Superman: Man of Tomorrow - Going back to it's roots 

DC's animated films are underrated, the good ones at least. Since the live action films such as Shazam, The Snyder Cut and The Suicide Squad get so much love and recognition, mainly because of the intrigue to see how different directors with their unique styles handle these beloved characters, and also, a lot of effort goes into the marketing of these films. But for some reason, I had realised yesterday itself that there was a Superman movie that had released in 2020. 

Now there was another Superman film as well, called "Superman: Red Son", which is a solid movie so I recommend you watch it, but the only reason I had known of it then, was because it was available on a public platform going by the name of "Amazon Prime Video." But this film was nowhere to be found. I think the marketing team should promote these obscure films more, and we, as an audience should really be taking the time to watch these DC Animated films, even though we have no problem watching the live action ones. 

Now, talking about the film. It's really good. This is my Superman. A hopeful and optimistic hero, and can be emotionally vulnerable and question his purpose on this planet. Even the animation style compliments the tone of this film. Most of DC's latest animated films are following this style, and I'm here to support it, because this has instantly become one of my favourite 2D animation styles. 

Even the bright colours work for this rendition of Superman, who's a bit more like the light hearted comic books, as well the Christopher Reeves' movies of the 20th century. This is how it goes back to it's root in a sense. Clark's room, feels like a room of a person trying to stay hidden. It has character. Clark feels like a real person, and so does Lois Lane, who's introduction scene perfectly establishes her character. This film nails it's supporting characters and their interactions with the protagonist Clark. 

Clark's conversations with his parents are also heartfelt. There's a level of love and understanding between them, and the film maturely treats it's characters. His parents try to support him the best they can, when Clark's internal struggle of letting the world know of his origin is taking place. He's a man now, and it's his choice whether he wishes to reveal to the world or not. 

There are 3 villains in this film here, but it doesn't become a mess. Why? Because their screen time is carefully placed. The first antagonist is "Lobo." A bulky and muscular bounty hunter with, what some would call a "cool personality." After Superman gets beaten, a green alien helps him, giving Superman enough time to recuperate and regain energy from the son, to finally defeat and imprison Lobo. 

The second antagonist is an unnamed Alien, who was actually a simple janitor becoming a victim of an purple space goo. (not to different from Venom) Now, the "motivation" for the purple monster to gain more power was weak? He goes around killing innocent people by sucking out their energy, making him terrifying. But the reason for it was unclear. But on some minuscule level, he still works; because the film treats him as an empathetic character. 

In the first scene with the janitor, he talks about having a first grader for a child, and having a family. And the film takes its time to show how the husband becoming an alien affects his family. We get a small glimpse of how they're getting by without the man of the house there with them. His wife was alone and pregnant taking care of her first grader daughter. She looks at a cup reading "#1 Dad" and has a look of sadness. And when she leaves the room, we realise that her husband was right there. Looking at the cup in regret too. After his daughter sees him and screams in fear, he runs away. 

This scene works because the film knows that this villain is less of an evil creature, but more a victim, and a helpless man, longing for his family. It takes the time to show us what he lost, and he never asked for any of this. After this scene, I empathised with the villain, because I cared about him. This is what good storytelling is. It's very effective. 

Clark meets Martian Manhunter, also known as "J'onn J'onzz" and his inclusion doesn't feel forced (unlike in the Snyder Cut) because the film points out that they're similar. Aliens on a different planet, who are the only ones alive in their species. It's an emotional connection, and both of them team and choose to help the people of Metropolis together. I like their duo, mainly because of their same intention, but slightly varying personalities. 

Now one minor flaw of the film is the city of Metropolis. It feels like a soulless city, and I think the reason for that is, when Superman and Lobo were battling in the air, we get a look at the city from a high point of view, and we see no one there. The lack of people makes it feel like its an empty city, despite us knowing that there are people living in it. Even the mostly white colours of the buildings makes everything look uniform and doesn't feel like it has life. 

Superman has to seek the help of Lex Luthor to defeat the Alien, and in the climax of the film, he turns against Superman, and it doesn't work. Mainly because, sure it happened in the comics like that, but in this particular film, there's no set-up and no motivation. 

Now the "final battle" is something to be expected from these superhero films, and so it felt like a cartoon network cartoon to me, and not in the good way. (I like Cartoon Network) And as I started to lose some interest, the way Superman defeats the bad guy just redeemed my love for his character, and regained my interest again. How did he do that you ask? 

Did he punch the villain and win the day? No. He realised and tried to bring out the human inside this power hungry monster. This is when I realised that this is my Superman. He punches the villain earlier, but in the end, realises that empathy brings peace. And after reaching out to the inner humanity of the alien, he tells the world of his origin, concluding his arc. The villain then saves the city from the explosion and sacrifices his life. Very Spiderman 2 like, and that's a damn good film to be like. 

This film worked really well for me, because it knows it's characters and why they're loved. The plot is quite simple and nothing special, but the simple plot allows for complex characters. Should you watch this? Yeah. I'd recommend it. It's a film more people should be talking about. 

Thank Your for Reading

I hope you liked this blog review, please make sure to comment about your thoughts on the film, or on how I could possibly improve. Also follow my YouTube Channel "Detox with P-Talks Official" where I analyse movies and do other movie related content along with short films, etc.

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