Verdict
Summary
One of the best filmed Superman stories I’ve ever seen, the DC Animated Movie All-Star Superman is also one of the shortest at 76 minutes, but it covers all its bases with a unique, original take on the DC mythologies and even manages to make Lex Luthor one of the most interesting villains I’ve seen in a comic book-styled movie.
Plot:
Lex Luthor figures out a way to kill Superman, and knowing he’s dying the Man of Steel lives out his wildest dreams and saves the world one last time.
Review:
Lex Luthor masterminds a daring scheme to poison Superman’s DNA by using the first manned mission to the sun as his catalyst. Superman tries intervening, but as he does, he becomes contaminated and in the process his powers become even more supercharged. Knowing that eventually his system will break down and that he’ll turn into pure energy at some point in the near future, Superman recalibrates his approach to life and decides to live out his wildest dreams and fantasies, including confiding to Lois Lane as Clark Kent that he’s indeed the Man of Steel, and then he whisks her away to his Fortress of Solitude where he gifts her with his birthday present to her: a serum that allows her to have all his powers for one day. They fly around, do some good, and encounter time travelers Samson and Solaris who have a bit of fun with Superman in challenging him for the hand and favor of Superwoman. After Superman wins (one of the movie’s best scenes), he must deal with Lex Luthor, whose hatred of him has led to long gestating plans he has to rid the world once and for all the man whose genetics he deems unfair. Luthor procures for himself a dose of Superman’s “one-day only” superpower serum, and once he’s got it, he becomes just as indestructible as Superman himself, complete with flying abilities and the unlocking of the building blocks of reality, which he can use for the betterment – or the ruination – of humanity itself.
One of the best filmed Superman stories I’ve ever seen, the DC Animated Movie All-Star Superman is also one of the shortest at 76 minutes, but it covers all its bases with a unique, original take on the DC mythologies and even manages to make Lex Luthor one of the most interesting villains I’ve seen in a comic book-styled movie. The Superman character has a range of emotional hurdles to face, and he does so with a graceful, complex approach, and the film’s script by Dwayne McDuffie allows for tons of cosmic and intimate encounters, all headed towards a satisfying climax that offers hope for Superman’s fate. Sam Liu’s direction here remains one of his best ever for these DC Animated Movies (he’s done a lot of them since).
Warner Brother’s has just rereleased All-Star Superman in a 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray / Digital Code Combo pack, and this is the 4K Ultra HD debut. Previously released in 2011, the film is well worth the pick-up if it’s one of the titles form the DC Animated line that you may have originally missed the first time around. Special features include a handful of bonus features, including a commentary, a digital comic, and several making-of features.
