Superman: Doomsday

Superman: Doomsday

DVD cover art.
Directed by
Produced by Bruce Timm
Screenplay by Duane Capizzi
Story by
  • Duane Capizzi
  • Bruce Timm
Based on Characters 
by Jerry Siegel
Joe Shuster
Starring
Narrated by James Marsters
Music by Robert Kral
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Home Video
Release dates
  • September 18, 2007 (2007-09-18)
Running time
 78 minutes
Language English
Box office $9,590,693[1]

Superman: Doomsday is a 2007 American direct-to-video animated superhero film, adapted from the popular DC Comics storyline The Death of Superman, focusing on the supposed death of the superhero Superman. The film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for action violence and is the first in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation. It was followed by Justice League: The New Frontier.

Plot

The film opens with a narration by Lex Luthor (James Marsters), highlighted by images of Superman doing heroic deeds. Lex describes Superman as a god on Earth, but insists that "just as day follows night, there comes a time when even gods must die."

Lois Lane (Anne Heche) and Superman (Adam Baldwin) are romantically involved, but Lois is unsatisfied with the arrangements of their relationship. Superman insists that they keep it a secret from the public by limiting their encounters to the Fortress of Solitude, and he has not yet confided in her that he is actually Clark Kent, although she already suspects.

Workers from LexCorp unearth a spaceship while digging for one of Lex's projects, inadvertently releasing a genetically-engineered super-soldier known as Doomsday. The creature is highly homicidal and aggressive towards any lifeform or object that moves, as Doomsday's creators found him to be unable to distinguish friend from foe, making him capable attack anything in sight without remorse or hesitation of any kind. Doomsday kills the entire digging crew and begins a bloody rampage towards Metropolis. He kills a deer, a dog, the dog's owner, and a truck driver (it is implied that other people fell victim to his homicidal fury, as well.) Superman meets the monster there and the two engage in a devastating cross-city battle. Superman ultimately kills Doomsday, but succumbs to his own injuries and seemingly dies in Lois' arms.

The world collectively mourns their fallen hero, and Metropolis honors him with a memorial. Lex, having previously ordered his personal assistant Mercy Graves to cover up LexCorp's involvement in releasing Doomsday, shoots her through the head and kills her to ensure that no one but he knows the truth.

Superman's friends cope with his death in various ways: Jimmy Olsen takes a job at a seedy tabloid newspaper called the National Voyeur, Perry White becomes an alcoholic, and Lois, who realized that Clark was Superman, visits Martha Kent for counsel. Martha appears to be a widow, although this is not stated.

In Superman's absence, Metropolis is overwhelmed by emboldened criminals. At one point, Toyman uses a giant mechanical spider to hold a bus full of students hostage. Lois, still grieving, decides to get the children out on her own. As she does, Toyman tries to kill her and a little girl by throwing the bus over a building. As it happens, Superman apparently digs out of his grave, saves Lois, and apprehends Toyman. However, he does not seem quite the same, missing Lois' apartment as he flies her home, and acting surprised when she kisses him. She dismisses it as shock from his supposed death. When she receives a call from Martha wondering why Clark has not called home, Lois becomes suspicious.

The resurrected Superman is revealed to be a clone created by Lex from a blood sample retrieved after Superman's battle with Doomsday. As such, the clone's knowledge is merely what Lex has programmed into him. Lex is keeping the real Superman's body preserved in a tube for his personal amusement, unaware that Superman is still barely alive. He also periodically tortures the clone Superman in a special lead-lined red-sunlight room with kryptonite gauntlets, usually beating him unconscious. (to show the clone who is boss, and out of pathological frustration of not killing the real Superman). A robot from the Fortress of Solitude recovers the body after detecting frequencies that indicated that he was still alive, although these were too small and random to trace at first, and begins restoring Superman to health, a fact Luthor discovers when his surveillance monitors register a signal disruption of several seconds. During the disruption, Superman's body was removed, much to Lex's surprise and anger.

