Maybe expectations are everything.
It's not that my expectations were all that high for the Superman/Doomsday DVD. I wasn't a big fan of the original story in the first place. Superman meets a punching machine and can't think of anything to do other than stand in front of it (him?) and punch back. I thought it was a terrible story, but the Marvel direct to video DVD releases have been fairly good and I'm really more of a DC fan anyway, so I watched it, hoping it would be good. It wasn't. In fact, I thought it was terrible. The animation was ugly. Superman had these unexplainable squiggles on his face that just made him look like a Bizzaro wanna-be. It did manage to pull of the impressive feat of boasting an even poorer plot than the original. Superman fights Doomsday with absolutely no regard to innocents that might be in the way, wrecking havoc on Metropolis without once thinking "Hey, maybe we should take this out of the city."
Anyway, I digress. I'm not here to talk about the limp Superman DVD, but rather one that went a long way towards redeeming DC on the video front. If you haven't read Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier, then go do so immediately. Then watch the direct to video DVD release. They compliment each other nicely. Sure, the movie version trims several whole sections from the story - most notably the early scenes on Dinosaur Island. And when it doesn't trim, it often skims, moving quickly through sections that got a much more in depth treatment in the book. But that's OK. The casual fan wouldn't be interested in the final fate of the Losers and there was simply no way to take a book as rich and detailed as The New Frontier and bring everything to the screen. I can live with that, because what we did get was a fast, fun condensation of the book. They changed almost nothing (the only thing that stood out was Hal Jordon actually piloting the flight to Mars), and included most of the key scenes. While the animation wasn't quite as snazzy as Cooke's work, it was still leaps and bounds ahead of Superman/Doomsday and still fairly faithful to the original source (Cooke worked on the animation designs and it shows).
With the backing of Warner Home Hideo behind it, the project also sports some first class voice tallent to go with the slick visuals. Lucy Lawless, Miguel Ferrer, Neil Patrick Harris, Kyra Sedgwick, Brook Shields and Kyle MacLachlan all do fine jobs bringing iconic characters to life. Ultimately the real star is still the visual look of the film. It has a retro look which is certainly appropriate considering the source material and era of the story. And yet it is also completely contemporary at the same time. The action scenes are nicely handled, fast and chaotic without being confusing. The direction by Dave Bullock is solid, highlighting the action without letting it distract from the story.
And what a feast for silver age DC fans this story is! In this day of anti heroes, grim and gritty plots with nihilistic viewpoints, how nice to be reminded of what attracted us to these heroes in the first place. These heroes are outmatched, but they pull together and come up with a solution to a world-threatening crisis that is ingenious and requires each to play their part. It also allows us to see a variety of characters that seldom get attention beyond the hobby comic market. Not only do Martian Manhunter, Flash and Green Lantern play crucial roles, but we also see the Challengers of the Unknown, and a host of other silver age staples.
I'm not a big TV watcher. My attention span is short and I get restless sitting for too long. But as soon as Justice League: The New Frontier was over; I wanted to watch it again. Plus, it comes with bonus features that are a DC comic fan's dream. In an ideal world, a project such as this would be a huge success, inspiring other films to strive for the same sense of class. Of course, it's not an ideal world, so who knows if this will find its audience. But after viewing this film I'm in an optimistic mood, so I think I'll look forward to whatever they decide to throw at us next.
