DC Universe Animated Movies

I love the DC Animated films and am always glad when news and new trailers come out.  Their movies do such a great job for the most part and the films are quite entertaining.  At New York Comic Con 2011 DC showed off the new trailer for the upcoming animated film, Justice League Doom.  Check out the trailer at the bottom of this post.  Also just out this week, Batman: Year One, which i loved as well.  So, today I thought I'd take a break from the action figure reviews and go through some of my favorite DC animated fims in the form of a Top 10 list.  If you're a DC fan, these animated films are a must see.  Marvel may have the jump on DC when it comes to the big budget live action flicks, but DC is certainly holding its own in the animated movie department.   If you haven't seen them, go out and get yourself a copy as they are better then A LOT of the live action superhero movies that have been released in recent years.  

Now, lets go over some honorable mentions.  These films were not my favorites, however a lot of DC fans enjoyed these movies and just because they weren't my favorite, doesn't mean they should be overlooked. 

A lot of DC fans felt that Justice League - The New Frontier was a great film and would probably rank it in their Top 5.  It is based on Darwyn Cooke's 2003-2004 graphic novel "DC: The New Frontier" and features all the major Justice League characters.   

All-Star Superman was released earlier this year (2011) and is based on Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's 2005-2008 comic book "All-Star Superman".  Again, a lot of fans hold this film in high regards but I myself, was not a fan of the animation in this one. 

Superman/Shazam - Return of Black Adam is a DVD made up of a bunch of short films.  In addition to the Black Adam Story, also included are short films on Green Arrow, Jonah Hex and The Spectre.  By far, the best short film on this DVD is The Return of Black Adam.  A lot of action squeezed into a short story.  I wish they would've hammered out a full length film on this one.  Black Adam kicks some ass!  Green Arrow was probably the next best story.  Worth a watch if you can get it cheap. 

Batman Gotham Knight was basically a collection of short films, each of which each has its own style of animation. It was released as a tie into the Christopher Nolan's films supposedly taking place in between the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight films. Batman Gotham Knight features short stories that include the likes of Killer Croc, Deadshot, Scarecrow and many more Batman regulars.

Okay, on to my TOP 10 DC Animated Films:

#10.  Superman: Doomsday 

Loosely based on The Death of Superman comic book, this action packed movie did a great job of taking the concept of the popular comic series and condensing it into a 90 minute film.  It features Superman, Doomsday, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson

#9. Green Lantern: First Flight

Its sort of a new take on the origin story of Hal Jordan becoming the Green Lantern.  Although they rush though Hal's training process (he seems to pick things up fairly quickly), this movie is filled with some pretty tight action sequences and Victor Garber voicing of Sinestro is brilliant. For those unfamiliar with the Green Lantern world, you get a good introduction to the Green Lantern Corps characters.  The movie does have its flaws but is much better than the Ryan Reynolds live action version.   

#8. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies 

First off, Tim Daley IS the voice of Superman, and without a doubt, Kevin Conroy is the best Batman voice ever!! When you get them both in the same movie, you know its gonna be good.  Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based on the  "The World's Finest" comic series where Lex Luthor is President and puts a bounty on Superman's head.  So of course, you have a ton of villains looking to collect. Look for appearances from Captain Atom, Metallo, Black Lightning, Powergirl, Shazam, Hawkman, Gorilla Grodd, Toyman and many more in this one.   

  

 #7. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Based on the "The Supergirl from Krypton" story, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse again features the voices of Tim Daley and Kevin Conroy as well as the equally great Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman.  This movie tells the story of Supergirl and features some really brutally violent fight scenes, which of course, is a good thing.  Darkseid is your main bady this time around and Granny Goodness and Big Barda to make noticeable appearances as well. 

 #6. Justice Leauge: Crisis on Two Earths

Loosely based on JLA: Earth 2, Crisis of Two Earth tells the story of a good Lex Luthor from a parallel Earth looking to recruit the Justice League to help save his planet from the Crime Syndicate.  A very good story and animation the only real knock against this film, is no Kevin Conroy.   

#5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Yep, that's right, I'm including the older animated films in my list simply because they must be seen.  Batman Beyond was not my favorite TV series but this movie is definitely worth the watch.  Released in 2000, this movie features a retired Bruce Wayne at 80 years old and his Batman protegee Terry McGinnis and tells the story of the mysterious return of Batman's arch enemy, The Joker is voiced by the great Mark Hamill

#4. Batman: Mask of The Phantasm

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released in 1993 and takes place in the Batman: The Animated Series world.  An original story about the Phantasm arriving in Gotham and killing off Gotham's crime bosses.  Batman becomes mistaken for the Phantasm and now must run from the police and apprehend the killer and clear his name. 

