The Movie
Is being an overgrown Boy Scout really such a bad thing? Adapted by Joe Kelly from his "What's so Funny 'bout Truth, Justice & the American Way?" story in Action Comics (illustrated by Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo), Superman Vs. The Elite explores a fundamental clash of styles among those who would keep a post-9/11 world safe. On one side we have The Man of Steel, who's been fighting the good fight for years, always by a strong moral code. He likes it that way, and he gets the job done, but is he still relevant in a world of evermore evil foes?
Enter The Elite, a new team of meta-humans who don't pull their punches on the bad guys, and while the public embraces them wholeheartedly for their no-nonsense results, something ain't quite right with them. Amid an escalating international threat, The Elite crosses line after ethical line until Superman calls them out, and they in turn mark him for death, with nothing less than the fate of mankind at stake.
Superman Vs. The Elite raises some pretty big questions for a direct-to-video animated movie, owing to its consistent cleverness (the opening few minutes do an exceptional job of putting our hero into the context of his long cartoon history) and a strong cast (Pauley Perrette is especially memorable as a sassy Lois Lane). It's dark and violent with a high bodycount by the end, but that's what this morality play demands.
The Picture
Created on computers but achieving a hand-drawn look, The Elite displays yet another distinctive visual style that seeks to echo the original comic book art. It's not as detailed as, say, a Pixar movie, but there are some conspicuous CGI touches, like a series of flags flapping in the wind, and we can just read small print when it appears. The 16:9 image also reveals some pleasing textures, and makes the most of the frequent light/energy effects.
The Sound
The battles come at us fast and furious, in an aggressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. The story shifts quickly between enormous--mostly urban, one on the moon--skirmishes that fill the speakers with blasts and crashes and more. Great care has been taken to enhance the track with ample resonance and plenty of bass kick, for a thrilling adventure.
The Extras
Writer Joe Kelly joins DC Comics Executive Editor Eddie Berganza for the audio commentary, and pops up again in the two featurettes. In "The Elite Unbound: No Rules, No Mercy" (14-and-a-half minutes), he discusses his fictitious but relatable team, while "Superman and the Moral Debate" (17 minutes) grounds the cinematic ideals in the real problems currently facing our planet. Both of these are in HD.
Producer Alan Burnett has selected a pair of relevant episodes from Season Two of Superman: The Animated Series, about 21 minutes each, in standard definition. A scant few pages from Action Comics #775 are accessible on the TV in digital comic book form, and we can unlock an UltraViolet digital copy of Superman Vs. The Elite for streaming/downloading. A DVD of the main feature is also included.
And I know it is just an extended commercial, but we're given our first (twelve-minute, HD) look at the next DC Universe animated movie, and it will be the first half of what is probably the greatest comic book ever written, The Dark Knight Returns. I've been hurt before, but man, this could be awesome.
A DVD-only package is also available now with essentially no extras, although a special edition two-disc DVD set is planned for release next month.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of this storyline, you won't be disappointed by Warner's dramatization. And if you're a newbie, this well-produced Blu-ray offers am ideal chance to choose a side on the blurring line between good and evil.
Product Details
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