Superman: Doomsday Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Where were you the day Superman died?
When LexCorps accidentally unleash a murderous creature, Doomsday, Superman finally meets his greatest challenge as a champion. Based from the award-winning "The Death of Superman" trilogy.
| Adam Baldwin | Clark Kent/Superman |
| James Marsters | Lex Luthor |
| John Di Maggio | Toyman |
| Tom Kenny | Robot |
| Ray Wise | Perry White |
| Adam Wylie | Jimmy Olsen |
| Townsend Coleman | Drill Operator |
| Chris Cox | Damon Swank |
| Kevin Smith | Grumpy Man |
| James Arnold Taylor | Officer Tucker |
7.30 out of 10 (1347 votes)
Visitor Reviews
The Most Brutal Superhero Cartoon I Have Ever Seen. I Loved It!
posted on 25 Aug 2009From the first moment that Doomsday killed all the miners in such a graphic way, I was hooked. Humans were tossed around like dolls, punched through buildings and cement (yuck), necks snapped like twigs, and all this was shown and not left to our imagination.
The battle between Superman and Doomsday was action packed, brutal (can't stop using that word), bloody and ultimately very satisfying. This isn't your average kids cartoon aimed at 5-9 year olds. This is a clear mature cartoon for adults and I say it's about time.
The drawings were okay, not great. Superman was drawn to look older, more wrinkles on his face. While Lois and Luther looks like they just got out of college. Doomsday looked bad @SS.
Lois dating Superman for 6 months and still not knowing that he and Clark are one in the same was a weak story plot point, but I got past it.
I recommend this cartoon for all fans. Get ready for a fun ride with amazing fight scenes.
Stands on its own
posted on 23 Aug 2009It's not the animated series, and it's not 100% faithful to the books. It would be impossible to be either or both. The story is too violent and too long. So, Timm and company do their best to make it all fit in. Here's my take.
The good: The heart of the story is there. Superman fights an almost unbeatable (and previously unknown) foe to a stalemate resulting in both combatants dying. The world, and Metropolis especially, grieves. Then Superman returns...or does he? The action is stupendous, and well worth the viewing. The third act (the return) is vastly different from the books, but it works by still imparting that just because someone wears the S doesn't make them Superman. Animation and voice acting are great, as one would expect. A lot of the emotion is captured, especially with Lex and Lois each dealing with the loss in their own (sometimes twisted) way. The meeting between Lois and Martha Kent is a fine example of what made the sequence great. Much like the comics, the story is not so much about Superman as it is about the people around him. The writers know that, and made sure to keep the focus where it belonged.
The bad: It does feel rushed and could use with more time. It moves pretty quickly through the second act, and the start of the third act doesn't quite have the punch that the original comics had due to the nature of the "returned" Superman. We don't get the feeling of mourning that the "Funeral" sequence should convey (more on that later). Also, fans of the story will be utterly confused at the change in Lois and Clark's relationship (Lois is dating Superman, but he hasn't told her he's Clark yet). This fixes itself, but the change without any warning to existing canon may turn some off.
The ugly: For whatever reason, this story exists in a vacuum. No other heroes show up at all. Part of what made the original story great was how the rest of the DC universe dealt with Superman's passing. There isn't even a cameo. That makes this feel much more like a one-off than a universe changing event.
I doubt that any movie would be able to encompass all of the Death and Return of Superman within a time frame that would be reasonable. This version does a pretty good job, if you can get past the shortcomings I mentioned. As a standalone story (not attached to AoS or JLA/U), it captures the essence of the most shocking story in DC history, even if the details could have used some improvement. Rent it, borrow it, or watch it on OnDemand if a different take might bother you. If you're like me and love the story even with some changes, get it.
Fantastic!
posted on 19 Aug 2009As a preface, I have not read the comic this movie is based on. That being said, I absolutely loved this movie. The art, action, voice acting, and story is all excellent. I don't understand all these reviews that say that it is bad. The show does seem to be very similar (backstory-wise) to the Superman movies and Smallville the TV series, which may be why people don't like it. But I really liked it and I think any fan of Superman or just super heroes should get this movie and watch it (and get everyone you know to watch it). This movie rocked.
Rating Superman
posted on 17 Aug 2009My wife makes fun of me for shushing the kids so I can hear "cartoons". I quickly correct her, "Superman - Doomsday is not a 'cartoon.' It's an 'animated feature film.'" This clarification for some reason always seems to bring on even more chuckles over a bottle of wine with friends than it does clarify the matter.
