for both sides as Clark grapples with what to do. And in addition, he's informed through encounters with individuals who are also the last of their kind. Lobo, a man of the present, who has lost all inhibition and sense of order. Martian Manhunter, a man of the past, who has seen the worst of the world but still seeks to do the right thing with like minded allies.

Lois Lane was probably my favorite character in the movie. Often portrayed as Superman's romantic interest and foil (and I'm not saying there was anything wrong with that), Man of Tomorrow also puts a new spin on Lois. There is no love story and she's barely a damsel in distress for a minute. Instead, in a rather brilliant move, her decision to stand up to Lex Luthor at a press conference and out him for fraud against the federal government is an act of bravery that inspires Clark. In another interesting move, instead of being a career reporter at the Daily Planet, Lois is introduced as a grad student with a Lexcorp scholarship brought onto the staff – much to the chagrin of all the reporters. And she's instantly, the new kid is the outsider. It was also amusing she had no problem kicking open her co-worker's apartment door if it meant she had a shot at a story. While skeevy on the surface, it was played for laughs as her insistence on teaming up on a byline goes over Clark's head as he contemplates going to Luthor for help. Played rather subtly, at first, it seemed pretty odd that for a modern take on Superman – there was still a traditional newspaper agency at work and print newspapers being waved around. But in the end, Lois is the one to take the anachronistic agency into the modern age by taking Ron Troupe with her to the highway overlooking the power plant and live streaming her report. But ultimately this was a Clark story and I was left wanting more Lois. I'd watch a whole spin off movie with her as the star.

Lex Luthor retains a lot of what we've come to know as quintessential Luthor. A genius. Duplicitous. But in the context of this movie, his reaction to aliens and monsters isn't to work for the common good but to find the means to enslave them for his own benefit and exploitation. And again like with Clark, this could be viewed in the lens of political commentary but I think the intent was to corporealize and show Clark what the real world is capable of doing to an idealist. Imagine a young man like Clark out in the world on his own, full of dreams and hopes, then comes the soul crushing reality represented by Lex. Can Clark hold onto hope or will be lose his way like Lex or Lobo? While Luthor turning on Superman at the end for his own benefit is a callback to when Lois outs him for twisting a government contract to his greater benefit, I was left wishing Luthor had more screen time. There were moments of brilliance like Luthor professes, he is at his best in his lab and it shows when he runs an analysis and deduces Parasite's origins yet in both instances, his rather quick comeuppances are a result of inexperience and nothing like the supervillain we've come to know and fear.

And then there's Rudy Jones, a military veteran who came home to a meager janitorial job that probably barely pays the bills and keeps a roof over his growing family's heads. Things can't be any worse than being at the wrong place at the wrong time. As Jones slowly loses his humanity and mutates into the Parasite, he can't even see his family anymore without frightening them. The rest of Metropolis doesn't understand his plight either and meets him with fear and hatred, not totally the wrong reaction considering all the hollowed out husks left in his wake. In your standard fare ending, Superman would figure out the solution, take down the super villain, and fly off with Lois Lane in his arms. Here? Nope. In an unexpected twist, Superman actually fails in his movie. But what's really intriguing and left to the viewer to decide: did Parasite, clinging onto the image of his wife and daughter, make the ultimate sacrifice and "jump on the grenade" to save the city or was he completely bestial and seeking out the nuclear energy of the power plant to feed on like a moth to flame?

The back to basics approach to Superman's beginnings but with a new spin felt like a breath of fresh air but don't get me wrong, it was a bittersweet end to the continuity of movies overseen by James Tucker but the anticipation was high on what Butch Lukic's vision would and how the first movie he produced for the line would turn out. On one hand, as a stand alone story that reinvents the wheel on a character that is often pigeon-holed as too hard to make for a modern audience. On the other hand, a potential for a sequel is there and I certainly wouldn't object to it. We still have to find out who put that bounty on Clark after all or find out if Lobo was telling the truth about seeing other Martians. Or I suppose explore more of the pyramidal device, perhaps build a certain famous fortress? And I suppose introduce Superman's #1 Pal, Jimmy Olsen who was notably absent in this movie. Additionally, Lukic decided to do something different from the anime influences of Phil Bourassa's character design and going with thick lines, more comic book-esque, and European influences by Otto Schmidt and assists from Jon Suzuki and Dusty Abell to translate the look to animation. I also wouldn't mind seeing more of this style and influence in Lukic's upcoming movies, not necessarily in a new continuity but different variations of it in more stand alone stories.