Meanwhile, the Superman clone's attitude darkens when he hears about Toyman killing a four-year-old girl. In retaliation, as Toyman is being escorted into the police station, Superman lifts him up and drops him from a high distance where he falls to his death upon crash landing on a police car. The city is stunned at this action and Lois suspects he is not Superman. The clone begins threatening the populace into abiding by the law, convinced that terror will prevent crime. The police can do nothing to stop him. These actions further convince Lois and especially Martha that this is not the real Superman.

Upon returning to Lex, the clone is berated for his behavior. Lex orders him to find the real Superman's corpse and threatens to kill him if he goes out of line again. Unknown to Lex, the clone deduces the mechanism behind Lex's threat: a lead-shielded kryptonite pellet in his brain. He removes it at a local barber shop by boring into his brain with his heat vision reflected off a mirror and extracting it with a pair of scissors, then sets off to deal with Lex. At the same time, Lois discovers the true nature of the clone after tranquilizing Lex after pretending to be seduced by him and searching his files with Jimmy's help. She and Jimmy discover that Lex is cloning an army of Supermen (Luthor's cloning technology had undoubtedly improved since the earlier attempt resulted in the creation of Bizarro). A furious Lex awakens and points his gun at them but the original clone arrives before he can finish. He saves Lois and Jimmy and destroys the cloning facility, killing all the yet-to-be-awakened clones. Unable to kill the clone, Lex tries to hide in the special room, hoping to lure him in and kill him with his Kryptonite gauntlet. Seeing the trick, the clone instead locks him inside and tosses the entire room to the street to Lex's apparent death. This latest presumed murder triggers military action. The military attempt to kill the Superman clone, but they fail as the entire force is effortlessly destroyed by the clone's heat vision.

At the Fortress of Solitude, the robot has revived Superman and has him undergo intensive rehabilitative exercises under concentrated solar energy to bring his power level back to max. Hearing the news, the real Superman resolves to help, even though his powers are not yet fully restored. To improve his odds he dons a black sunlight-absorbing "Solar Suit" and brings a kryptonite gun (built by Lex Luthor) his robot retrieved from his archives. The two engage in a massive battle, with Superman's kryptonite gun failing to hit the much faster clone. Jimmy and Lois grab the kryptonite gun to help Superman, though still unsure if he is the real deal or not. The fight culminates at Superman's memorial, where Lois manages to hit the clone with a kryptonite blast. The weakened clone quickly destroys the gun, leaving only the kryptonite canister. As the two Supermen continue their battle, the canister sticks to the clone's chest with mud, and Superman vaporizes it with his heat vision. The clone, overcome by the kryptonite vapor, falls under the memorial stone he was holding. Before dying, he tells Superman to protect the people. Lois is sure of the real Superman once he kisses her, and the crowd is similarly happy that Superman is back.

At Lois' apartment, Superman sees that she misspelled "resurrection" in her article. He mentions winning a spelling bee at Smallville Elementary, revealing himself to be Clark Kent. Lois is caught off guard, but the two share a smile and she happily embraces him.

At LexCorp, a critically injured but alive Lex narrates the ending saying how history has proven that gods can die, but they can also return from the dead. He smiles to himself musing that there may still be a way for him to destroy Superman.

Voice Cast

Production

Despite similar animation styles, the film used new animation models, and is only loosely based on the DC Animated Universe that lasted from 1992-2006,[2] with a few allusions to the older series, as well as the Fleischer Superman series, found in the Fortress of Solitude.

Differences with the comics

Superman's black suit, and longer hair when he came back to fight the doppelgänger Superman is one of the few things to match up with the Doomsday storyline from the comics. Most other aspects, including the origins and appearance of Doomsday, the relationship of Superman and Lois Lane, the fight itself, and the events surrounding Superman's return, were far different than their comic counterparts. In addition, all references to other characters throughout the arc, including the Justice League (who battled Doomsday in an attempt to stop him from reaching Metropolis) many supporting characters, and the four false Supermen (Superboy, the Eradicator, Cyborg Superman, and Steel) were left out entirely. Aspects of these characters were combined to form the clone Superman (Superboy was a clone, the Eradicator killed criminals, and Cyborg Superman attempted to convince everyone he was the genuine article). Also, while starting up the helicopter on the Daily Planet roof, Lois tells Jimmy that she was an "air force brat" (while in the comics her father - General Sam Lane - was in the army). Martha Kent is depicted as a widow in the film, whereas in the comics, Jonathan Kent is alive.