Anyway, My kids were as captivated as I was for Superman - Doomsday. What is with the PG-13 rating of Superman - Doomsday?...I remember a couple of scenes in Finding Nemo that were more intense for young children, but Nemo gets a G rating. I'll tell ya, I think that the MPAA needs a rating themselves. That would be an 'F'. Rest assured, Superman - Doomsday is definitely for kids too unless you shield your kids from the same kinds of intensity that can be found in the most intense chapters of Nemo and other Disney G-rated classics.
Now, on the other side of the coin...Doomsday does viciously do away with some of the folks that cross his path. So a little Parental Guidance could be in order for kids 7 and under. But any 10 year old that needs Parental Guidance for Superman - Doomsday doesn't get out much.
Superman - Doomsday isn't quite as well put together as the Justice League) series, but it was pretty good. I don't follow the comic book series, but I understand that there are some continuity issues between this movie and the DC Comics...most notably the origin of Doomsday. But the story told on the DVD held up, and was pretty cool.
LexCorp's minions find an alien craft in some mine and accidentally unleash Doomsday (an ugly looking monster) from the craft. The monster wreaks havoc; Superman comes to the rescue; and the result could be a dramatic change in a World that is used to having Superman around to protect everyone.
It is not necessary to have ever seen a Justice League episode or read a DC Superman comic book to enjoy the Superman - Doomsday DVD. On the contrary...familiarity with the comic books or TV series might hinder your viewing pleasure based on the varying continuity factors.
Final word: sit back and enjoy. And don't forget to provide that all-important Parental Guidance for the kids that have never seen the 6 o'clock news.
Superman DoomsDay
posted on 13 Aug 2009I was extremely disappointed in this. I am a huge Superman fan and find it difficult to beleive that the story could not have followed the original line. I appreciate the effort and I was excited when I learned of the movie, then I saw it...ahhhh... if you are not going to say true to the story line then please...DONT BOTHER!
Very Well Done!
posted on 09 Aug 2009The voice acting came along well with this, making it the best direct-to-video movie I have ever seen. I never read the comic book, but I did read the Novelization of it by Roger Stern, which is pretty much the whole comic saga but without the pictures. Having read it, there were some things I had wished to see. 1st of all, All 4 fake Supermen: Eradicator, Steel, Suberboy, & Cyborg. We argued though that the Eradicator was in this film, he was the evil clone. I told them it wasn't because when you put on the subtitles it says 'Dark Superman'. Another thing that would be kinda fun to see is Supergirl & Lex Luthor married, which did happen. Plus, would it have hurt them if they made it 90 mins. instead of 75, it left me wanting more (another reason you should buy this). The DVD comes with a cool documentary on the making of ths epic time in comic history, a trailer for cartoon Justice League movie, & a DVD game which is although pretty easy, is still decent enough to play several times. Overall, buy it!!! =)XD YES!!!!(S)
Bit of a Letdown
posted on 05 Aug 2009I've been a comic book geek for what feels like forever. Some of my earliest memories are of being taken out to the local magazine store by my father and just pouring over all the different worlds there was that I could immerse myself in. In my collecting career, there were probably three moments that I'd consider real highlights. The first was the 'Knightfall' storyline when Bane broke Batman's back, the second was the 'Dark Phoenix' saga in the Marvel universe, and finally there was the 'Death of Superman.' Needless to say, when I found out a 'Superman-Doomsday' DVD was being developed; the nerd in me was doing cartwheels. I'm sorry to say that after seeing the finished product, I was left pretty let down.
I'll start with the animation itself. It's obvious that Bruce Timm's fingerprints were all over this. That being said, I'm scratching my head over the decision to set this outside the standard continuity of the Superman series that Timm helped to create. Clark Kent is drawn with these weird facial lines that I suppose was done to make him look a little older. The problem with this is why you would then de-age everyone else? Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and the rest of the supporting cast seem to appear younger then they should. Why wouldn't you just use the same character template that the animated series used?
The voice acting was OK, but the cast had me (again) puzzled. I don't understand the choice not to bring in the original voice-actors (George Newbern or Tim Daly/ Dana Delany/ Clancy Brown), all of whom had been voicing the same roles for quite awhile now. Just as an example, I mentioned earlier that Lois Lane looks younger; Ann Heche was then the choice to lend her voice? Not that Heche didn't do a credible job, it's just that she "sounds" about as old as she probably is. Her voice didn't seem to fit her younger-looking avatar. Even the relationship between Lois and Superman "looked" odd now that they appeared to have such a pronounced age difference.
