Blu-ray Review

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Official Synopsis:

A desperate solution for a troubled country: Lex Luthor for President with the Justice League in the service of the government. Only Batman and Superman stand against the new regime - and their disloyalty proves to be exactly what Luthor intended. Using their outcast status to instigate a scandal against Superman, Luthor finally tastes a victory in his vendetta against The Man of Steel. From Executive Producer Bruce Timm and voiced by the cast from both hit Batman and Superman animated TV series including Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly and Clancy Brown, this DC Universe Original Animated Movie of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness's popular graphic novel seethes with political intrigue and action-packed battles between heroes all believing they're on the right side of the law.

Our Take:

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is the newest DC Universe animated movie in an increasingly strong canon of animated films. There have so far been very few films in the DC Universe collection that I haven't enjoyed, but Public Enemies is probably one of my favorites. It's a pretty simple story: Lex Luthor gets elected president and sets Superman and Batman up as criminals, then offers a bounty for their capture that draws the attention of super villains and super heroes alike. It's based on a popular stretch of the Superman/Batman comic by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness, and this adaptation remains pretty true to the original story.

That's not just in terms of story, either; the animation this time around has been designed to look like Ed McGuiness's artwork, much as the animation in New Frontier was modeled after Darwyn Cook's artwork. Since McGuiness has a rather cartoonish style anyway, it works really well here. The only character that doesn't really translate well is Power Girl, who looks a bit too cartoonish, even for a cartoon. Still, overall this is an action-packed adventure, light on plot but heavy on superhero fisticuffs and super-powered adventure, and I found it very enjoyable.

Audio & Video:

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is visually amazing on Blu-ray. As an animated feature, the movie couldn't look any better, with vibrant colors, solid black outlines, a clean print, and very strong detail. Unfortunately, the surround soundtrack is only Dolby Digital 5.1 instead of a true high def mix. It's still a pretty good mix, boasting an incredibly dynamic soundfield, though. The surround channels are put to good use, with each speaker bringing out a good number of sounds. Dialogue is, as should be in any animated feature, crystal clear and never sounds hollow or tinny.

Special Features (Blu-ray Exclusive):

There are no Blu-ray exclusive features.

Special Features (Standard):

Explore The Dynamics Of The Evolving Relationship Between Two Classic Super Heroes In A Test Of Minds: Superman And Batman
Dinner With DCU And Special Guest Kevin Conray: Extended Version
Exclusive Sneak Peek At DC Universe's Upcoming Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths
Behind The Scenes Of Blackest Night, the Epic DC Comics Super Hero Event
Explore 4 Other DC Universe Animated Movies
Digital Copy Of Superman Batman: Public Enemies For Portable Media Players

Conclusion:

If you've been enjoying the DC Universe animated movies so far (and I can't see why you wouldn't have been), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a no brainer.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:

Movie: A-
Video: A
Audio: C+
Extra Features: A

- Mike Spring
Editor