Wes Gleason worked his magic and crafted a small yet stellar cast. Superman is voiced by Darren Criss, Zachary Quinto voices Lex Luthor, and Alexandra Daddario voices Lois Lane. I admit I never for a second ever thought of those three, but they really sold me on these younger versions of the Superman mythos triumvirate. Ryan Hurst turns in bonafide Lobo. Brett Dalton is well versed in being a villain you hate to love from his work on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and does a tragic take on Rudy Jones/Parasite. Ike Amadi voices a world weary yet still hopeful Martian Manhunter. Neil Flynn and Bellamy Young voice Jonathan and Martha Kent from both eras seen in the movie. After seeing the trailer, I was thinking of an American animation studio worked on this movie like Radical Axis or Floyd County who do animation for "Archer" or maybe even a European studio. I was shocked to learn it was The Answer Studio in Japan (and a Korean outfit called Studio Grida) who did work on several of the James Tucker-Phil Bourassa era movies. Major props to them for pulling off this new look.

Some of the elements that makes Man of Tomorrow a good indie film will unfortunately work against it when it comes to general audiences who are slavish to the 3 act structure, plot driven stories and just want to be told exactly what's happening. The bigger focus on Clark Kent and greater shift to character-character discussions and less on Superman and summer tent pole action may confuse people and call it a pacing issue. The lesser preoccupation with plot will also throw people as well, probably no better exemplified by Parasite showing up in the finale as a giant kaiju monster without any explanation or shock from the rest of the main cast. But if you read America Alien beforehand, you'd basically understand. Or something as minute as Lobo's departure could be confusing. A lot more people would prefer Lobo to have said something like he's lost interest in the bounty on Clark and heard there's bigger fish to fry elsewhere in the galaxy. Ultimately, the open ended nature of some aspects of the movie and leaving it up to the audience to figure it out is a double edged sword. In addition, I'm also looking at the recent animated movies through the lens of if every movie should really be 86 minutes or there are some movies that are better served in the 74 minute range that some of the older movies in the DC Universe line were shackled to. We've been grousing for years about how 74 minutes is too short but having seen several movies in the 80 plus run time has made me wonder if shaving 10 minutes could have been beneficial to how well a movie does. Sometimes more isn't better. It's very odd but on first watch, I thought this needed to be a 74 minute movie but upon further watches, I wanted this to be longer so there could be more room for characters like Lois and Lex. And I would have been totally down for a montage of Martha Kent using her band saw to make Clark's cape.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment offers "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" as a 4K Blu-ray combo and Blu-ray/DVD combo. Target will have the exclusive Steelbook edition and Best Buy has an exclusive combo set with a Parasite figure. It will be on the DC Universe streaming service in 90 or 91 days, so around December. The featurette "Lobo: Natural Force of Chaos," is 10:23 in length and gives a brief overview of Lobo in comics, television and animation from his Omega Men debut to his more modern incarnations like from New 52, Superman: The Animated Series, and Krypton. Likewise, "Martian Manhunter: Lost and Found" is a 8:47 overview of J'onn J'onzz in comics, animation, and television with spotlights on New Frontier, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, and Supergirl. Both are really for the uninitiated and nothing earth shattering for the standard DC fan. Oddly missing are segments for Superman and Parasite. It also would have been nice to have producers Butch Lukic and Jim Krieg and director Chris Palmer have a bigger presence. The DC Vault chose to focus only on classic Lobo with both parts of "The Main Man" from Superman: The Animated Series. The trailers that play before the menu screen are Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons The Movie and LEGO Shazam! Magic and Monsters. The trailers accessible from the menu are Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, and Superman: Red Son. Unfortunately, there was no commentary track with this release but at the time of the digital and physical releases were virtual convention panels hosted by IGN and DC FanDome and so far at least one Twitter watch party with writer Tim Sheridan.