Reviewers had mentioned this before, but the storyline itself is butchered. Playing devil's advocate though, I understand a lot of these changes had to be made. In the comics, this story-arc was massive. It took a long time to resolve, involved a ton of characters, and happened across (I think) about four or five books. There's simply too much material to squeeze into an hour and a half and have it make any sense at all. Having said that, however, as far as I'm aware, this went direct to DVD and was never on any network broadcast; the running time on the film is definitely under eighty minutes. Timm and company, considering they didn't have to take commercial breaks into account, realistically, probably had about ten extra minutes (at least) that they could have used to add meat to the story.
Speaking of the story, one of the things I enjoyed the most about the comic book version was the sense of scale. It was jaw-dropping watching Doomsday crash to earth and systematically dismantle the DC universe. Watching hero after hero fall to him, and watching the Justice League torn apart by him gave Doomsday's power the proper sense of scale. The comic accomplished two things by the time the showdown between Superman and Doomsday was ready to take place. The first is, as I mentioned, that you had plenty of time to appreciate just how powerful Doomsday actually is and the second, after the fall of the Justice League, is that it properly portrays Superman as (literally) the 'last line of defense.' In the animated film, I feel like this sense of scale is completely lost. Doomsday, in my opinion, just looks like a beast that shows up and got a little lucky. Taking the Justice League out of the equasion and not seeing the reaction of the rest of the DC universe, seems to rob Superman's death of its significance.
This goes back to my earlier point about the running time, but I don't understand why we saw so little of Doomsday. I'd venture to guess his time on screen is about a third of the total running time. Considering the title, I really thought he'd be around longer. This is more a story of Superman and his clone then Doomsday.
All in all, Superman-Doomsday isn't awful. It's just that I feel if a couple of decisions were made differently that this could have gone immediately from just `OK' to `Outstanding.' My biggest complaint, and it's a point I know I keep going back to, is that there just doesn't seem to be the proper sense of scale for anything. If DC chose to recreate one of their premiere story-lines, they did themselves a disservice by not putting it in the proper context.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
posted on 05 Aug 2009Horrible adaptation. I hadn't read the comic since I was a child, and went into this not remembering much, and I STILL hated it. Rights issues aside, why weren't there any other superheroes at Superman's funeral? Why did the producers think it would be a better selling point to dump all the original voice actors and get "stars"? Why did they use cliche and throw in Lex Luthor as a villain? After I suffered this this tripe I read the first 3 issues of "Death of Superman" and I was even more sickened. All the pathos, depth and meaning just in the first issue was complete void in this animated garbage (Superman on a talk show defending his fighting for good to a hippy teenager while Doomsday was beating the Justice League to a pulp, Doomsday crushing a bird in his hand, etc etc)
Shame SHAME on Bruce Timm and all others involved.
The Death of Superman
posted on 03 Aug 2009The creative team behind "Justice League Unlimited" and "The Batman" bring the darkest chapter in the adventures of the legendary Man of Steel to DVD in the animated feature "Superman: Doomsday". When Lex Luthor unearths the intergalactic monster Doomsday, Superman is locked in a devastating battle against the powerful brute that forces him to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people of Metropolis. As the world mourns the death of its greatest hero, Superman mysteriously returns darker and more aggressive than before. "Superman: Doomsday" is an amusing 75-minute animated adaptation of the best selling graphic tale "The Death of Superman". For the most part, the story holds out pretty well and includes some memorable moments. The raging battle between Superman and Doomsday is fiercer and more engrossing than anything seen in the previous animated series. The animated adventure features the voice talents of Adam Baldwin (Serenity), Anne Hache (Men in Trees) and James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
"Superman: Doomsday" is a well recommended DVD for any serious comic book fan. The 75-minute animated movie is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains a sharp picture quality and a great 2.0 Dolby Digital sound. It supplemental features include the extensive "Requiem and Rebirth: Superman Lives!" documentary, an exclusive 10-minute sneak peek of the upcoming animated adventure "Justice League: The New Frontier", interviews with the voice cast and an audio commentary with the production crew. Overall, "Superman: Doomsday" gets a "B".
