Superman: Doomsday (2008)

I was not expecting Kevin Smith to make a cameo and throw shade at his Superman script that was turned into Wild, Wild West. I think a great superhero movie explores the psyche of the hero. Spider-man’s relatability and perseverance. Batman’s fight to cope with his parents’ deaths. This one explores nature vs nurture. The namesake villain is only part of the first act. The real meat of this movie was the Superman clone Lex made while Superman was taking a “nap”. The clone has the empathy of Superman but without momma Kent, the clone doesn’t quite have the same moral compass. The clone knows good vs evil but doesn’t have the restraint to deliver justice rather than death. This definitely isn’t Christopher Reeves’ campy Superman. There is violence and grief and genuine pain. I love what they did with this. They really showed the power of animated storytelling.

Story - 20%

Characters - 19%

Pacing - 18%

Spectacle - 19%

Entertainment - 18%

Total score: 94%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here