DC and Warner Bros. certainly seem to have it together as they have released not only animated film after animated film the past couple of years, but they are all great stories with strong characters (both physically and in a literary sense) that provide a high value of entertainment. Following up this year’s release of the the Green Lantern on Blu-ray is the highly anticipated release of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Promoted heavily at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, DC’s latest story made a thunderous arrival upon its release.
Film 
At just over an hour long, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (let’s just call it S/B:PE for short) gets to the point quickly without sacrificing a great deal of integrity in its introductory minutes. The synopsis is simple. Lex Luthor is elected President of the United States and encourages all superheroes to work for him…or else (this seems to bear an ironic parallel to Marvel’s Civil War storyline). When Superman (played by the very established Tim Daly; Wings, The Sopranos) refuses to do the bidding of his arch nemesis, President Luthor puts a bounty on his head. Enter the Caped Crusader/Dark Knight. Batman, voiced by the unequivocal talents of Kevin Conroy (who supplied vocal life to Batman in the early 1990’s animated series), jumps in to help out the Man of Steel.
It’s not too long after that every DC villain and their mother is out to claim the one-billion-dollar reward. If you have never come across any of the DC villains before, this is one heck of an introduction to them. Everybody from Killer Frost to Brimstone to Gorilla Grodd make an appearance and from here on out, the film is an absolute bash ‘em up event. Superman finally whoops some uninterrupted consecutive be-hind. What I mean by this is so often the most popular superhero, who only seems to have two weaknesses (kryptonite and magic), is always getting his tail kicked as half of society seems to have some chunk of the green-glowing rock. Amazing. I thought this stuff was rare. Luckily, the mineral is not so plentiful in S/B:PE (minus the massive kryptonic meteor headed for earth) so Superman throws his fair share of beatings in this film. Batman, meanwhile, is right along side his scarlet-caped friend taking his quota of bruises while delivering them just the same.
Tim Daly does a fine job of portraying the most famous superhero around. Kevin Conroy is just unmatched as Batman and choosing anyone else to play this role would have been a casting mistake of monumental proportions. Lex Luthor is vindictively delivered by Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Michael Clayton) as the movie’s number one baddie. The story is basic and all in all, serves more as a big slugfest than anything. You’re not going to find any in-depth plot development here so if that’s what you were looking for, you will be disappointed when you pop this disc in. Sit back and enjoy this fist-trading, cheekbone-pummeling film for what it’s worth.
Video 
Every time I review an animated film’s video quality on Blu-ray, I have the same things to say. This time is no exception. It’s perfect. Never mind the VC-1 encode or 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Neither are a deal-buster or sale pusher. The colors are vibrant to the Nth degree and the combination of traditional ink and sketch animation along with the CGI comes across beautifully in S/B:PE’s visual delivery. Kudos to the Korean animation team of Lotto Animation as well as the film’s artists for a job well done. As with any other animated film on Blu-ray, there is no grain whatsoever. If you think you see any, believe me, it’s dust on your TV screen.
Audio
The characters getting drilled repeatedly by the steel-hard knuckles of Superman and the various villains is an ear-catching trait on this disc. Combine that along with the other bodily harm effects that take place in this film and you’ve got yourself one lively pair of rear channels. As always, dialogue is brought to us through the front speakers in ultra-clear fashion while the music provides for a surrounding experience from all ends. While I give this category a perfect 5 out of 5, I must say the benchmark for surround sound on Blu-ray is still the Japanimation film, The Sky Crawlers. I swear, if I could give that film 6 out of 5 for audio, I would. Believe me, S/B:PE gets its audible point across, but with The Sky Crawlers, the film’s creators were able to utilize a range of effects that were specific to that story that absolutely shined in the end.
Special Features 
DC and Warner Bros. have yet to deliver a Blu-ray film that is short-changed in quantity of content. What they can’t seem to get right is the film quality of the extras. Yes, the extras are substantial and informative but unappealing to the eyes as everything is in standard definition. Why?? Would you put propellers on an F-15 Eagle? Of course not! You’re already placing the material on a Blu-ray disc, now just go the extra mile and put the extras on in High Definition!
- A Test of Minds – Explore the dynamics of the evolving relationship between Superman and Batman, from past to present (19:01)
- Dinner with DCU and Special Guest Kevin Conroy – a unique restaurant-setting discussion involving Batman voice Kevin Conroy, Executive Producer Bruce Tim, Casting and Voice Director Andrea Romano, and Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs at DC Comics, Gregory Noveck. The quartet discuss the early 1990’s Batman series along with Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and other DC Universe events (55:59).
- Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths – An early look at DC’s upcoming animated film (11:12).
- Blackest Night – Another behind the scenes extra where viewers get the basic run-down of the heart-pounding Blackest Night comic book series from DC (8:52).
- Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess – This featurette is a preview of the animated film of the same name (10:26).
- Batman Gotham Knight: An Anime Evolution – This featurette is a preview of the animated film and a brief look at its creation (10:09).
- From Graphic Novel to Original Animated Movie – Justice League: The New Frontier – A look at the evolution from pages to film (10:45).
- Green Lantern: First Flight – The Animated Movie Sneak Peak (10:12)
- Bruce Timm’s Top Picks – These include 4 episodes of Justice League Unlimited and two episodes of Superman: The Animated Series. Each episode is around or just over twenty minutes in length.
Question Authority
Flashpoint
Panic in the Sky
Divided We Fall
The Demon Reborn
Knight Time
Final Thoughts
So far, each of the three DC animated films I have seen are great, to-the-point, action films. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was fun, but Wonder Woman still ranks at the top for me because of its multiple aspects of humor, action and best origin explanation. Still, I really wish the people at Warner Bros. working on these discs would put the blasted extras in High Def already. Also, they seem to be rehashing a lot of these extras, such as the Blackest Night and Justice League New Frontier pieces. It’s marketing, I get it. In the end, these films are a quick watch and as a result, have a lot of replay value. I can only wish that a Blackest Night animated film is on the horizon for 2010 from the unstoppable DC/WB pairing.
Great job Gregg!
There’s no denying you love these DC titles!
I think if they did do a Blackest Night animated film even I would like to check that out.