#3 Batman: Year One

An origin story based on Frank Miller's Year One comic book, this story looks at Bruce Wayne's transformation beginnings as Batman but even more so, tells Commissioner Gordon's start in Gotham.  Also included in the DVD is a 15 minute short flick on Catwoman.  Very Impressed with this one.

 #2. Wonder Woman

Batman does not totally dominate the Top 5.  A great origin story released in 2009, this Wonder Woman animated movie does a great job telling the story of how Diana of Themyscira becomes the greatest female superhero ever.  Amazing story, stunning animation and brilliant voice acting, this movie really fills the void DC fans are feeling from a lack of a live action Wonder Woman film.  Hey, if Marvel can pull off a live action Thor movie, I say that DC can pull of a Wonder Woman. 

 #1. Batman: Under The Red Hood

The story of Batman: Under the Red Hood is based on the comic book story "Under the Hood" where Batman and Nightwing are dealing with a new mysterious vigilante in Gotham known as the Red Hood.  This leads Batman to interactions with some of his greatest enemies, The Joker, Ra's Al Ghul and Black Mask.  Bruce Greenwood voices Batman this time around and truly does an amazing job.  If ever you need a replacement for Kevin Conroy, Bruce is the man.  Great story, violent, dark and full of emotion, Batman: Under the Red Hood will be very hard to top and is a must see animated movie for any super hero fan.

Thats it for my Top 10. Feel free to leave a comment below about which movie you liked the best or didnt like at all or check out the readers poll on the left side of your screen to vote for your favorite.   See the trailer below for a preview of the upcoming DC animated film - Justice League Doom:

DC Universe Classics - Toyman

Since i decided to start collecting DC Universe Classics action figures, it was my hope to complete the entire Legion of Doom team from the Challenge of the Super friends cartoon.  Of course, I needed help from the DC Superheroes toy line as well for Scarecrow and Bizarro since it was clear Mattel would not be releasing new version of these characters in the DCUC series.  (Bizarro did get re-released in a Masters of the Universe/DC Universe Classics Two Pack).  Once DCUC Wave 18 came out, it provided the final piece of the puzzle with the release of Toyman so lets take a look. 

There are a few version of Toyman in the comic books but this action figure is based on the Jack Nimball character from the 70's which actually didn't have that long of a run before being killed off.  On the back of the toy package however, it lists this Toyman as being "Percival Schott"

This version of Toyman has been given a the slightly taller and skinner body type which we have generally seen before on previous action figures like Deadman, Thaal Sinestro and The Creeper.

The paint job on this action figure is pretty crisp with only few minor muffs on the transition lines.  The top of Toyman's head is a dark blue which gets blended into his black mask.  We've sent his before but mostly on action figures with black hair, sometimes a blue highlight gets used. 

Close up, we see Toyman's slightly sadistic looking face.  Its well sculpted and painted.  Also the shoulder pads have a cool leathery look. 

Toyman's has the usual articulation that we've come to know with the DCUC toy line.  Joints in the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles.  This also includes the newer double elbow joints however he has not been given the double knee joints.  All joints are very free and full moving with no obstructions. 

In addition to the CNC piece of Apache Chief, Toyman comes with a spinning top bomb and a spiked giant yo-yo.  Both accessories fit very well in each of Toyman's hands. 

All in all, Toyman meets my expectations.  He comes with a couple of cool accessories, has better than average articulation and looks exactly like the Challenge of the Superfriends and comic book character I grew up with.  Good job on this one Mattel. 

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 8.5, Articulation - 9.5, Accessories - 8, Fun - 9

If you're looking to get a purchase a DCUC Toyman, check out eBay, by clicking here

If you're looking for any of the other members of the Legion of Doom:

Lex Luthor

Black Manta

Sinestro

Bizarro

Scarecrow

Riddler

Giganta

Gorilla Grodd

Solomon Grundy

Cheetah

Brainiac

Captain Cold

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review.  Be sure to visit our sponsors to keep us alive and also to check back for more news, info, previews and reviews of Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figure series. 

