Semaj's Blog your Blog: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Superman: "Bruce, what are you watching?"
Batman: "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"
Superman: "I think I have Batman and Robin on my Netflix Que"
Batman: "Great, I'll get the popcorn."

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Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Based on the Superman/Batman comic book arc of the same name, Public Enemies is fun action-packed animated movie. Despite a few flaws, this fast-paced film moves along with ease, sometimes too fast. There are some fight scenes that every comic book fan would love to see. Watching Batman and Superman fight together is truly the best part of this movie.

Due to the economic downturn, Lex Luthor is able to run on a third party ticket and successfully become the President of the United States. One of Luthor’s first orders is to regulate superheroes and bring them under the rule of US government. Superman and Batman both don’t agree with this and refuse to work for President Luthor. After a frame job, Superman and Batman find themselves being outlaws. And, everyone from superheroes and super villains want a piece of them.

There are few things that this animated movie got totally right.

-The Batman/Superman relationship: I always enjoyed reading any crossovers with Superman and Batman. They respect each other, but don’t have the same methods to deal with crime. This movie really puts a light on their long time relationship.

-Returning voices from the DC Animated Universe: Sadly, this isn’t set in the DCAU, but many of the voice actors return for this movie in their respected roles. Kevin Conroy is always great as Batman. He is the best actor for Batman period. Tim Daly returns as Superman’s voice. Even though he was the voice of Superman in the Animated Series, George Newbern replaced Daly for the Justice League. The smooth talking Clancy Brown returns for the voice of Lex Luthor. CCH Pounder even comes back for the character Amanda Waller from JLU.

-A slightly different version of Power Girl: I love what they did with Power Girl’s design. They made her younger (around 18-19), thus making her a little more naive than her comic counterpart. They kept her busty, but not as big as her printed version. They even make a couple of dirty jokes about her breasts in the movie!

-I love the new Toyman. That’s all I’ll say.

The biggest weakness of this movie is that the movie never really fully explores the universe it sets up. We get Luthor’s election and then it jumps ahead to the point when crime is down and the economy is good. Superman is framed and everyone is out to bring him in. They also throw in the impending doom of the planet for good measure. This is usually something they do over a season on Justice League, but here they cram all that in. It gets a little jumbled here.

Overall, I enjoyed this animated movie immensely. If you get a chance, check it out. It goes to prove that they could do a live Justice League movie right if they tried. Superman/Batman isn’t as good as the Green Lantern movie, but it is certainly better than Batman and Robin.

Grade: B