Rating
Main Feature: 4 out of 5
Special Features: 3 out of 5 (Or "MEH")
 
Last edited:

Otaku-sempai

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
3,303
Location
Lackawanna, NY
Bob Greenberger's review of Superman: Man of Tomorrow has been posted at ComicMix for a few days now. He notes an interesting dependency that could almost be considered to be a plot hole (minor spoiler).
When a rocket prototype fails, he exposes himself to save humanity, and now everyone wants to know who he is. But, before much can be done about this, Lobo arrives. Now, the entire story grinds to halt as he announces he’s been hired to kill Kal-El, the sole survivor of Krypton. They fight, they talk, they battle, they partner. And at no point does anyone ask, “Who hired you? Why did they hire you? How’d you know he was on Earth?” The lack of curiosity, especially when major members of the cast are journalists is appalling.
I can certainly see how this is a sticking point with anyone who has a journalistic background.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
Bob Greenberger's review of Superman: Man of Tomorrow has been posted at ComicMix for a few days now. He notes an interesting dependency that could almost be considered to be a plot hole (minor spoiler).

I can certainly see how this is a sticking point with anyone who has a journalistic background.
They leave it to the end really when Superman decides he doesn't really care and is focused on protecting Earth.

And why does he drop it and just leaves in the end?
I took it as Lobo knew he couldn't take on both Superman and Martian Manhunter but kinda bonded with them.

But legit questions... but as I said, I think it's up to the audience to decide and the format of the movie was to leave some ambiguity here and there.
 
Last edited:

Otaku-sempai

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
3,303
Location
Lackawanna, NY
James Harvey has posted at The World's Finest his reviews of Superman: Man of Tomorrow, both the animated feature and the home media content.
- Superman: Man of Tomorrow Feature Review
- Superman: Man of Tomorrow Home Media Review

1599579871282.png
1599579895192.png
 
Last edited:

khuddle

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
795
Location
Kimberton PA
I give it a B+. A- for the artwork, which was really beautiful (especially the characterization of the gorgeous Lois Lane),
B for the story, which started out fine, but then kind of grew preposterous when Parasite took on Godzilla dimensions.

Speaking of Parasite, his origins in the story had me confused. He was created from a grenade Lobo used against Superman. What was this grenade? What was the substance enclosed within? How did it create Parasite from the janitor?
 

Frontier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
32,110
Location
Temecula California
It was kind of surreal seeing Matt Bomer introduce this movie for the FanDome screening. It's like you'd expect him to have been the lead of this Superman movie instead of Darren Criss, but I guess he's always kind of gravitated a lot towards Superman beyond voicing him in Unbound :).

This movie was a beginning in a lot of ways. The beginning of a new Superman's story, the beginning of Butch Lukic's tenure as executive producer, and maybe potentially the beginning of a new DC Animated Universe? Obviously this is meant to be a standalone feature, and it is, but maybe it's just because I can't get the idea out of my head but this felt like the start of something more than just a one-and-done Superman origin. The start of a journey with potential for follow up instead of just a normal adaption that is over and done with once the credits roll. I feel like if we ever see Lukic do another Superman movie, it'll likely star this Superman rather than a new take. Will that hold true for future films starring other heroes? Only time will tell ;).

As far as Superman origins go, I thought this was pretty fun and solid. It gave me vibes of each modern Superman origin (Birthright, Secret Origin, American Alien) all condensed together, which was interesting. I think it did a good job of capturing the heart of the character and his world, and the art style felt very much like an animated comic book. It kind of feels like what I would'v liked to have seen them do with the New 52 instead of how it was actually executed (which I guess lends to the post-Apokolips War reboot vibes) :cool:.

I know under the Tucker era there were complaints of stiff and unmemorable voice acting, but I felt everyone brought their a-game here and really shined as each character. We got a lot of new voices, some reprisals exhibiting their characters in new ways, and all presenting these characters' timeless qualities that make them so beloved :anime:.

