Superman: Doomsday Blu-ray Review

"Superman: Doomsday" on Blu-ray delivers a remarkable 1080p High Definition video presentation in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. As a 2D animated feature, it impresses with its strong visual details and vibrant color scheme. The lines are consistently bold and solid, maintaining clarity without fracturing due to frame rate or rendition. The color palette is dynamic and patriotic, with the bright reds and blues standing out, while authentic blood and explosions add to the visual impact. Black levels are dark and solid, facilitating decent night-set scenes and shadowing, contributing to a visually impressive presentation free from significant issues.

The 1080p, VC-1 encoded transfer showcases robustness in image clarity and detail, particularly in the intricate backgrounds. Colors remain lively and cheerful, with shades of red, blue, and green well-balanced and natural. Black levels are adequately deep with commendable shadow detail, while light banding is present but not overly distracting. Despite minor aliasing and banding, as is typical with 2D animation, these issues do not significantly detract from the overall high-quality of this presentation. Additionally, minimal artifacting or noise ensures a crystal-clear image.

Overall, "Superman: Doomsday" exemplifies how 2D animation can excel in high definition, delivering a crisp and precise visual experience. The transfer’s ability to render distinct lineart and a vivid palette with minimal distractions is commendable, making it a standout release from Warner Brothers for any comic or animation fan's collection.

Warner's audio presentation for the Blu-ray of "Superman: Doomsday" leaves much to be desired, providing a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track that lacks the depth and engagement expected from high-definition releases. While dialogue is clear and coherent, allowing Adam Baldwin's Superman, Anne Heche's Lois, and James Marsters' Lex to stand out, the overall soundscape feels front-heavy and flat. Various effects, from explosive battles to environmental sounds, miss the mark on immersion and impact, merely accompanying the visuals rather than enhancing them. Notably, the back speakers are largely ignored, which significantly diminishes the spatial experience.

The soundtrack further disappoints by lacking low-frequency effects and rear speaker support. Even during chaotic scenes, such as explosions and gunshots, the audio fails to demand attention, feeling subdued and uninspired. The ambient sounds that define key locations like the Smallville countryside and the Daily Planet offices are present but inadequate, contributing little to the overall immersion. Music, heavily reliant on cheesy patriotic anthems, does little to compensate for these shortcomings, adding minimal dynamism to the audio presentation.

In essence, while there are no glaring technical flaws, this mix appears reminiscent of its standard DVD counterpart rather than an upgrade for Blu-ray. The absence of modern audio standards like TrueHD or DTS HD MA is notably missed, leaving the track feeling dated and unremarkable. This lackluster performance underscores a missed opportunity by Warner to elevate the sonic experience to match the film's visual efforts.

The Blu-ray extras for "Superman: Doomsday" offer an exhaustive and insightful deep dive into the movie’s creation and its source materials. The standout feature is the detailed documentary "Requiem and Rebirth: Superman Lives!" which thoroughly explores the origin, execution, and impact of the famed "Death of Superman" and its aftermath. Other notable inclusions are an extensive behind-the-scenes featurette and a fairly self-congratulatory yet informative audio commentary. Although some smaller features, such as "Behind the Voice," feel superficial, the overall package provides valuable context and enriching content. This collection of extras ensures that both casual viewers and hardcore Superman fans have plenty to immerse themselves in.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Detailed insights from key team members on the film's creation.
• Requiem and Rebirth: Superman Lives!: In-depth look at the "Death of Superman" storyline.
• When Heroes Die: The Making of Superman Doomsday: Behind-the-scenes featurette on production details.
• The Clash of the Juggernauts: Examination of pivotal confrontations in the film.
• Behind the Voice: Brief featurette with voice cast members.
• Bruce Timm's Top Picks from Superman -- The Animated Series: Four selected episodes.
• Justice League: New Frontier: Preview footage.
• Wonder Woman Sneak Peek: Brief look at the upcoming Wonder Woman animated film.
• Trailers: Previews for other DC releases.

"Superman: Doomsday" is an ambitious attempt to adapt one of DC Comics' most monumental storylines to the animated medium. However, this endeavor falls short due to a truncated narrative that attempts to encapsulate a vast array of plotlines from "The Death of Superman," "World Without a Superman," and "Return of Superman" into a compressed runtime of 78 minutes. This condensation leads to a convoluted and hurried narrative that fails to engage either long-time fans or newcomers. The titular battle between Superman and Doomsday, while visually striking, is overshadowed by the film's lack of character depth and emotional resonance, reducing what should be a dramatic tale to a series of action sequences that offer little impact.

From a technical perspective, the Blu-ray presentation of the movie is a mixed bag. The visual quality is undoubtedly impressive, with crisp and vibrant animation that enhances the overall viewing experience. However, the audio does not quite match this high bar, falling short in delivering the immersive experience expected from such a pivotal story. The voice acting, featuring talents like Adam Baldwin as Superman, Anne Heche as Lois Lane, and James Marsters as Lex Luthor, is solid but ultimately hampered by a script that lacks nuance and fails to develop its characters meaningfully. Despite these performances, the script's inability to delve into the more complex emotional and thematic elements leaves the film feeling flat and uninspired.

Ultimately, "Superman: Doomsday" is defined more by its shortcomings than its strengths. It offers some spectacular action scenes and high-quality animation but is undermined by a disjointed narrative and superficial character development. The film’s intent to condense rich source material into a brief runtime results in a straightforward but unsatisfying superhero tale that lacks the depth and engagement necessary to elevate it within the superhero genre.

Superman: Doomsday delivers a somewhat mixed experience for superhero animation aficionados. The film is built on a solid foundation derived from the series but fails to elevate beyond its baseline action elements, which are technically proficient yet ultimately feel stale. Even the remarkable voice acting cannot fully redeem the lackluster script, which, while filled with darker themes and a harder edge, does not venture beyond superficial engagement. The story limps along, unable to offer any substantial challenge or depth, leading to an experience that is satisfying only on a surface level.

Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of the film excels in certain technical areas, notably a commendable video transfer which ensures that the animations appear crisp and vibrant on screen. However, the overall experience is let down by an unremarkable Dolby Digital audio track that lacks the punch and immersion seen in superior releases. The Blu-ray package does come with an impressive array of bonus features that extend over two hours, adding significant value for those interested in supplementary content.

In conclusion, while 'Superman: Doomsday' may entertain die-hard Superman enthusiasts, its overall execution falls short of making it a compelling purchase. The strong video quality and extensive extras are offset by its uninspired action and subpar audio experience. Ultimately, this Blu-ray is better suited for a rental rather than a purchase.