SUPERMAN: UNBOUND (2013)

"I am the knowledge and strength of 10,000 worlds. I am flesh and machine.
I am becoming everything."

2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Superman. With the overwhelmingly positive reactions to the most recent Man of Steel trailers, it seems like everybody is once again ready to believe that a man can fly! However, his first big adventure of the year has already come out, and its name is Superman: Unbound.

After rescuing his girlfriend, Lois Lane, for the 63,842nd time, Clark Kent starts to become annoyed with her taking his powers for granted so she can keep chasing the scoop of the century. While Lois does enjoy the perks of being Superman's girlfriend, she tells him that she also feels like he's smothering her by trying to protect her from every little thing as well, like being hit on by co-workers. Meanwhile, Kara Zor-El, who is still adjusting to her new life on Earth as Supergirl, is growing tired of her older cousin lecturing her, believing that he doesn't know what it's like to be powerless for most of his life, like she was.

When Superman learns that a meteor is about to collide with the Earth, he heads over to stop it, only to discover that it's actually a robot drone. Supergirl recognizes it and reveals that it belongs to Brainiac, a mysterious being that abducted Krypton's capital city, Kandor, as she watched, and left the rest of the Kryptonians for dead. The Man of Tomorrow then tells a disappointed Lois that he needs to go out into space, and then leaves to take on this mysterious invader.

Over the years, Superman's amassed a very interesting and varied rogues gallery, and Brainiac, through his many different incarnations, has long been a fan favorite. I find this version of him particularly interesting because in this story, he comes across as an accurate representation of how the U.S. continues to portray the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He's an unsympathetic, calculating, physically-imposing information vacuum that will go through anything and anyone to obtain all the knowledge in the galaxy. Add to that a truly chilling performance by John Noble (The Lord of the Rings, Transformers: Prime), and this take on the classic DC villain makes for an exciting antagonist for the personification of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

For as powerful as Superman is and how exciting his fights usually are, I believe that he's at his best when he's faced with a dilemma that challenges his sense of morality. What I like most about Unbound is that while Brainiac's invasion of Earth may be the conflict that's at the forefront of the story, the whole event helps Superman to realize the problems that Lois and Kara are going through because of him, and what he can do to save them from himself.

If you aren't really all that familiar with Superman as a character, then Superman: Unbound is a really good place to find out why he has had such incredible staying-power, among his many other powers.

 
Superman: Unbound was directed by James Tucker, and is the sixteenth entry in Warner Bros. Animation's successful DC Universe Animated Original Movie series.

WONDER WOMAN (2009)

"I'm an Amazon. We're prepared from birth to give our lives in battle."

One of the biggest complaints surrounding DC's successful series of direct-to-video animated features is that there are so few that don't focus mainly on Batman, Superman, or the Justice League. While Wonder Woman, alone, may not be as popular as the above three, I think her first solo outing is easily one of the best in the series. It succeeds by offering more variety by way of adding elements of Greek mythology and some interesting commentary on gender politics to the usual superheroics.

Centuries ago, a bloody battle took place between Queen Hippolyta and her Amazon warriors, and Ares, the god of war, and his undead army. Toward the end of the struggle, Zeus stopped Hippolyta from killing his son, and blessed her people with everlasting and a place to isolate them from the destructive world of Man, the island of Themyscira, as compensation. Cut to the present day, where their culture has completely stagnated. There have been no advances in technology, and no one has entered or left the island. Ares is locked away in a small prison cell, with his godlike powers sealed away. The only change brought to their way of life was the daughter that the gods had blessed Hippolyta with: Princess Diana.

During a fierce dogfight over the ocean, U.S. military pilot Steve Trevor crash-lands on Themyscira, and causes a massive panic. While the Amazons are busy interrogating him, learning about the modern Man's World, and planning to return him to the States, Ares has his sights set on revenge, and plans to achieve it, no matter the cost.

First off, I can't praise the casting choices enough. Keri Russell (Felicity) and Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern: Emerald Knights) add a surprising layer of emotional depth to Diana/Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, respectively. The biggest surprise, though, was seeing in the credits that Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man 2) played Ares. He just came off as much more sinister and demonic than in any other roles I've seen him in, and it was definitely something to behold.

What I liked most about Wonder Woman was that it wasn't afraid to shake up the DC animated movie formula a little. It felt less like a superhero movie and more like a classic Greek epic. At its core, it's a story about a warrior who ventures to distant lands on a quest, learns more about herself and the world around her, and eventually comes to realize her own power. There were parts of the story, particularly those taking place on Themyscira, that reminded me of "The Epic of Gilgamesh", in how they portray Diana's journey toward becoming a hero. It also added some social commentary to the mix, bringing several gender issues to attention through Diana and Steve's interactions with each other. For instance, Diana, having only lived around women her whole life, is quick to dismiss all men as being vulgar and womanizing through her unpleasant interactions with Steve. However, through working together to stop Ares, they both learn to communicate their problems with each other better in order to work together.

As much as I enjoyed Wonder Woman, I did have a few problems with it. The first being that for a movie that's filled to the brim with swords and dismemberment, there's a very noticeable lack of gore. I kept wondering if there were some shots that had been removed for the final cut to make it more accessible, which I found out was actually confirmed by producer Bruce Timm. Also, for a film that spends a lot of time criticizing the "male gaze", it's not afraid of showing off the occasional cheesecake shot of Diana and the other Amazons, which felt kinda jarring. Finally, while the writers did a great job providing updated explanations for many of Wonder Woman's classic trademarks, like her red-white-and-blue armor, they never explain how she got that damn invisible jet!

It's a real shame that Wonder Woman isn't getting the same respect that many of her contemporaries are these days, but this updated take on the classic character should change some minds, and change the world!

Wonder Woman was directed by Lauren Montgomery, and is the fourth film in Warner Bros. Animation's successful DC Universe Animated Original Movie series.