Animated Film Review: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Despite my criticisms of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, I still enjoyed it and maintain that it is worth watching. So when I saw Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, I picked it up without hesitation, further ensuring that Blade Runner and Akira will remain forever on my ‘to watch’ list.

As it’s a sequel to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, there are going to be a lot of comparisons made between the two. Not least because Apocalypse manages to better its predecessor in key areas, but then, just as you want to clap it on the back and say “well done”, it manages repeat some mistakes of the first film and even make some new ones of its own. These are never totally deal-breaking, but they are enough to stop if from really breaking out of the rut of “worth watching” that these animated superhero films so often fall into (for an exception, see Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker).

Whatever else can be said about the film, it definitely opens strong. An atmospheric flyover of Gotham (at night, obviously), a newscast voiceover setting the scene, and surveillance blimps surveying the streets below; the latter a definite nod to the opening of On Leather Wings, the Batman Animated Series’ pilot. Then bam! You’ve got a meteor, underwater Bat-investigation, a runaway rocket boat, explosions, and a mysterious woman, all before the opening titles have rolled.

Within seconds, the first thing you notice is that the design cohesion of the film is much improved over Public Enemies, the colours are a little more muted, the shading a little less stark, and overall the characters look to fit with the backgrounds a lot better, looking to be in the scene rather than superimposed over it. It almost seems as if the first film was in a style reflective of Superman, and this one in a more gritty Batman style. Whilst grim and subdued colours may be a little overplayed, at least in this case they provide a cohesive design aesthetic. It’s also important to bear in mind that all of this is in comparison with the style of the first film, which had a very bright colour palette on its characters. It’s not like Superman has swapped his red ‘n’ blue for beige and olive, just that the stark contrast has been ironed out with more gradual, even shading and fewer thick, black, character outlines.

Whatever the improvements in visual design, the film is inescapably brought down by its plot. Again, the film does a lot in its runtime (78 mins), but I just couldn’t connect with the story in spite of some good characterisation. Superman, in particular has a little more of his “big blue boyscout” naiveté, the impetuousness of the previous film still being there, but in a way that has him coming across as much less aggressive and more just an uncomplicated kind of guy. Batman remains as good as before, though in this iteration he is much more controlled whilst under the cowl, coming off even as cold. This may just be a heavy handed way of contrasting him with Superman’s earnestness though.

Dude, Sephiroth wants his schtick back.

However, the meat of the first act, the coming of age; finding one’s way; dealing with one’s ability to level a city without a thought plotline just didn’t speak to me and seemed to get an odd amount of exposure in a such a short film’s story. Yes this is an adaption the second story arc from the comics, with Public Enemies, being the first, but this isn’t the comic. It’s a film that even fans will probably pick up as a standalone or as a sequel to the first, not as a companion to the source material. So in this instance, it just drags on too long for a film of this length, the whole fish out of water thing is cute for a while, but not for as long as the writers thought it was.

The film does pick up after this, but the damage is done, once again the problem of unexplained characters rears its head. Not quite as bad as in the first film, but almost more annoying. There may be fewer characters to keep track of, but now we’re expected to have a connection to them. In all honesty, this film is really for pre-existing fans, but it would be nice to have some more internal context for the characters, especially since the continuity variances between different DC properties means that you may recognise a character but not this particular version of them. Still, you wish that less time had been spent shopping (oh yes) and more used to explain who the hell everyone is. Hell, even a little bit of insight into Darkseid (not a spoiler, he’s on the box) would have been nice.

By the end of this, you'll know all about his Omega Beams.

The lack of context for Darkseid means he just comes across as the dullest, laziest, kind of villain: evil for its own sake. We are shown nothing of his overall aims or motivations, just the specific thing that brings him into conflict with the protagonists. This is especially disappointing because Andre Braugher’s voice acting gives him real presence. He sounds powerful, a creature who really has no reason to fear anything. In spite of this, the use of Darkseid sadly comes across as unimaginative and arbitrary. It’s as if the writers chose him because they’d used Kryptonite last time and needed one of the few other credible threats to Superman (yes, yes, I know, I know: they did it because the comics did it) to give the story tension.

On the plus side, the action scenes in the film have real impact; the fluid animation quality and use of sound effects really give it a visceral rawness. Whilst the ‘camera work’ is fast and frantic, imparting real tension to the action. It is here that the film really shines, and what makes it fun in spite of the plot issues. It would be fair even to go as far to say that if as much care had been taken with the story as had been with the action, this would have been a great genre film. Even as it is, action is the one key area where film has the edge over comic books. So by getting that right, the film at least makes good where it really counts for this type of production.

Just as before, a Superman/Batman film comes off as a mixed bag. The nuts and bolts of the film are spot on, the animation, visual aesthetic, and action set pieces are above reproach. However, the story suffers for reasons that can be broadly summed up as dodgy pacing, and characters which are internally underdeveloped. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if you’re a fan who can fill in the backstory gaps, or just want to watch superheroes fighting, go for it. It’s fun. However, if you want a good solid story, set in the universe, to engage with, or are looking to dip your toe into the vast waters of the DC ocean, move on, you’re just going to be disappointed.