Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

General

FOG! Attends The NY Premiere of SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE

As I shake hands with Kevin Conroy it dawns on me that I am staring into the eyes of Batman.

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be shaking hands with the voice actor of one most iconic characters in the world, I would have asked you if you were on drugs.

But here I was shaking hands with Batman himself, Kevin Conroy.

Kevin Conroy is The Batman.  Photo by Baldwin Saintilus

Forces of Geek editor Stefan Blitz was kind enough to get me a press badge for the New York premiere of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

Conroy has a firm handshake and leans in close to answer my questions as I nervously fumble with my audio recorder. He tells me that the most difficult parts of the films were the action scenes and in this film there is quite a bit of action. “As an actor you want to sink your teeth into more dialogue and dramatic moments, but even though there was a lot of action this film has a very intense feel” he tells me in his deep unmistakable voice.

“What’s great about Andrea (Romano, voice director) is that she insists that the actors be in the same room while recording so that we can play off each other. Its like a radio drama. A lot of studios prefer actors to record alone so they can get cleaner takes. For these projects I think (the studio) recognizes the chemistry between actors really adds to the films.” Before he had to move on I asked one last question of how it felt to see another actor play Batman on his guest appearance of Batman: The Brave and The Bold. “You ask him how he felt!” he jokes. “No it was a lot of fun, but I have to admit it was a little weird seeing someone else play the character but he did a great job”

I quickly sat down for our screening of the film.

The room was filled with rabid comic and animation fans and excitement filled the air as the projector geared up and we got our first peak at the latest adaptation of the comic series from Warner Brothers.

If your reading this article then odds are you have read the comics the movie was based on. Kara Zor-El lands on Earth and quickly causes mayhem in Gotham due to her burgeoning powers under earths yellow sun. Batman and Superman quickly intervene and it is revealed that she is in fact Superman’s cousin.

There are some pretty cool moments in this film such as the first rendition of Kryptonese ever spoken on the silver screen. Or Summer Glau’s chemistry between her co-stars Tim Daly and Conroy. Not to mention there was a cameo by a character I was not expecting to see.

Things become messy when Darkseid, played by Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life On The Street) orders Granny Goodness (TV Legend Ed Asner) to capture the Girl of Steel.

The film is pretty impressive with the detail on how the characters move on screen. The moves performed in the action scenes are pretty brutal and in many instances deadly. There are quite a bit of winks to fans of the comics as there are quite a few cameos by some DC characters. Where I think the film fails though is that it tends to drag toward the middle.

As the heroes ponder how to rescue Kara , I got a little restless and wished I had a remote to fast forward. A problem I also had with the original storyline that wasn’t dealt with in the movie was the brain washing of Kara toward evil. In the comics, Kara is captured and when we see her again she is under Darkseid’s control. The movie expands slightly on this but it still didn’t satisfy me.

I also didn’t care of the new art style of the animation that was based on the late Michael Turner.

I was never a big fan of Turner’s style and I found that it didn’t adapt well to animation.

The movie isn’t by any means perfect, but the action scenes are well worth a Netflix pick. I will say this, the ending is worth it, which showcased a showdown with Darkseid.  Braugher does an amazing job  portraying a chillingly, cool mastermind who has complete domination of a dark and sinister world.

I also enjoyed Ed Asner as reprising his Superman The Animated Series role of Granny Goodness, a wicked queen of pain and suffering. Batman also was shown in a new light as providing quite a bit of comic relief in the film with some great moments that had the audience roaring with laughter.

Afterward the floor was opened to fan questions.

We were teased with the knowledge that there are currently four DC animated movies being worked on (the details of which were sadly not revealed).  Conroy told a touching story of volunteering during 9/11 and being recognized by his distinctive voice.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will be available on September 28th on both DVD and as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo set with a digital copy of the film filled with special features and a special introduction animated short featuring our favorite emerald archer, Green Arrow. The retail price will be 29.95 at all retail outlets and online vendors.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

DISCLAIMER

Forces of Geek is protected from liability under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and “Safe Harbor” provisions.

All posts are submitted by volunteer contributors who have agreed to our Code of Conduct.

FOG! will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement.

Please contact us for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content.

SOCIAL INFLUENCER POLICY

In many cases free copies of media and merchandise were provided in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. The opinions shared on Forces of Geek are those of the individual author.

You May Also Like

Animation

Let me begin this review by saying that It had been about 12 years since I had seen Paprika before this current watch and...

Art/Collectibles

Selected and introduced by Jenette Kahn Published by The Folio Society   Before digging into this book, I took my time in learning about...

Movies

I know, I know, I am a baker’s dozen number of years late in watching this insane action film. So sue me. Better late...

Animation

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have always been on the edge of my pop culture knowledge. I had friends who read the comics, loved the...