Did not read the comic enjoyed the movie
posted on 30 Jul 2009I did not read the comic but I enjoyed the movie. I was a little leery of it at first after reading some of the negative reviews, so I was pleasantly surprised. I grew up with George Reeves as Superman and every screen adaptation since and have learned not to compare but judge each on its own merit. I watched this on a 110 inch projection screen and was pleased that this had very much a theatrical feel. The animation is excellent, colors are vibrant, backgrounds are very detailed and have depth. Multiple camera angles are used to the fullest. The template used for the face of Superman seems a little overdone and at the same time simplistic. This detracts a little from the fluidness of the rest of the animation which is otherwise topnotch. I had no problem with the voice acting, I like the actors from the TV show, but I am also partial to Bud Cuyler who did the voice on the 60's cartoon...time to move on.
I enjoyed the movie and because I have not read the book version was surprised by the turns the story took. That seems to be the deciding factor on this, if you go in without any preconceived notions you'll have a good chance of enjoying yourself.
This is not a child's movie, it is violent, mild cursing, and some innuendo.
A weak adaptation of The Death of SUPERMAN
posted on 30 Jul 2009I enjoyed the story of the death and rebirth of Superman in its comics and then in its graphic novel format. It was an intriging year long comic book series The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus. However when it comes to the DVD version of this story, I felt it was slightly lacking the epicness and the scope that the original comics had
The news is not all that bad. The DVD does have the new voice talent that is totally different from the TV Superman the animated series. It has interest vocal casting. Firefly's Adam Baldwin brings a different edge to Superman. Claney Brown may have been Lex Luthor on The TV animated adventures, but James (Spike from Buffy) Marsters nailed it on this DVD. Anne Heche's vocal Lois Lane is the weakest link of this piece.
This DVD's animation seemed like a little like Jack Kirby style comic art, rather the S.T.A.S or the recent Justice League cartoon. However this PG-13 cartoon lacks the luster that this year long graphic novel series had. Th battle royale, told in shadow and crimson hues, is what gives this cartoon its PG-13 rating
Also the main part of the story arc in the graphic novel was "the funeral of a Friend" storyline..which was also mostly delete in this 75 minute adaptation. I understand that producer Bruce Timm ideal is to let this be a stand alone piece (basicly a Superman only piece), but what is missing for me was the world grieving as a collective in the story arc that this film did not use. Note not another superhero shows up in his funeral which would seem strange in a world filled with superheroes
On the whole, this piece as a stand alone was good, but very rushed. For 75 minutes they jam pack the film, I wish this was two hours and they took more time to give more story
I hope the Derwyn Cooke's The New Frontier (The Justice League)animated adaptation which comes out next year is fares better than this made for video animated DVD.
Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
God I hate Hollywood!
posted on 26 Jul 2009I know that when you translate a book to a movie you have to edit and there are things that just won't make the cut. Roger Sterns Novel "THE DEATH AND LIFE OF SUPERMAN" had an enormous scope but when you cut so much that the story has little or no resemblance to the original it is enough to make you want to scream! OK the Jonathan Kent portion of the story given the evolution of the Superman Saga and add the traditional Superman story made sense. But where was John Henry Irons, Cyborg Superman, CADMUS, The Teen Clone of Superman? The mutation of The Eradicator into a Superman Clone and a the Luthor Superman clone army plot would be OK as a Justice League episode but I expected more form this DVD. All in all I was disappointed but after all it was only $14 bucks so what the hell
BRUTAL FUN!
posted on 26 Jul 2009This is one brutal film, and I doubt if it would air uncensored on Cartoon Network due to violence (the body count goes up; yes, PEOPLE DIE), language and hints at adult themes. Everyone knows the storyline by now so I won't go into that. To be honest Adam Baldwin as Superman and Anne Heche as Lois Lane did much better than I expected. James Marsters was lethal as Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown is THE animated Luthor but Marsters gives Lex a different but superb portrayal).This is what an updated SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES/JUSTICE LEAGUE (UNLIMITED) would look like, and it does keep much of the style of its predecessors.
On the extras front, there are brief interviews with Baldwin and Heche, but no Marsters, which is a shame. Still highly recommended, especially for all fans of DCAU.
Good if seriously condensed film version of graphic novel
posted on 26 Jul 2009I have the three graphic novels in the Death of Superman storyline: Death Of,World Without A Superman, and the mega-epic Return of Superman; all excellent. This animated adaptation is good solid fun although it lacks the complexity and scope of the original books, but you cant totally translate everything on the page into an animated film since you only have a limited timeframe anyway unless it were a live action piece. Still, very good addition to the DC Animated Universe films.
