Superman: Unbound is the newest entry in the DC Animated series. SU seems to be a sequel to Batman/Superman: Apocalypse (which was a sequel to Public Enemies, that seemed to at least acknowledge Doomsday). So this movie fitting in the continuity of other films is good, but isn't always the case with the DCA films.
This movie is based off of the Brainiac arc in the comics, which would have been a better title. Yes, Superman is captured at one point in the film and gets free, but unbound, unleashed, unchained seem to be all the rage in naming things right now (Django Unchained gets a pass).
Brainiac comes to Earth to take its greatest city and destroy the rest of the planet. Supergirl was present when this happened to Krypton and is terrified of Brainiac, despite her new superpowers. This gives her an emotional character arc, but the one in Apocalypse is a little more interesting. Louis Lane has a much bigger role, both in her relationship with Clark, but also in her new found one with Supergirl.
The animation in this movie is top notch, especially on Blu ray. The style fits better than in Apocalypse. There is a lot of violence in S:UB, I mean a lot more than in any of the other Superman animated features. Brainiac's robotic soldiers use metal tentacles/wires to download peoples' memories. They do this by going right through their skulls and a lot of times though the back. There are cut aways, but it's maybe a notch and a half below Dark Knight Returns, which set the bar for PG-13 violence. Superman's captivity and torture results in a bit of blood as well. I know it won't shock some people, but I was actually caught off guard a little bit (which isn't a bad thing). Superman also kicks a lot of ass, it's robot ass, but if Superman were to do the same thing to a person, it would be terrifying.
The story arc is interesting. There are themes of chaos vs. control as far as Brainiac's motivations are concerned. Supergirl trying to gain her courage and help her cousin is another interesting arc. Louis flips the bird (two of them in fact... this is actually listed in the rating box). Superman doesn't change that much, but uses his cleverness to win the day (sorry, but it's not like you didn't see that coming, even in Doomsday he's killed and still wins the day).
This movie is a welcome entry into the series and was released for the run up to Man of Steel. It isn't the best animated movie to feature big blue, but it certainly isn't the worst.
8 out of 10 skulls penetrated with killer USBs
The story arc is interesting. There are themes of chaos vs. control as far as Brainiac's motivations are concerned. Supergirl trying to gain her courage and help her cousin is another interesting arc. Louis flips the bird (two of them in fact... this is actually listed in the rating box). Superman doesn't change that much, but uses his cleverness to win the day (sorry, but it's not like you didn't see that coming, even in Doomsday he's killed and still wins the day).
This movie is a welcome entry into the series and was released for the run up to Man of Steel. It isn't the best animated movie to feature big blue, but it certainly isn't the worst.
8 out of 10 skulls penetrated with killer USBs
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