Superman Unbound - Boring and Not Memorable

Animé and Toons
Superman Unbound - Boring and Not Memorable
By Hervé St-Louis
May 8, 2013 - 21:38

Studios: DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation
Writer(s): Bob Goodman
Starring: Matt Bomer, Stana Katic, John Noble, Molly C. Quinn, Diedrich Bader
Directed by: James Tucker
Produced by: James Tucker, Sam Register, Alan Burnett
Running Time: 75 minutes
Release Date: May 6, 2013
Rating: PG13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Distributors: Warner Premiere

Adapting to Earth Supergirl, Superman’s cousin, is terrified at the arrival of Braniac on her home world. She fears that the super computer will steal the city of Metropolis and add it to its collection, the same way he did with the Kryptonian city of Kandor, before the destruction of planet Krypton. Will Superman and Supergirl be capable of stopping Brainiac from stealing Metropolis and destroying Earth?

This is not one of the best Warner Animation Studio adaption. Braniac as a villain is completely boring and devoid of any thrill. He is supposed to be a cold calculating villain, not someone who induces yawns. As the antagonist of this story, he was a complete failure. The only moment where he was passingly interesting was at the climax of the story when he fought Superman in a swamp.

The real heroines of this film are of course Supergirl and Lois Lane who have a mature exchange between two women that is not related to fighting for one man, love, or any other stupid topic traditionally used to advance female characters. They engage in a real discussion in a brief scene where Superman has left planet Earth with Lois trying to motivate the young super heroine to stick around Metropolis more often.

Superman’s character is decent and does grow much in this story. He learns to better treat Lois as a person as opposed to a pet object he has to protect. My complaint about this character advancement is that the way all of those DC Comics’ based cartoons are shaped, the next Superman animated film may well feature a Lois Lane and Superman couple that is married or one that is just starting to date. It’s very difficult to know as every movie starts the story from scratch.

This constant reboot is reflected in the animated style used. The characters’ design is completely different from the Superman / Batman Apocalypse cartoon from a few years ago which first introduced Supergirl. This story follows quite nicely with the earlier movie, but because the models the characters are completely different, there is no implied continuity. I’m not clamouring for hardcore continuity. Instead, I’m asking for some way to build up on the vestiges and greatness of other good movies that have come before.

If you collect all the releases from Warner Animation, this film, while not great is a suitable addition to your collection. But if you really want to watch an inspiring Superman animated movie, I strongly suggest that you pass up this one. It’s B material and warm over stuff better done in previous cartoons and comics that does not really elevate Superman as a great character.

Rating: 6.5/10

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