Nods to other Superman projects

In the Fortress of Solitude various items can be seen from past Superman cartoons. Some of these include Superman's anti-Kryptonite suit, as well as his space suit and rocket from Superman: The Animated Series, as well as the art style being very similar to the animated series. Others are from the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 40's including the Bullet Car from The Bulleteers and one of the robots from The Mechanical Monsters. The Bottle City of Kandor can be seen as well.

The character of Mercy originally appeared in Superman: The Animated Series in the 90's as Luthor's Chauffeur/Bodyguard. In this film, she is his corporate assistant. James Marsters, who voiced Lex Luthor in the movie, played the character of Brainiac/Milton Fine in the TV show Smallville (Season 5 Episodes: "Arrival", "Aqua", "Thirst", "Splinter", "Solitude", "Hypnotic", "Oracle", "Vessel").

Kevin Smith cameo

Writer, director, and actor Kevin Smith made a brief cameo in this film during the scene in which Superman apprehends Toyman. As Superman carries Toyman off, a man (very similar in appearance to, and voiced by, Kevin Smith) remarks "Like we really needed him to bust up a mechanical spider, right? LAME!" This is a reference to the Warner Bros. Superman project that he and director-producer Jon Peters collaborated on, which never came to fruition. Peters had always wanted Superman to fight a massive spider. Smith revealed in his interview film An Evening with Kevin Smith that he thought the idea was ridiculous. Finally, Peters put the giant mechanical spider as the climax of the year 1999's movie version of Wild, Wild West.

Release

The film was released on September 18, 2007. Before the DVD release, the movie was first screened at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2007. It made its U.S. broadcast premier on the Cartoon Network on Saturday July 12, 2008.

Superman: Doomsday was exclusively available on DVD with a collectible packaging depicting Superman bursting through the movie's logo. It was the only film in the series originally released without a special edition.

Following a year later was a two-disc special edition DVD release. The special features included a retrospective look at how the Death of Superman comic came to be, a look at voice actors, as well as a Defeat Doomsday game with a 10-minute preview to the next animated film; Justice League: The New Frontier.

Release of a Blu-ray version was announced with a release date of February 26, 2008, but was delayed.[3]

Warner Home Video released a new "Special Edition" Blu-ray and DVD, featuring new bonus materials on November 25, 2008.[4]

Rating

The film's generous amount of violence and adult language garnered a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. This is the first time an animated Superman project has ever received such a strong rating. Most of the more visceral deaths take place off-camera (for example, Doomsday snapping the neck of an Armed Forces soldier) however the fight sequences are very intense. During the Doomsday/Superman fight, Superman coughs a puddle of blood onto the ground, perhaps the most visual use of blood in the entire film.(It was from this blood that the clone of Superman was created.)

When shown in syndicated television on Toonami, it received many edits to mitigate the blood, violence, and language. Parts of the fight between Superman and Doomsday were cut entirely as well as the off screen suggestives. In fact, no actual punches between the human combatants were shown, nor were Doomsday's blows whenever they struck Superman. It received a TV-PG DSV rating for its Toonami rating and a parental advisory warning.

