It's Just Movies

— by THOM HOFF —

What do you get when you put a great story, well-defined characters, good voice acting, great composing and animation together? “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.”

I have read the initial storyline from the Superman Batman comic series many times and thought it would make a great movie.

The opening introduction reminds me of all the cop chase shows currently on TV, “Wow, that was close” and “the chopper is having a hard time keeping up” — and then the action begins with a blue and red streak.

I love the banter throughout between Superman and Batman. Someone I know stated they seem like Kirk and Spock; obviously, they are friends — however they would never admit the fact to each other. Since the inception of the Superman and Batman cartoons, the voices of Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly have been in my head while reading comics, so it was wonderful to have their voices back in this movie.

The design of all the characters seems to be right on money, too — unlike “Superman: Doomsday,” where Superman had scars on his face the entire time. The only exception to this was Captain Atom and Luther, who seem to be drawn as big as Major Force.

It was interesting the changes they made from the book. Giving Metallo morphing abilities, expanding the major villian fight scene, leaving the Darkseid angle out, as well as changing the closing sequence. Interestingly, though, it did not hurt the movie. However, I did like the ending a little better in the comic book.

At the end, my first thought was this is way too short and I wanted another 30 minutes. Then I realized that I was fixated watching this movie for 66 minutes.

In closing, my initial thought was correct. It did make a great movie.

Guest Writer Thom Hoff is the comics manager at Quaker Square News Stand at the University of Akron.

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