Darren Criss was a good Superman. I wasn't sure how he'd sound as Clark/Superman but I thought he did a good job of capturing the character's enthusiasm, humanity, humor, and duality. I also like how you could tell the subtle differences between his "Clark" and his "Superman" where his Clark is more outwardly dorky and clumsy while Superman is much more serious and commanding. All around it felt like a bit of a softer take on a millennial Superman ala New 52 Supes (with a dash more classic Supes), which I thought worked really well here :D.

Alexandra Daddario's young Lois was pretty fun and interesting to watch. She's not the glamorous ace reporter of the Daily Planet yet (she hasn't even won a Pulitzer), but she still has that commitment to truth, justice, and responsibility that drives Lois as a reporter. She's also much more brash and a little quick to assume regarding people, which ends up leading Superman to knock her down a peg by the end. Can't say I ever expected to see a bit of Superdickery like that pop up in a modern story. But I also thought she and Clark had really good chemistry with each other, and you can see why Clark starts to idolize/crush on her so quickly :elle:.

Zachary Quinto's Luthor reminded me a lot of Rainn Wilson's Lex, honestly, just less high-pitched and nasally. Luthor throughout this movie exudes this false charisma and charm that belies his absolute ego and sinister intentions so you're never quite sure what his angle is other than the fact that he knows he's the smartest person in the room and loves to flaunt it. And of course he ends up betraying Superman, because of course he does :rolleyes2:.

I wish we had gotten to see more of Mercy in the movie. Y'know how in the comics she was actually an Amazon at some point? Here she really has the build to where I could believe that :eek:.

Yeah, Perry was a bit of a jerk here. On the one hand his ruining Lois' standing with her new co-workers and berating his reporters was kind of funny, but also not very endearing. Maybe he just needs Jimmy around to channel his frustration :sweat:.

Ron Troupe! It's always nice to see Ron show up and get some actual character. I got a kick out of his cameo in Red Son so it was nice to give him a bit more of a role here :).

The movie made a very sympathetic and easy to like Rudy Jones...at least until he becomes Parasite and immediately starts absorbing/killing people, which was honestly a little jarring. I know it's Parasite's whole shtick but I feel like they could have done a better job of building up to it. And the movie definitely leaned into a more monstrous Parasite that stuff like Supergirl and Justice League Action have been moving forward with, right down to turning him into a straight-up Kaiju. He was basically Godzilla by the end of the movie, right down to the spikes on his back and a breath attack :brak:.

(Speaking of breath attack, we never saw Freeze Breath at all, did we? Or Super Breath).

Lobo was basically Lobo. Pretty pitch-perfect adaption of the character and he certainly made an impact, and in my opinion had some of the best lines in the entire movie. Ryan Hurst really was born to play Lobo, and the Main Man sounded exactly how you would expect him, including all his favorite phrases. Superman and Lobo have a pretty entertaining history, so it was nice to see that on-display here :p.

I liked the take on the Kents here. They were a very warm and relatable parents trying to do their best for Clark, and had some good lines here. I never expected to see Neil Flynn go from being Vixen's adoptive dad to Superman's, but he and Bellamy Young were surprisingly convincing as Jonathan and Martha :proud:.

It seems like the film took some cues from Supergirl by making Martian Manhunter into a mentor for a Super-character after initially playing hardball with them, before revealing that he's still J'onn J'onzz at the end of the day. I thought it was a good role for J'onn and I was really interested in finding out more about him over the course of the movie, like how he ended up Earth, how he had been living, etc. Ike Amadi also perfectly captured J'onn's serene, calm, and alien demeanor and his inner compassion and wisdom. Maybe they should do a DC Showcase Martian Manhunter short one of these days ;).

Was that a hologram of the future Fortress of Solitude or a Kryptonian city? The dome made me think of Kandor :ack:.

J'onn's fakeout death felt a little unnecessary. I think we could've shaken Superman's confidence without it and just have J'onn come into help at the climax without needing a fakeout death that didn't really add much otherwise :confused:.

I love how it looked like Lois was going to comfort Clark only for it turn out Perry sent her to fire Clark and she was also going to use it as a chance to either steal his story or jump on his byline :rolleyes2:.

So Superman is publicly active for little over a few days and gets to talk to convicted criminals with no hassle? And how did Luthor get his day off :confused:?

