Superman/Batman: Apocalypse - Introducing Kara Zo-Rel

Let me begin by saying that first and foremost, I am totally biased for this movie. The Supergirl character has been a favorite character of mine for as long as I can remember and the graphic novel this movie is based off of has been a favorite read of mine. One of those favorite reads that never fails to bring me to tears. Another one would be Supergirl: Many Happy Returns. Maybe that should be DC's next animated film project?

You can't judge a book by it's cover, and the same goes for Blu Ray discs. You would never guess that this misleadingly titled film focuses on the introduction of Kara Zo-Rel, or Supergirl, Superman's cousin from Krypyton. Instead there's a focus on the world of Apocalypse and it's mighty ruler Darkseid. Fact: the heart of this movie, is Kara Zo-Rel. Don't let the fact that it's about a girl fool you though, this is not a fluffy movie. There's major deaths, blood, cussing. I was shocked, and I've read the friggin' book inside out.

The new girl in town seems to be of concern to everyone: Superman loves her unconditionally; Batman doesn't trust her; Wonder Woman wants to make sure she's using her powers responsibly; and Darkseid, the scarier than scary ruler of Apocalypse, just wants to exploit her powers. All of this unfolds in a grand explosion of adventure, action and some well written and acted drama.

Sometimes some of the action sequences felt a bit like over-kill, but I figured that the story was so epic, that maybe the action sequences needed to be that grand, especially when our headliners include Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The emotional resonance behind every action sequence made sure that this movie wasn't just mindless fights.

Instead of hiring celebrity voice actors for this film, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg and Kevin Conroy reprise their roles as Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman from the Bruce Timm DC animated series. Casting these familiar voices gave the film a sense of coming back home for fans of the Justice League, Batman and Superman Animated Series.

Summer Glau (Firefly, The Sarah Connor Chronicles) voices Kara, in what is easily one of the best acting roles I've seen her in ever.

The film itself looks so rich. There's this thing nowadays in really good Disney Blu Rays where animated films look like you're looking at the actual artwork. Now this disc is not Disney, it's Warner, it looks that good. I felt several times that I was watching an actual animation cel in movement.

Special features include 4 episodes from the Superman Animated Series that feature Supergirl and Darkseid.
Aside from those awesome 4 episodes, the rest is a mixed bag.

An animated short about Green Arrow is included. I hope this is a pilot, and I hope it gets picked up because it's really good.

There's some featurettes on some other DC animated movies that prove to be very informative. I am most excited about upcoming release of All Star Superman.

Three featurettes about the New Gods of DC are also included and expand on Darkseid's origin.

A featurette that was orignally found on the Smallville Season 7 DVDs about Supergirl is also included. While very informative and important to this disc, I was saddened that a production featurette on the film itself was not included. So here's one I found on Youtube.


Now why couldn't that be on the disc? Oh well.

This disc is a must have. Not only does it feature my favorite hero, Kara Zo-Rel, it also features Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in a battle so epic that it couldn't be contained in the pages of a comic book.