A Very Good Movie, Slowed By Poor Animation
In Superman vs. The Elite, the Man of Steel faces his most daunting foe yet: public opinion. In an era where the realities of terrorism and global strife have created a cynical and hardline attitudes about the concept of "justice," Superman's idealistic optimism seems more and more outdated (both in the film, and in the real-world). So when a group of younger super-powered vigilantes known as The Elite appear on the scene, Superman is not prepared for their brutal stance against criminals - nor the resounding public approval that follows.
The greatest super hero in the world soon discovers that changing times and public opinion are not things that even his god-like powers can control. Even with the world turning away from him, Superman must find some way to win back the support of humanity, before The Elite do something truly reckless and get themselves - and/or others - killed in the process.
Superman vs. The Elite is an odd entry in the canon of DC Universe...
Deconstructing Warren Ellis
I've always enjoyed comic author Warren Ellis' work. His voice was new, jaded, and cynical - in a world where superheroes were black and white, Ellis was a dark shade of gray. I collected issues of Stormwatch and Planetary, both of which reinforced Ellis' ethos: the inherent evil of corporations, a corrupt America, and a selfish nature of humanity. This is the new world of superheroes: global, amoral, and casually violent with their power. All of this is critical in appreciating "Superman vs. the Elite," which is Joe Kelly's response to Ellis' jaded world view. And what better vehicle to defend the American Way than with Superman?
"Superman vs. the Elite" is an animated version of the comic that answered this question, "What's so Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" The Elite consists of superheroes that play at the level of Superman: super-psychic Manchester Black (Robin Atkin Downes), energy-absorbing bruiser Coldcast (Catero Colbert), oversexed bioform...
Superman vs. The Animation
Along with many other reviewers, I found the biggest flaw with this movie to be the animation. The entire time I was watching it I couldn't help but think Superman should make a trip to the dentist because of his ridiculously oversized (or swollen) jaw. The story seemed to cover too serious a topic for such a "cartoony" animation style. Watching the credits it's very obvious that the animation was done entirely in Asia, so I'm guessing it was a studio that typically handles Japanese anime.
Aside from the animation the story was very good. It puts Superman in a modern day setting and poses the question, "Is capital punishment out of the question when it will save the lives of innocents in the future?" How many times have the villains been captured, jailed, and escaped or been released only to cause more damage and kill more innocent people? It gives you a good look to see if Superman's non-lethal approach of subduing and again imprisoning the villain are indeed the right way...
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