Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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When a spaceship splashes down in Gotham Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as Superman's. When Darkseid gets wind of this, he has the Kryptonian abducted and brought under his control on Apokolips. It's up to Batman and Superman to retrieve the Kryptonian, forcing them to infiltrate Darkseid's hostile world where superpowerful threats lurk around every corner. This story is based on Jeff Loeb's popular mini-series from the Superman/Batman comic books. .com ---- DC Universe's direct-to-DVD animated feature offers not just another team-up of its most iconic heroes, but an origin story for Supergirl, whose arrival on Earth is chronicled here. Picking up from where Superman/Batman: Public Enemies left off, a shard of the giant Kryptonite meteor that threatened Earth ces in Gotham City, bringing Superman and Batman to the scene. A young girl is found within the wreck and is revealed to be Kara Zor-El, Superman's niece, and his equal (or better) in regard to power. Being a teenager, she struggles to accurately wield those abilities, which requires the Man of Steel to call in Wonder Woman for some superhero training. Unfortunately, Kara's talents have also caught the eye of evil New God Darkseid, who wants Supergirl to lead his royal guard of Female Furies. With the assistance of former Fury Big Barda, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must travel to Darkseid's home planet of Apokolips and fight for Supergirl's freedom. Though not quite the seamless blend of drama and action that was Batman: Under the Red Hood, Apocalypse is a solid adventure that delivers where it counts--most notably, the final showdown between the children of Krypton and Darkseid--while paying homage to its comic book roots. Vocal talent, led by Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy as Superman and Batman, respectively, is top-notch, with Andre Braugher lending the right note of imperiousness to Darkseid and Summer Glau capturing Kara's impulsiveness; Edward Asner is also on hand as Granny Goodness, with Susan Eisenberg returning as Wonder Woman. The animation style, inspired by the late Michael Turner, is visually striking, and the extras are typically first-rate: the DCU Showcase, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos (who pulled similar duties for Jonah Hex) here focuses on Green Arrow (Neal McDonough), who takes on Merlyn (Malcolm McDowell) to stop an assassination plot. There's also a sneak peek at the next DCU feature, All-Star Superman, as well as featurettes on the complicated worlds of the New Gods, and parts one and two of "Little Girl Lost" from Superman: The Animated Series that were handpicked by Bruce Timm. --Paul Gaita