Only 9 days to Man of Steel!
What’s so funny about truth, justice, and the American way? It’s a question writer Joe Kelly proposed us in 2001 in “Action Comics” issue #775. It countered more violent comics by showing us Superman still has relevance in today’s world. That things like honor and morality are not outdated concepts, but rather cherished virtues that we should hold on to. Even in the face of increased violence and cynicism. Over ten years later, this question still has importance as this story is adapted into the animated movie “Superman vs. The Elite.”
SvE pulls off this adaptation quite well with clever writing and a deep plot. Much of it works fairly well as a standalone story and doesn’t have to rely much on the DC continuum. Characters that we are familiar with (i.e. Superman and Lois Lane) are done with a strong amount of loyalty to their comic counterparts. In fact, they would have to be given the nature of the story. The characters that aren’t as common (i.e. The Elite) are introduced with rapid efficiency but are creatively designed and well written. The animation is good, but Superman’s design seems to be inconsistent. Most scenes he comes off as normal, but there are a few moments he looks like his chin is bigger than his chest. Jimmy Olsen also dresses like he is going to a Pearl Jam concert, but his role is so small in this movie that it didn’t really bother me. The only real flaw the movie has is that it doesn’t spend enough time on Superman’s point of view. Sure most people are going into the movie knowing that Superman stands for truth, justice, and the American way. But the movie should act like we don’t already know that. It clearly emphasizes the point that might doesn’t make right, but doesn’t explain why being nice is such a good idea. The movie just assumes we already know. Almost everything here is done very well, but I just felt it could have dived a little deeper into the debate. I highly recommend this movie even though some people might not appreciate a movie that doesn’t keep its mouth shut. But at least this time it’s a movie that has something worth saying.
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