DC Universe Classics - Wave 18 announcement

New Pictures added (Feb 20, 2011)

DC Universe Classics Wave 18 rumors have been finally put to rest this past weekend at the 2011 Toy Fair in NYC and it turns out the, unconfirmed rumors of a "Super Friends" theme wave are partially true.   Mattel has not yet released any promo photos yet, but once they do, I will post them (Update: promo pics of these action figures have been added plus a picture from the 2011 Toy Fair posted below).  Here is the official CONFIRMED DCUC wave 18 line up.

From the Super Friends TV series in the 1980s, we have Samurai.

(cool looking sword accessory)

Also from the Super Friends TV series, Black Vulcan

looks as he has hand attachments similar to Red and Blue Superman from DC Universe Classics Wave 2

and again from the Super Friends, Eld Dorado

Unfortunately, by the looks of this pic and his closed fists, I'm guessing no accesories are included with Eld-Dorodo (I thought it was "El-Dorado??)

One of two non Super Friends action figures, Bronze Tiger with removable head (like Low and Maash from the DCUC Green Lantern Wave 1 set.)

So we get a removeable head plus it appears that Bronze Tiger is hold two weapons that are similar to Nightwing's Escrima sticks from DCUC Wave 3....However, in the picture below from Toy Fair, 2011, you'll notice he is holding a sword and a staff of some sort. 

And the other non Super Friends character, a modern version of Captain Boomerang

Hopefully he is comes with some Boomerangs at the very least. 

And at last, the final member of the Legion of Doom (if you include Bizarro and Scarecrow from the DC Superheroes toy line), Toyman.

A bit muscular for Toyman but none the less, glad he's finally coming.  He appears to come with both a yo-yo and spinning top accessory. 

The Collect and Connect action figure for DC Universe Classics wave 18 will be, no surprise here, Apache Chief (Still no pictures yet)

Edit: pic posted Feb 17, 2011

The rumors had suggested that we were getting a new Bizarro action figure in this set with an interchangeable Superman head as well as a Metallo figure in DCUC Wave 18 but those rumors have proven to be false. 

Can't say I'm too crazy about this announcement. Its hard to say who, in this set, is the main action figure in this set.  I will get Toyman to finish off my Legion of Doom collection and another Flash villain is more than welcomed with Captain Boomerang in my collection, but these other characters from the show are not appealing.  I will, in all likelihood skip the rest of this set.  This will give me more time to catch up on other DC Universe Classics action figures I've missed from previous sets.

Look for Wave 18 to make an appearance sometime in the fall of 2011. 

If you're looking to buy DC Universe Classics actions figures check out eBay by clicking here

DC Universe Classics - Cheetah

Its been a while since my last actual review of a specific DC Universe Classics action figures.  To be quite honest, DCUC Wave 12 and 13 havent exactly thrilled me but i do like some of the new wave announcement that Mattel will be bringing us soon.  One of the action figures I was waiting for eagerly, from wave 13 was Cheetah to help complete my "Legion of Doom" collection.  There are two variants, this will be a review on the classic Cheetah action figure. 

Here's a look at the packaging.  A nice change from the first 11 waves.  The back still gives you a breif character bio and pictures of other action figures in this wave.   

Very similar in size to the sculpts of the Catwoman figure from the Gotham City 5 pack and also to Harley Quinn from DCUC wave 2.  My biggest gripe about this sculpt is probably the really thin arms.  They can break if handled to roughly. 

All in all, a good job on this figures design.  Looks just like the Cheetah from the Superfriends cartoon IMO.

As mentioned, the picture belows shows similarities between the different sculpts of these charactors

Compared to Wonder Woman however, is a size difference of about half an inch. 

The paint job is very good.  There are some minor flaws on the eyes but not notifable unless you're closely

Cheetah's articulation is basically the same as the other figures Ive been comparing her to.  You have joints at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles.  Cheetah has an additional joint, at the tail. similar to the wrist joints and doesnt really add a whole lot of extra movement at all as the tail is still pretty stationary. 

Finally, we finish with accessories.  She does not come with any weapons or add ons. There is the Collect and Connect piece of Trigon's Leg and the collector's pin (see pic in package) but other than that, Cheetah lets her fists do the talking in a fight. 

Sculpt/Design: 7, Paint - 9.5, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 0, Fun - 7

 

 (Legion of Doom minus Toyman)

If you're looking to buy your very own Cheetah, i am a big fan of using eBay for these figures.  I have not seen one of these figures in my area since Wave 1 was released so, although its a bit pricier, i can find which ever Action Figure I want.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Cheetah on eBay, click here.