As Comic Con comes to a close, I like to think about what the purpose of all of this was. Why do people come from all around the world just to see super people in tights? Why do we love these characters so much? After a few missteps and oversaturation of the genre, I began to lose sight about why I care about this stuff. Well, THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN reminded me. This is the animated superhero film we have all been waiting for. It's a solid story and full of incredible action, but at the core it's about the characters and the relationships. Even though most of these comic characters are not human, this film brings out the humanity in them all.
This film is perfectly balanced fan service with great storytelling, featuring a few inside jokes and references that never distract. I think I even heard a bit of the score from the Superman animated series from the 90s. The love story between Clark and Lois Lane (and Superman) is timeless, but this time they really got it right. You could feel the love these characters had for each other. Of course, maybe that's because that are voiced by real life married couple Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn. Even though they recorded their lines separately, you can almost reach out and touch the chemistry. The film also has the most bizarre casting of Lex Luther since Kevin Spacey; Funnyman Rainn Wilson lends his talented vocals to the villain and at first I kept thinking “Dwight? From The Office? I can’t take this seriously.” But as the film progressed I began to see why his voice was perfect for the role and Dwight and Lex became one. His sinister yet playful approach to Lex was eventually refreshing as the story progressed.
Now, let’s talk action. Some have complained about mindless destruction in films nowadays. Bang, bang, smash, smash just isn’t enough anymore (or too much). There needs to be stakes at risk; we need to feel like our heroes are actually struggling and that is impossible without great character build up. I know we all love Superman, but this time you really feel for him. He isn’t just some cartoon flying around, he is a fully fleshed out character with struggles that are almost relatable to even us non-super people. The final fight is brutal. Every punch from Doomsday hits you right in the soul. It was like watching my best friend get beaten to death. I wanted to jump right into the screen and help him. Leave my friend alone, Doomsday! Spoiler alert for the film titled THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN… he dies. I am not ashamed to say that I had to wipe away a few tears at them end. I looked around the theater and I was not alone. The nerd tears were flowing.
So I just want to say thank you to the filmmakers. Thank you for reminding me why I first cared about these characters. Thank you for doing justice (no pun intended) to the comic. Thank you for killing my hero, because you don’t know what you got until it's gone. Oh, and stay for the credits, of course! There are at least four post-credit scenes that set up much more to come in the DC animated universe.