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Superman: Red Sun

           review by Bobby Blakey

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DC Entertainment has proven themselves with an outstanding catalog of animated feature films over the last couple of years including The Dark Knight Returns, Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Death of Superman saga, Batman: Hush and more recently Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. Now they are taking on one of the more unique and interesting stories yet with Superman: Red Son, based on the 2003 mini-series, this time featuring Jason Isaacs taking on the role of the man of steel. Could this film capture the essence of this Elseworld’s tale of the Man of Steel or will it fail to live up to the source material? 

Superman: Red Son follows an alternate reality where the spaceship bearing the last survivor of Krypton crash lands – not in rural Kansas, but in Stalinist Russia. Can this Cold War-era Earth survive the coming of a Soviet Superman? This entry feature a great supporting voice cast including Diedrich Bader as Lex Luthor, Amy Acker as Lois Lane, Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Phil Morris as James Olsen, Academy Award winner Paul Williams as Brainiac, Roger Craig Smith as Batman, Sasha Roiz as Hal Jordan, and Phil LaMarr as John Stewart.

 

I remember this mini-series coming out but never had the pleasure of reading it completely so was excited to check this out. I was always a fan of the Elseworld’s titles and getting to see this famed characters in new and different ways. This might be one of the most drastic of the Man of Steel and seeing it play out is awesome. The story twists the tale clearly but still keeps the essence of the Superman intact. There are elements of his Russian allegiance that makes you think villain, but his clear want for peace and justice is still there just from a different perspective.

 

The same is said of the other famed DC characters including Batman, Wonder

Woman and Green Lantern. They also get updates that are really great and a ton of fun to watch. The animation is great and the story is compelling throughout making for yet another great addition to the DC animated universe. Another fun feature they have been including with their releases are the DC Showcase shorts, this time focused on Phantom Stranger. This one is fun as well bringing an old school hero and supernatural vibe that just works and packs in so much in its short run time.  

In addition to the film this release features bonus content including featurettes, the new DC Showcase: Phantom Stranger, a sneak peek at the next animated feature Justice League: Apokolips War and more. Witness the rise of Superman like never before when Superman: Red Sun available now on digital and then on 4K Ultra and Blu-ray on March 17, 2020 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

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