All Star Superman

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Finally watched it last night, thought it was a great watch, certainly kept me entertained for the full duration, and it's not a story i've actually read before, so it was all new to me (mostly).

Only thing that let it down for me was the voice cast. Supes sounded fine, but the chick playing Lois Lane sounded like she was 17 or something, and because Edward Asner played Perry White, every time he spoke i kept imagining Granny Goodness, since Asner played that part in Superman TAS, Justice League AND even Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

I didn't mind the guy playing Lex Luthor, but at the same time didn't think it was as good as Clancy Brown (STAS, JL) or even James Masters (Superman: Doomsday).

Their portrayal of Parasite was a nice touch, in the sense that he was a rampaging mindless blob almost and not just a typical guy with purple skin and weird absorbtion powers......... wouldn't have minded seeing Metallo throw a few punches though.......

And i've never read any stories featuring Atlas, Sampson or Solaris before, so this film certainly peaked my interest in terms of some of the more abstract Superman stories of the past.

But for those who've seen the film or read the book, why was Olsen wearing a dress at the beginning? I'm sure it's something to do with Grant Morrisson's crazy writing in the comics, but while that did make me laugh, i still find myself asking 'why was Olsen dressed in drag?'

Anyway, thoughts? Likes? Dislikes? What do want to see DC do next in their animated features?

The next one will be Batman Year One followed by a Green Lantern related feature and then.........?

 

[Davi323]

Caught it on Netflix a few weeks ago. I have no clue about the dress...My question is whether or not the next animated movie is going to feature the electrical Superman. Without giving too much away about All-Star Superman, the way it ended certainly leaves it open to interpretation as to his status as a corporeal being. Clearly he survives, but how are they going to explain it?

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Clearly he survives, but how are they going to explain it?

With the default explanation of 'He's Superman' most likely.

The next animated feature they do with him in it probably won't have any reference to A.S.S. (lol, i just noticed that) at all, so they wouldn't really need to.

Like i said earlier, the next Batman feature is Batman Year One, covering him wiping out the mob in his first year as Batman, even though we've had the countless films prior to all that.

And they frequently like to tip toe around continuity in certain films to the point of absurdity. Like in Batman Under The Red Hood for example, when he fights Amazo at the beginning, he tells the theives that it was built to replicate the powers of super-humans.

Well Amazo is specifically designed to replicate the powers of the JUSTICE LEAGUE (at least at that point in continuity anyway), not any old Superhuman he comes across, so why did they feel the need to remove the words 'JUSTICE LEAGUE' and replace them, especially since one of the previous animated films they did, was a Justice League one?

Why have they constantly made out that Batman knows that the Joker and The Red Hood are the same person, when in the comic books, Batman has NEVER known that?

So yeah, basically, they probably won't even mention it in the next Supes film they do. He'll just fly in and save the day and move on, all business as usual....

 

[Davi323]

I guess it all depends on whether or not All Star Superman was meant as a completely stand-alone movie, not part of any official continuity or not. If its a standalone, yeah, they can just ignore it completely.

Its been a while, but I thought the Red Hood Batman didn't know the identity of was the new one, before he found out it was Jason Todd. I was unaware he did not know the original Red Hood was the Joker. I kind of assumed it was a given he knew, being the world's greatest detective and all It seems completely within his character to have done a complete background investigation on the Joker, to know everything there is to know about his past. If that is a deviation from comic continuity, I am okay with it because it makes logical sense.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Its been a while, but I thought the Red Hood Batman didn't know the identity of was the new one, before he found out it was Jason Todd.

As it showed in UTRH, there's been multiple criminals who use the Red Hood persona. The idea in the comics was that a different guy wore it every time, so that the cops would be chasing a ring leader than never actually existed. After Joker does it, the Red Hood doesn't appear again until Jason Todd takes up the persona following his resurrection, and the only reason Batman deciphers HIS identity, is because Jason flaunts it in his face at every given opportunity, at least in the books.

In the film, Bats needs a blood sample to be completely convinced.

I was unaware he did not know the original Red Hood was the Joker.

In the comics, Joker himself likes to change his backstory on a regular basis, much like in TDK where he gives two completely different stories of how he was scarred. The most commonly accepted origin, is that he's blackmailed into wearing the Red Hood disguise by some mobsters, and has to take them through the chemical plant he used to work in, so they can access the factory next to it.

Cops appear out of the blue, gun fight ensues, mobsters are gunned down. 'Jack' as he's referred to at this point, runs off to escape until Batman appears and cuts him off (having turned up purely as a result of having heard the commotion), and as Jack tries to remove his helmet to give himself up, he trips on his cape and falls into the vat below him. Bats assumes he didn't survive, and leaves it at that basically.

Joker turns up several months later, and Batman makes no connection, especially since Joker makes no mention of the previous incident, pretty much ever again.

In the books, there are DEFINITELY no playing cards that rise to the surface of the chemicals. He just falls in and is immediately sucked out and dumped in the river. In fact when he emerges from the river, he's still got the helmet on.

I kind of assumed it was a given he knew, being the world's greatest detective and all It seems completely within his character to have done a complete background investigation on the Joker, to know everything there is to know about his past.

Even though it's a modern take on Joker's first appearance, there's a caption in 'The Man Who Laughs' from Bruce's inner thoughts, where he's thinking about the escalating number of psychos that have emerged since his debut and since he wiped out the mobs. One of the lines is something like.....

'.......there was that Red Hood character a few months ago, and now Gotham has this maniac to deal with.'

which still suggests that he doesn't know they are the same person. Plus, just like in TDK, there are no official documents that list Joker's fingerprints, DNA, previous name or anything on any file that anyone can find. When the lock him up in Arkham, if it doesn't read 'Joker' on the door, they always put 'Unknown' as his name, instead of say Harvey Dent for Two Face, or Jonathan Crane for Scarecrow or Pamela Isley for Poison Ivy.

If that is a deviation from comic continuity, I am okay with it because it makes logical sense.

I had no real problem with it. Didn't see the point in changing the story at all tbh, but never mind. In the comic Jason goes to the abandoned circus Joker uses in 'The Killing Joke' and finds him, beats him and kidnaps him and THEN tells Bats where to find him, leading to the showdown at the end.

For the film they decided to have Black Mask hire Joker and Todd just grab him then and there in front of Bats instead, which is a shame because the hand to hand fight between 'Todd' and BM from the comics is one of the best scenes in the whole story, yet it got cut so they could play with continuity instead.

What was good was the way they decided to use Ra's al Ghul. In the books Jason simply wakes up in his coffin (thanks to Superboy-Prime 'punching time', which is accepted as one of the worst continuity changing devices ever conceived. To quote Rip Hunter, "Punching Time, what a ridiculous notion') and wonders off before falling into a coma. For like 3 years he does this, having no memory of his past life (despite remembering everything when he actually woke up in the coffin) and is living as a homeless person. One guy attacks him and Jason uses his old training as Robin without even thinking about it, like a reflex action of sorts.

One guy recognises him and tells some shady back alley informants who eventually get the information to Talia al Ghul who takes the boy back to The League of Assassins where he's still pretty much a vegetable. It is in fact Talia who puts him in the Lazarus Pit, and when he emerges, before Ra's can even order his execution, Talia gives Jason some supplies, tells him not to go back to Bruce BECAUSE Bruce has done nothing about the Joker, and it all kicks off from there really. Jason goes off and trains like Bruce did back in the day, and then comes back to avenge himself.

Having Ra's take Jason's corpse and try to resurrect him out of guilt from his involvement in the murder, seemed a LOT more plausible than outer-dimensional kryptonian beats up space/time.