DC Comics and Warner Bros. are officially on a roll. While they have had problems with all of their live action films, with the exception of the rebooted Batman franchise, today's release of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is yet another feather in their animated cap. Even the Marvel/Lionsgate animated films have had their down moments, so to see DC push out four kick ass direct to DVD films in a row is a bit of a triumph.Public Enemies is inspired by the Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness 6-issue arc in the pages of the Superman/Batman series, which was originally titled "The World's Finest." While it does hold very close to the original story, there are some fairly large changes. They aren't anything to lose your mind over. It isn't like Batman turns out to be from the Bizarro Universe or anything.
Since you can easily go to Wikipedia to find out the full plot details and storyline of S/B:PE, I'm going to concentrate on what I liked about this animated film the most. I can't think of any direct-to-DVD feature, live-action or animated, that has delivered the action movie formula so right. Even if you haven't read the comic, you'll still know any twists or turns coming. There is nothing that deep about the plot of this film, and I'm sure they knew that going into it. With that being said, the action sequences are pretty fantastic for a PG-13 cartoon. I'm sure they knew the "fanboy wet dream" potential of all these villains and heroes showing up, and they damn well delivered.
The other great thing about this movie is the interaction between Batman and Superman. While they never have seen quite eye to eye, their friendship goes beyond the boundaries of their philosophies and this captures that perfectly. I never thought Superman could be that funny, but I guess when he's next to the stark and serious Batman he feels the need to lighten the mood. Batman's unamused reactions to this are very funny and help to make both of them more human.
The special features on this disk are barely noteworthy. A look at the Blackest Night storyline and some behind the scenes of already released DC Animated films are nothing new or worth the price of entry.
To wind it all down, the action and and great character moments are delivered in a way that make any predictable moments in the film more forgivable. Watching two of the most iconic heroes in comic books take on just about everyone is worth the price of admission alone. If you can forgive the linear plot, a few moments where the voice acting fall a little flat, and scant special features there is a lot to love about Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.
So... is this the movie they were showing the posters for in I Am Legend?
Movie: A-
Special Features: C
Overall: B+
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