The Movie
Keen-eyed viewers of I Am Legend will surely have noticed the Times Square billboard for the Superman/Batman feature film (purportedly arriving in theaters "5-15-10"), and I have to wonder if that future live-action affair will be as good as the animated Superman/Batman: Public Enemies I just watched. This fast-paced, action-packed tale is culled from the first six-issues of the ongoing Superman/Batman comic, a Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness story arc a.k.a. "The World's Finest," which is how the classic pairing of Supes and Bats has come to be known.
The vile, brilliant, egotistical Lex Luthor has managed to win the U.S. presidency as a third-party candidate, while crime runs rampant and an Armageddon-sized meteorite is headed right for Earth. (Did I mention that said rock is pure kryptonite?) Superman, in his wisdom, refuses to trust President Luthor, Batman takes The Man of Steel's side and so, one frame-up later, there's a billion-dollar bounty on the caped pair.
Public Enemies explores the relationship of two well-known but very different heroes in ways that even longtime fans haven't seen before. A conspiracy is exposed, friendships are betrayed, and seemingly every obscure villain from across the DC Universe shows up to collect that bounty. It's a wild, PG-13 ride.
The Picture
From one of the first shots where we see the headline in a newspaper, stair-stepped edges reveal their unattractive selves in this 1.78:1 master. Fine parallel lines can be a little twitchy, too. Although it mostly has the look of traditional hand-drawn animation, the movie is rendered entirely digitally, with some photographic elements mixed in that I didn't care for, but the colors are extraordinary, both the range of hues on screen at any given time as well as the subtle shadings and transitions, albeit with some ringing here and there.
The Sound
The rear channels display some memorable discrete and more subtly phased effects: helicopters, sirens, and a certain flying do-gooder. There's also a wonderfully convincing path of front-to-back footsteps, 360-degree rainfall and some sharp Batarang approaches, although I do wish that the bass was a little more potent during the spectacular fight sequences, considering their size and scope. Overall the mix itself is excellent, but unfortunately, Warner has only given us a single audio option, and it's the last generation's Dolby Digital 5.1. We can only wonder how much more impact the movie would have had in a high-resolution format.
The Extras
While not quite as deep as on some of the other DC Universe discs, the bonuses do provide a variety of insight and quite a bit more entertainment. "A Test of Minds: The Psychology Superman and Batman" (19 minutes) takes a look at the roots of the contrasts that make this enduring partnership so fascinating. "Dinner with DCU and Special Guest Kevin Conroy (Extended Edition)" lets us sit in for almost an hour as producer Bruce Timm, veteran voice director Andrea Romano, DC's Greg Noveck and actor extraordinaire Kevin Conroy (Batman) break bread at the Smoke House restaurant--across the street from the Warner lot in Burbank--to reminisce about their animated journey together, which began back in 1991. And "A First Look at Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" (eleven minutes) primes us for the next direct-to-video movie in the series, an Earth-2 epic co-starring the Crime Syndicate, evil opposites of The League. This is scheduled to hit next spring.
"Bruce Timm's Top Picks" collects a total of six episodes (the special edition DVD delivers two) from previous small-screen DC Universe endeavors featuring many of the same characters and similar themes, including an all-time great story where Superman impersonates Batman for a night. The four-episode arc from Justice League Unlimited and two freestanding episodes from Superman: The Animated Series total about 134 minutes. All of the extras are presented in high definition. This Blu-ray also repeats promotional videos from past DC Comics animation releases. A code for a Windows Media Player-compatible download of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is supplied as well.
Final Thoughts
With smart dialogue, strong characterizations and explosive action, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a worthy cinematic pairing of these two titular titans. The bar has been set high for any live-action attempt, genuine or fictitious.
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