Superman vs The Elite (2012)

In Superman vs. The Elite, the Man of Steel faces his most daunting foe yet: public opinion. In an era where the realities of terrorism and global strife have created a cynical and hardline attitudes about the concept of "justice," Superman's idealistic optimism seems more and more outdated (both in the film, and in the real-world). So when a group of younger super-powered vigilantes known as The Elite appear on the scene, Superman is not prepared for their brutal stance against criminals nor the resounding public approval that follows.

The greatest super hero in the world soon discovers that changing times and public opinion are not things that even his god-like powers can control. Even with the world turning away from him, Superman must find some way to win back the support of humanity, before The Elite do something truly reckless and get themselves and/or others killed in the process.

Superman vs. The Elite is an odd entry in the canon of DC Universe direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray animated features. On the one hand, the story (based on the Action Comics storyline "What's So Funny About Truth Justice & the American Way?") is actually one the most timely and interesting Superman tales to come along in awhile. (It certainly covers thematic ground that bears examination as the upcoming feature-film reboot Man of Steel will attempt to do next year.)

The story works in this animated feature as well as it did on the comic book page primarily because the writer of the comic story (Joe Kelly) also wrote this animated feature version. The plot-points sketching the modern world and how Superman's idealism is outdated; edgy anti-heroes being more popular than classic super heroes are all directly addressing questions that fanboys and average people alike have been asking namely, why does Superman still matter?

With The Elite, we get an interesting antagonist not really evil, per se, just grittier and darker than the classic superhero archetypes. There will no doubt be healthy debate amongst viewers as to whether The Elite are, or are not, the heroes we need in modern times, and whether or not Superman is the dinosaur some claim he is.

While the narrative is intriguing and well-told, the visuals in Superman vs. The Elite leave something to be desired. DC Animation has long been praised (usually in comparison to Marvel Animation) for its character designs and animation quality but this film looks as though it had a fraction of the usual budget for a DCU animated feature. The character designs are much more cartoony, in a 1950s comic strip sort of way; the quality of movement is also fairly shoddy, which is entirely noticeable during the action scenes. Strangely enough, the film looks like "Superman: The Nickelodeon Version," even though it's dealing with mature material and themes. Blu-ray viewing will only make these discrepancies more apparent.

The voicework in the film is pretty solid, with Superman being voiced by George Newbern who has been doing animated Superman since the Justice League days in the early 2000s. NCIS star Pauley Perrette has a pretty good go at playing Lois Lane, while The Elite are suitably voiced by some talented character actors including voice work veteran Robin Atkin Downes, who voices the group's leader, Manchester Black. (He was also the ship computer in Prometheus, the "soccer announcer" in Battleship, and has done voice work in more video games than I'm willing to count).

All in all, Superman vs. The Elite is a Superman flick that's actually interesting to watch for intellectual reasons, but won't blow you away in terms of visual splendor or action. In that sense it's an easy recommend to those who maybe haven't been able to connect with the character in a long time (Batman crowd, looking at you); though it may be less satisfying to the hardcore fans, who already know why they love Big Blue.

Along with many other reviewers, I found the biggest flaw with this movie to be the animation. The entire time I was watching it I couldn't help but think Superman should make a trip to the dentist because of his ridiculously oversized (or swollen) jaw. The story seemed to cover too serious a topic for such a "cartoony" animation style. Watching the credits it's very obvious that the animation was done entirely in Asia, so I'm guessing it was a studio that typically handles Japanese anime.

Aside from the animation the story was very good. It puts Superman in a modern day setting and poses the question, "Is capital punishment out of the question when it will save the lives of innocents in the future?" How many times have the villains been captured, jailed, and escaped or been released only to cause more damage and kill more innocent people? It gives you a good look to see if Superman's non-lethal approach of subduing and again imprisoning the villain are indeed the right way to handle the situation in a modern-day world in the eyes of all the people he's there to protect.

If you can get past the animation I highly recommend watching it.

