Movie Plot – Superman: Man of Tomorrow: a new fresh start for Clark Kent, who is taking an internship at the Daily Planet. However, he has to face two new enemies when he’s still trying to figure out who he is.
Director: Chris Palmer
Writer: Tim Sheridan
Cast: Darren Criss, Zachary Quinto, Ike Amadi, Alexandra Daddario, Brett Dalton, Ryan Hurst, Neil Flynn
A new origin
I’m not 100% sure about this, but this is the start of a new universe for DC’s animated movies. The last film of the DC animated universe was Justice League Dark: Apokalips War, which was the last film of the “New 52” universe.
I’ve always been a sucker for an origin story, so I’m always in for it. Just don’t do it too much. It does skip his early childhood. Sure there were some scenes. However, it’s more about when he’s going for the first time to Metropolis as an intern for the Daily Planet.
What this movie really gets right is Superman‘s heart. The film is more about the choices Clark Kent has to take. Like in Man of Steel, Superman is unsure about what to do. He struggles with the responsibilities of his powers, and him being an alien. That feels like Superman to me, as he wants to do the right thing.
Also, it looks like they have a new animation style. A black line surrounds every character. That actually makes the character pop out more, but they use it smartly. They use this technique to blur out or focus on certain characters. The animation style reminded me of a tv show named “Archer.”
Film with great characters
The biggest strength of Superman: Man of Tomorrow beside Superman heart, is in its characters. And, I’m not only talking about Superman, but also the other ones.
Darren Criss voices Superman. Honestly, he’s pretty good an feels like a fresh, young superman. I hope to see more about him.
Zachary Quint played the iconic Lex Luthor. You may remember the guy from the Tv Show “Heroes” or as Spock of the new Star Trek movies. He’s like the typical Lex Luthor, we’ve all know for years. It’s someone who’s always trying to outsmart his opponent and is even willing to back-stab them. The voice of Zachary Quint is perfect for this role.
They changed Lois Lane (Alexandra Daddario) into an even more bad-ass reporter. She was always very dedicated to bringing the most of her out. Now, it even feels more like that. She can handle her own, and doesn’t need a guy to be awesome.
One of my favorites was Martian Manhunter (Ike Amadi). It was a brilliant choice to add this character to the movie. It is someone with whom Superman can share a common point. However, they’re still very different, but both individuals share a great heart.
Now, for the villains, we have Lobo (Ryan Hurst) and Parasite (Brett Dalton). When watching this film, I wanted more of Lobo because he’s so funny. Did we see him fight Superman before? Yeah, but I don’t care, I like the dude. He’s so entertaining. Parasite, on the other hand, was a villain I’m not that familiar with. He got somewhat of a backstory, which was also great to see.
Simplistic story
The biggest downside for me was the story. While there are many well-written characters, the story felt pretty simple.
Superman’s greatest enemy in this movie was Parasite. And he gets really big, a bit Godzilla like. I’ve never really been a fan of such things in superhero stories except for monster movies.
Beyond that, everything felt like something we’ve already seen. As I have mentioned, it’s mostly about the characters. But this also makes the film forgettable. I seriously doubt if I’m going to remember this film in a year.
Conclusion
Superman: Man of Tomorrow has well written-characters in a simplistic story. This is the start of a new DC Animated Universe.
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