“Superman: Unbound” Movie Review Dan Koelsch, April 2, 2013 Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment’s newest animated feature Superman: Unbound premiered at WonderCon 2013 this weekend. The film be released on Blu-ray and DVD on May 7th, but you can read my review right now. Superman: Unbound, directed by James Tucker and written by Bob Goodman, is an adaption of Superman: Brainiac, a five book story arc written by DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. In the film, Superman (voiced by White Collar‘s Matt Bomer) fights a robot that he learns from Supergirl (voiced by Castle‘s Molly Quinn) is a Brainiac probe. Brainiac (Fringe‘s John Noble) tries to gain all the knowledge in the universe by destroying planets after stealing their major cities and shrinking them for storage. He did this with Krypton’s Kandor, and the only reason he didn’t destroy Krypton was because the planet was about to meet its own natural demise. So, Superman goes after Brainiac before he can come to Earth.The best part of the film is the characters. All the voice acting is spot-on, including Castle‘s Stana Katic as Lois Lane. We get to understand Kara aka Supergirl a lot more here than in anything else I’ve seen, especially when it comes to her PTSD from the first Brainiac attack. The relationship between Superman and Supergirl is explored without too much exposition. A look here and there says a lot. We even get to dive into Clark and Lois’ romantic relationship, which they are keeping secret despite Lois’ complaints. Noble brings the gravitas that Brainiac needs, and I like that Bomer raises Clark’s voice up a bit to differentiate it from Superman’s more imposing inflection.The visuals are nothing to scoff at either. The animation style is not one I’m accustomed too, so it took at while to get used to it. However, it works well for the film and allows for some more intense action than you might see in other (non-Batman) DC animated films. Also, you might note that the film is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and a rude gesture. That “rude gesture” is particularly hilarious, so look out for that.Overall, this is a solid entry into the Superman mythos, especially if you’re looking for a little humor and relationship exploration.Rating: 4/5 Reviews ReviewSuperman: UnboundWondercon
“Riddick” Review: Riddick’s Return Starts Out Strong But Stumbles When Crossing The Finish Line September 6, 2013September 6, 2013While never commercially successful (Pitch Black was a cult hit and it’s very expensive follow up Chronicles of Riddick was a financial flop), there is a certain appeal to the Riddick franchise that remains alluring to this day. However, after the failure of the second film, Universal shelved the franchise,… Read More
Reviews ‘The Divergent Series: Insurgent’ Review March 18, 2015September 7, 2023Here is the thing with adaptations that act as middle part of a franchise, the film lacks a conclusion needed to hook the audience in for the final film – or should I say two films since splitting the final book into two parts is the norm. Many of these… Read More
Book Review: “The Book of Alien” and “Aliens – Colonial Marines Technical Manual” May 28, 2012May 27, 2012In preparation for the June 8th opening of Sir Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, Titan Books is releasing the paperback versions of The Book of Alien and Aliens – Colonial Marines Technical Manual tomorrow. If you’re jonesing for more Alien stuff before the unofficial prequel is released in theaters, read my review… Read More