Buy Superman vs The Elite (2012) Now

I've always enjoyed comic author Warren Ellis' work. His voice was new, jaded, and cynical in a world where superheroes were black and white, Ellis was a dark shade of gray. I collected issues of Stormwatch and Planetary, both of which reinforced Ellis' ethos: the inherent evil of corporations, a corrupt America, and a selfish nature of humanity. This is the new world of superheroes: global, amoral, and casually violent with their power. All of this is critical in appreciating "Superman vs. the Elite," which is Joe Kelly's response to Ellis' jaded world view. And what better vehicle to defend the American Way than with Superman?

"Superman vs. the Elite" is an animated version of the comic that answered this question, "What's so Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" The Elite consists of superheroes that play at the level of Superman: super-psychic Manchester Black (Robin Atkin Downes), energy-absorbing bruiser Coldcast (Catero Colbert), oversexed bioform Menagerie (Melissa Disney), and monster-summoning magician The Hat (Andrew Kishino). Black is a Brit (he wears a Union Jack shirt actually, it's a tattoo!) who has little respect for anyone, including Superman. But the methods of his Elite team soon become globally renowned for their methods against Bialyan "terrorists."

It's not hard to see echoes of 9/11 and the War on Terror lurking on the fringes of this philosophical argument between justice and the ends justifying the means. Superman (George Newbern, reprising his role from the DC Animated Universe) at first tries to get along with these newcomers, leading them with tactics he's earned as a seasoned superhero. It doesn't last.

The Elite believes in torture and murder to get the job done and their methods are soon endorsed by the world in the face of endless war. It's not long before Superman is forced to defend first his ethos, then himself when psychotic villain the Atomic Skull (Dee Bradley Baker) escapes from a justice system Superman endorses, only to kill again.

What makes "Superman vs. The Elite" so interesting is that it's not afraid to play on a higher level. Superman endorses a cheesy cartoon because it spreads his message, just as The Elite ensure that their every move is telecast to the world. This is a war of ideas that just happens to be settled with fisticuffs.

If you're not aware of the dichotomy between old and superhero styles, "Superman vs. The Elite" seems like a curious detour for an iconic character. The Elite are powerful enough that it's hard to believe they've never crossed paths with Superman before. But if you can accept that they're a foil for Superman to test his super-brand, this is a very compelling entry in a grim-and-gritty world defined by Batman ethics.

Read Best Reviews of Superman vs The Elite (2012) Here

Superman is typically known for his action sequences rather than plot, but this particular film proves the exception to the rule. Often the argument has been made that the big blue boy scout is too dated to be relevant. It was only a matter of time before writers decided to focus on the issue to develope a new story. Thus we get Superman vs. the Elite.

I was worried that this film was just another slugfest pitting olde Supes against another generic team to lay waste to the city. Luckily, it turned out to be much more than that. The Elite are a new age group of anti-heroes that pose as a perfect foil to Superman's traditional values. The film runs the gamut of all the issues on hand, from the tights and capes to the twisted and violent origin stories.

The animation also isn't nearly as bad as other people say. The artwork is a bit simplistic compared to other animated features like the direct-to-dvd marvel features, but for a DC animated feature it's par for the course. The design is a bit simplistic, but still much better than your average DC television animation, like the Justice League and Superman cartoons from back when. The animation is very smooth and there are some excellent effects for the various action sequences. This film may be more focused on the story, but there's plenty of hard-hitting, flashy action scenes to distract you.

It's rare to come across a quality Superman animation. This is one. I highly recommend it to anyone, whether or not you're a fan of Superman.

Want Superman vs The Elite (2012) Discount?

I've never been a huge Superman fan, and I'm even less a fan of the new school of Grittier-Then-Thou atmosphere that has been sucking the fun out of comics for the last 30 years, but this was definitely my favorite Superman movie since the original Christopher Reeves back in the 80s.

The only fault with th argument is that there's a halfway point between the views Superman KNOWS that Atomic Skull will kill people, and at this point it's absurd that he hasn't gotten a death penalty from the legitimate law. On the other hand, the opposition view, that serial killers who have been killing scores of people for decades should die, is represented by kill-happy psychos can't there be a halfway point, like someone who understands the need for killing metavillians, but doesn't get off on it?

Overall I loved it, and I don't understand the complaints about the animation. I thought it totally lived up to the standard that the Animated DCU has established over the last 15 years.

Save 44% Off