Soundtrack

Superman: Doomsday (Soundtrack from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie)
Film score by Robert J. Kral
Released October 26, 2007
Length 57:34
Label La-La Land Records

The soundtrack to Superman: Doomsday was released on October 26, 2007. The music was composed by Robert J. Kral.[5] The soundtrack listing:

'Superman: Doomsday (Soundtrack from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie)
No. Title Length
1. "Superman Doomsday Main Title"   2:05
2. "Fortress of Solitude"   1:33
3. "Alien" (') 2;25
4. "Killing the Hick"   0:52
5. "Doomsday Rising"   2:11
6. "Superman vs Doomsday"   1:49
7. "Doomsday Battle"   2:11
8. "Superman's Sacrifice"   2:38
9. "The Death of Superman"   2:07
10. "Lois & Martha"   0:48
11. "Toy Man Attacks"   2:28
12. "Return of the Hero"   2:22
13. "Superman Clone"   3:16
14. "Heartbeat"   0:43
15. "Relocated"   1:13
16. "Lois Was Right"   0:37
17. "Cat Rescue"   1:42
18. "A Safe Superman"   1:47
19. "Lois' Plan"   2:21
20. "Clone Discovery"   1:30
21. "Luthor's Fate"   0:32
22. "Superman's Return"   2:27
23. "Superman vs. Superclone"   4:56
24. "Superman's Victory"   4:23
25. "Smallville Elementary"   1:03
26. "Superman: Doomsday End Titles"   2:58
Total length:
 57:34

Reception

Critical reaction

The film received generally positive, but not overwhelmingly enthusiastic, reviews.[6] Following the screening at Comic-Con, and its release on DVD, the movie garnered mostly positive reviews, with some reviewers commenting it was a marked improvement compared to other recent DC animated adaptations; some commented it raised the bar for the follow-up to the live-action Superman Returns which had been released the previous summer.[7] Many also agreed it was also better in comparison to the recent animated films Marvel Studios had released based on their characters (such as Ultimate Avengers), in part due to the more adult and action-packed story in keeping with its PG-13 rating.[8] Many reviews spoke highly of James Marsters' and Adam Baldwin's voice acting as Lex Luthor and Superman, while reviews of Anne Heche's portrayal of Lois Lane were mixed.[9]

Not all reviews of the film were positive. DVDTalk.com, while praising the film's look and its technical presentation, called the film "a massive disappointment" and also negatively commented on the film's short running time and its lack of adherence to the storyline of The Death of Superman comics.[10] James Deaux of Earth-2.net gave the movie a score of 5.5 out of 10, claiming the movie was far too overhyped and the result was not a bad, but a mediocre product with "many instances of...lazy writing, confusing animation, a couple of glaring plot holes and some mediocre voice acting." He also criticized the title of the movie given that Doomsday has such a minimal role in the film.[11]

Sales

The Top 100 DVD sales chart for 9/18/07-9/23/07 revealed that the film was placed at #4, and was two spots ahead of the season six release of Smallville, a Superman related television show.[12] Variety made a report three months after the DVD's release, on DTV movies becoming very popular, and revealed that the DVD sold 600,000 copies, 30% more than what the studio predicted.[13] At the present time, Superman Doomsday is the highest selling movie from the DC direct-to-video series selling more than 680,000 units.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Superman - Doomsday - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Nash Information Service. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  2. ↑ "WONDERCON '07: DC UNIVERSE: SUPERHEROES GO DVD PANEL". Newsarama. 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
  3. ↑ "Justice League DVD news: Release Date for Justice League: The New Frontier". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  4. ↑ "Official Artwork And Details For New "Superman Doomsday" DVD And Blu-Ray". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  5. ↑ "''Superman: Doomsday Soundtrack''". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  6. ↑ "Superman: Doomsday (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  7. ↑ "Superman Doomsday Review". Ugo.com. 2007-09-18. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  8. ↑ "SDCC '07: SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY REVIEW - NEWSARAMA". Forum.newsarama.com. 2007-07-27. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  9. ↑ Christopher Monfette (2007-09-18). "IGN: Superman Doomsday Review". Dvd.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  10. ↑ "DVD Talk Review: Superman - Doomsday". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  11. ↑ "Superman: Doomsday review". Earth-2.net. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  12. ↑ "Touchdown for "Marshall" on DVD charts". Reuters. September 27, 2007.
  13. ↑ Thielman, Sam (December 21, 2007). "Direct-to-DVD movies growing in popularity". Variety.

External links

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