More like 3 and 1/2 stars
posted on 22 Jul 2009It is worth a rental anyway, don't know that I'd buy it. The Superman vs. Doomsday brawl is really only about 10-20 minutes and Doomsday is only in it for about 30, if that, but there are twists afterward, so know upfront that this isn't all about Superman vs. Doomsday.
I am surprised that this comes from the same people as JLU, Superman, and Batman as the drawing is totally different and Doomday is much more violent than I would have expected from those people, though I guess it is different going to DVD than to TV first. On top of that, even seems like they play off of Smallville a little bit. In fact, Lois is even drawn somewhere betweeen Erica Durance and the Lois of JLU/Superman Adventures. Superman seems a little more agile than the JLU/Superman versions and the battle looks like and athletic little guy against an indestructible hulk of a biker. Lots of fun, senseless destruction with a Doomsday that doesn't talk or think. A purebred animal of destruction. Think of those animals on the Discovery channel that kill for no real reason, just to do it. I didn't think that what Supes did to Doomsday would really hurt him and even before that, I thought he'd just throw him into the sun. The way he ends the fight, shows he pretty much could have taken him there.
The main beefs I have with this is with the drawing of some of Superman and Lex. Why did they decide to make Superman look so old and who decided that Lex should look like some metrosexual wuss? And why did Mercy look a little like E.T. with nostrils and no nose? On top of that, how is it that Toy Man now looks like Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, but as a meth addict.
Stay away, Misleading title for the movie!
posted on 20 Jul 2009Hi all,
Like everybody else I picked up the eventful comics that made up the death of superman storyline way back then and it was a huge thing.
Today we get to see an animated version of these events and here is my review.
Pros
Nice animation
Nice character design
Very good voice acting.
Intense fights and destruction.
Cons
Most of the movie happens at night. I have no clue as to why though. I guess the moviemaker got a deal on black ink for the film production.
The biggest problem I have with this DVD adaptation is with the story. The only thing that remains from the original comic book story is the fight with doomsday and the death and funeral of superman. Everything else in the film before and after doomsday is made up fiction for the film.
I really did not like the way Doomsday was handled in the film. The movie is called Superman Doomsday and you are lead to believe that this is the story while in fact it is really not the case.
Yes there is this big huge fight which is extremely well done. But after superman apparently kills doomsday and dies soon after, we have no clue as to what happens to doomsday after. There is not one second of the film that shows how people dealt with doomsday...did they dispose of him? Where did doomsday go? I have no clue! The storyline switches to a clone of superman story, the resurrection of superman and that is it.
That has got to be the worst written bit of animation history that I have ever seen and they had the base material to write from. Doomsday beats superman like he was a rag doll nearly kills him and then in the end he just disappears entirely from the film.
I was not happy with that at all. Very poor story telling technique.
I would recommend to people to rent it and only hardcore comic book fan to buy it but take it with a grain of salt as it is not really good.
peace
Doom for the Doomsday release
posted on 14 Jul 2009The clean short version. Characters were completely different from the animated series, and all had different voices. Turns out the entire Doomsday fight is only 8 minutes long out of the entire 135 minute video. Superman shows blatant disregard for human life, and is "killed off" not from the epic punch that was in the comics (that's not even in it) but from a simple fall.
Diverges From The Doomsday Character
posted on 25 Aug 2009Overall I felt this is a good dvd.
I felt they could have focused more on the Doomsday character.
Someone else mentioned that it's like a two part story. I agree.
I might have broken it up differently:
Part 1: The Origin Of Doomsday
Part 2: The Death Of Superman
Then leave everyone hanging on the edge wondering how the world will survive without Superman.
However I'm sure there were many factors that caused the creators to organize it as they did (I wasn't involved).
Hopefully when they convert this story into a real movie they will include those other things.
The animation is great.
Lois Lane has now been added to my list of the top 10 most beautiful women to ever appear in films. That SOB Luthor tries to put the make on her while Supes is out of commmission.
I didn't watch the extra features on the dvd.
Jeff Marzano
The Death of Superman
Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey
Spider-Man - The '67 Collection (6 Volume Animated Set)
Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series
Jonny Quest - The Complete First Season
The Flash: Terminal Velocity
Silver Surfer Marvel Heroes Long Boarder Mens T-Shirt
Marvel Comics Incredible Hulk T-Shirt - Green Dale Keown Artwork from Issue 377