Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

• Directed by Sam Liu
• September 29, 2009
• Based on the DC Comics story arc “Public Enemies” in Superman/Batman comic book series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ed McGuinness

Voice Cast

• Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman-Tim Daly
• Bruce Wayne/Batman-Kevin Conroy
• Lex Luthor-Clancy Brown
• Captain Atom-Xander Berkeley
• Captain Marvel, Solomon Grundy-Corey Burton
• Major Force-Ricardo Antonio Chavira
• Power Girl-Allison “NXIVM” Mack
• Metallo-John C. McGinley
• Amanda Waller-CCH Pounder
• Black Lightning-LeVar Burton
• Toyman/Hiro Okamura-Calvin Tran
• Newscaster-Mark Jonathan Davis
• Gorilla Grodd-Brian George
• Killer Frost-Jennifer Hale
• Nightshade, Lady Shiva, Billy Batson-Rachael MacFarlane
• Alfred Pennyworth-Alan Oppenheimer
• Giganta, Computer-Andrea Romano
• Mongul-Bruce Timm
• Hawkman, Captain Cold-Michael Gough
• General-Jonathan Adams

Superman and Batman team up to prevent a meteorite from striking Earth and take down Lex Luthor, who has been elected President of the United States. That is certainly a lot to have on your plate.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based off a storyline from the comics so I’m not sure how everything played out there in comparison to here. This movie could’ve benefited from being a two-part film or simply longer. A more solid thread could’ve been established from the Presidential campaign to Luthor’s plot to devastate the planet. I just would like things to feel more connected than they do. I might be being picky here a bit. I did enjoy this, but I wanted just a little more.

Additional length would have helped one thing in my opinion. I never quite understood how Lex Luthor and whatever he did was reported to the fictional public in DC comics or animation. He rarely has any difficulty sliding back into his previous life and going back to his villainy. I know there’s a little bit of him bribing and things like that but it’s something that should have been explored here after his successful presidential run and possibly being imprisoned.

Luthor’s plot in part involves making Superman look like a villain through some edited footage of a meeting between the two. Superman is often referred to by characters as a big blue Boy Scout and gets a generally positive perception conveyed by the public. Yet Luthor’s frame job is effective enough that characters fall right in line. Anywho…

Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, Clancy Brown, and CCH Pounder return to their parts from the DC Animated Universe as Superman, Batman, Lex Luthor, and Amanda Waller making this feel like an extension of the previous offerings which is not a bad thing.

In a move that was not unusual for the time, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies does a good job of delving deep into the DC lore and pulling out random characters or general bits to give the story a lived in feel as if there is more beyond what you are seeing. You get a sense there’s a history amongst the assorted characters. They reference past well-known events along with things that in their personal lives that are just more casual occurrences or concerns. But it’s nothing that you need to know. It’s just elements that add depth.

This plays like a comic book story with superhero battles in unusual places. They just don’t fight in a cityscape but in graveyards and loading docks and so many other places. The film does not skimp on those superhero fights. It does not rely on action over narrative. The moment when Shazam gets turned back into Billy Batson is a highlight in the use of the word and character.

Sam Liu and pals dig into the lore possibly using stuff directly from the arc on which this is based. It’s not often mentioned because he’s pretty much invulnerable but when Superman is wounded he can heal quickly. Because it mines the DC lore for characters we get a nice cross-section of villains when a bounty comes out on the title duo.

This was made by people that know the material and greatly appreciate it. DC animated features for a time were what the live action movies should have been. Crafted by individuals intimately knowledgeable with the lore who understood how to bring it into a film that was accessible to a larger audience. I felt for a long time while DC was struggling that the people behind the animated features should have been the ones behind the live action stuff.

Lex Luthor is known to wear a Kryptonian battle suit which tends to be green and purple. Not only does the suit appear but the color scheme when Luthor is in the moment pops up. A nice acknowledgment and an indication of the appreciation the people behind this had for the characters.

Batman and Superman are two very different characters with a similar goal and that goal is fighting the evil of the world. How they go about it is night and day. They like each other but to a point. There is a light yet tense banter between the two in this story. There’s even a respect even despite both having different views on how to handle things. I guess that you could call them uneasy friends. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies judiciously establishes the characters both major and minor and where they stand pretty quickly. It is helped out from time to time since they could fall back on the general publics familiarity with both Batman and Superman.

Occasional bits of humor or comments illustrates a particular character. Toyman (one of three DC characters that have used that name I believe) is quickly shown to be not only a fanboy but a genius child in the throes of puberty. Power Girl’s proportions are a bit of a running gag in the comics and her interactions with Toyman play into though it might feel creepy if you think too much into that.

It is revealed by the end that Luthor is planning on letting a kryptonite asteroid hit the Earth and kill most of humanity so the world can start over under his guidance. This insanity fueled by his intellect is caused by a steroid/kryptonite cocktail he has been taking. It felt a little plopped in like they needed something to wrap it up. Sometimes you need to fork over the money for ten extra minutes to make sure it all works on an equal level. Still this is quite an exciting and entertaining superhero team-up film. It moved swiftly and mostly logically.

Despite wanting a little more development for the climax of a film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is an excellent bit of superhero animation. Even with flaws it manages to satisfy. Worthy of viewing by all fans.