Oh hey, Warsuit cameo :cool:.

Not often you see Lex and Superman team-up as their first initial interaction. Luthor and Superman don't end the movie as Archenemies yet (heck, Lois and Martian Manhunter catch Luthor instead of Superman himself) but you can definitely see that they don't like each other and that Luthor is wary of Superman's stature and power compromising Luthor's control :evil:.

Honestly I don't think the climax was as exciting as it could have been, especially compared to the Superman/MM vs Lobo brawl. I've seen more dynamic Superheros vs Kaiju fights. I guess it was refreshing that the movie ended with Superman appealing to Parasite's inner humanity by injecting him with Superman's, but considering Parasite would've likely jumped on the reactor even without that, it felt a little hollow or unclear why Parasite did what he did (even if the creators probably intended it to be from Superman's influence). Kind of a more bittersweet and less resounding way to end the final battle in an origin story :(.

I think that's the first time I've seen them treat Lobo being the last Czarnian because he killed them all as a joke he tells to build his rep. It's actually surprisingly in-character :p.

Y'know, with J'onn's luck those other Martians are probably going to turn out to be White Martians. Or maybe it's M'Gann. I kinda hope J'onn sticks around as a hero on Earth for a while though :).

One thing I still don't get:

Why was Brainiac on the spine of the Blu-Ray DVD if he was never in the movie at all? They never explained who set the bounty for Kryptonian's so I have to assume it would've turned out to be him, but he never appears at all and it's left as a loose end. Was he planned to be in the movie but was cut because they didn't want to include such an obvious sequel tease o_O?
 
Last edited:

Otaku-sempai

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
3,303
Location
Lackawanna, NY
One thing I still don't get:

Why was Brainiac on the spine of the Blu-Ray DVD if he was never in the movie at all? They never explained who set the bounty for Kryptonian's so I have to assume it would've turned out to be him, but he never appears at all and it's left as a loose end. Was he planned to be in the movie but was cut because they didn't want to include such an obvious sequel tease o_O?
Unless Brainiac is appearing in a follow up feature. There's already been speculation that the image on the spine is going to continue into future releases.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
Speaking of Parasite, his origins in the story had me confused. He was created from a grenade Lobo used against Superman. What was this grenade? What was the substance enclosed within? How did it create Parasite from the janitor?
Lobo's grenade was an organic EMP designed to remove energy from a living being - in this case Superman's absorbed solar radiation - so he could neutralize him but it instead detonated on whatever those barrels in the lower level of S.T.A.R. Labs contained then (maybe it mutated from the interaction) and fused with Rudy turning him slowly into basically a living version of that grenade as his soul/mind was erased/overwritten by the simple drive to feed on energy.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Messages
35,267
Location
Framingham, MA
Superman: Man Of Tomorrow

Basically, Superman origin stories are like opinions and you-know-whats: Everyone has one. I am far less interested in what this movie showcases in Superman than I think the film wants me to be. What I AM interested in is what this specific film means for the new tenure of Butch Lukic, who is now in charge of this movie line since James Tucker retired (or was pushed out by DC execs). I thought on a very real level Superman Doomsday, Bruce Timm's first effort at one of these, was outright atrocious, and while I liked certain parts of Superman Unbound (which I believe was James Tucker's first solo effort) I also don't feel like it did a great job differentiating his start as the executive producer from what had come before it. That started in Justice League War when he created an ongoing continuity for that. So I wasn't all that impressed with Tucker's freshman effort either, although it was more solid than Timm's.

I think this was a great debut for Butch Lukic for a variety of reasons. Not only was it a pretty great film, but it was unlike all of the others. The two biggest differences I noticed are the art style and the pacing / tone. The art style was a nice way to change things up. I remember when Timm started this entire project that we were promised a whole bunch of different art styles for each different project. But the designs just got blander and blander as they went along, and sort of all looked and animated the same eventually. I like the thicker lines here. They animate well. I don't like the designs as much as the DCAU designs. But I like them better than Young Justice and the previous continuity. The black outlines remind me a bit of Batman: The Brave And The Bold, except the characters aren't blocky at all, and the animation is far more detailed, which means it animated about a thousand times better than that did. It all looks and plays great.

