(2011)
Dir: Sam Liu
There are only a few moments in All-Star Superman which make you scratch your head and reach for your geek dictionary: an attack by subterranean lizard men, and an encounter with a husky-voiced sphinx to name two. But much of this adaptation of the acclaimed comic book series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is solid, intriguing - dare I say it to those dogmatic comic book haters out there? - adult stuff. No, not in the pornographic way either.
It is no spoiler to say that the film opens with Superman - voiced by Desperate Housewives’ James Denton - doing something that results in him being told that he is dying. Of course, Anthony LaPaglia’s nefarious chrome-domed criminal Lex Luthor is behind the whole thing; in fact now happily accepting his own fate in the Electric Chair, content in the knowledge that Superman will go first.
There is a rather melancholy tone to All-Star Superman given this set up. The Man Of Steel is reduced to little more than a patient told he has terminal Cancer, and thus tries to tie up all his loose ends before it’s too late. The scenes featuring Superman/Clark Kent, Luthor and Lois Lane are, as ever, the most enthralling. It has always been fascinating with Superman lore that despite his immense physical power, his great nemesis is a mere mortal man; and this is played out extremely well.
Whenever things get a little too cartoonish, such as the arrival of the aforementioned lizards or even a pair of horny time travellers named Samson and Atlas, the film becomes less engaging, but thankfully these moments are quickly brushed over.
What remains is a Superman film that does not need to hang its head before its mighty live action predecessors. It retains some truly gorgeous visuals, including one at the end set within the Sun itself. It might not have Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder, but it’s still a worthy addition to a great series of films. Because let’s face it, we’ve all erased Superman III and IV from our minds, right?
*** ¼ / *****
Cartoons aren’t kryptonite, folks.
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