As for the tone, there were two things I appreciated, especially for a movie with Lobo in it. I didn't wind up feeling the language and violence was overly gratuitous. I also liked that the pace seemed very slow compared to the earlier movies. I like being allowed to breathe. These movies had gotten to the point where in trying to always top each other, they stuff and overstuff more and more things in them until the movie in question always seems dense, packed, and almost unmanageable. I like that this movie had its own story and told it without a ton of sidetracks and fanservice that didn't help things. I also found it extremely refreshing that the movie didn't offer a tag teasing a potential sequel. The movie allowed itself to stand on its own. As a first effort of Butch Lukic? That is an admirably brave thing to do, especially in a superhero franchise. I love that aspect of the movie.

I feel like the movie made a couple of missteps I would not have made, but they ultimately turned out all right, if not both for the best. I thought it was a bad idea to kill off J'onn J'onnz, and while I knew there WAS a chance it was a fake-out, if it was real, I would have been mad, and it being a cheat makes me mad enough on its own. That specific plotline only hurt things, although perhaps not TOO badly.

The other thing I thought was a bad idea was giving Parasite a sympathetic backstory considering all of the horrific things he does. To the movie's credit, they instead use that to redeem Rudy and make it so he follows Superman's example to save Metropolis and his family from a nuclear meltdown. I would not have written it that way. But unlike the Martian Manhunter fake-out, it was probably for the best. It gives Superman the whole opportunity for the truthful introduction to the citizens, and sets an optimistic tone to contrast James Tucker's increasingly cynical and ugly films. Also it's pretty much the only way to take Parasite out for good, so it worked as a a solution because they overpowered him too. I want a lighter tone from here on out, and I hope this is a start of a trend rather than a one-off. But I like that the movie figured out a better way to use a sympathetic Parasite than I ever would have.

Ryan Hurst is the best casting of Lobo ever. If you ever saw a picture of him, you'd instantly see him as a great frontrunner for any potential live-action version too. I like this version of Lobo denying killing his entire species. Whether he's lying then or not, I like keeping it up for debate.

I also like that Superman is way too trusting of Lex in their first meeting. It's an interesting way to go in their debut encounter instead of Superman instantly being against him (and vice versa.)

I especially like that Superman's costumes involve trial and error. He should have kept the goggles! I loved those!

Lois is kind of obnoxious. I sort of liked her taking down Lex at the beginning, but the movie had a weird sense of timing, because I got serious Woodward vibes from that. And like Woodward, Lois holds off warning the public of the danger that dirtbag possesses past the point it could have done any real good. I'm not overly fond of this underhanded, unethical version of Lois, but I like that I don't have to be.

What does this mean for the line in the future? Should an entirely new continuity be built upon it, maybe with a Batman origin story next? I don't know, and I love that no tag means the producers offer me no help about that, or possible theories going forward. I will say I would definitely be down for seeing these versions of the characters again. I think as a Superman movie it was good, and as a debut of a new showrunner to the franchise it was actually pretty fantastic. ****1/2.
 

#TeamMike

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2018
Messages
240
Location
New York
I dug it, though the entire time I kept thinking Pa Kent was being voiced by Clancy Brown lol. Sounded just like him.
 

Spider-Man

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2002
Messages
18,318
A good movie and if its true I hope this is the start of a new continuity. I am very interested to see other DC heroes adapted into this world. It got off to a really strong start with Superman and I am interested in how they'd bring Batman or Wonder Woman, or those from the big seven, in this world. The pacing was abit off and made the movie drag a bit but everything else was really good. The animation style looked very cool too and it didn't seem as low-budget as some of these movies can look. Really good movie all told.
 

Spotlight

Staff online

Who's on Discord?

Latest profile posts

Remember back when people were saying that "Streaming is the (bright) future"?
"I can't wait to eat this baby" - Paramount, presumably looking for tax write-offs
Happy Baseball Opening Day
"I'm probably going to watch Nymphomaniac Part II on Disney+ this weekend" isn't something I didn't think I'd ever say, but here we are.

Featured Posts

Top