User reviews

Let me start by saying, what they did right. The whole tone of the movie is spot on. I think whoever read the comic book series will agree. The animation is great, the story is a great one. But it is all way too rushed. If you have read the comics you will get this movie, but everyone else - I imagine - will have a hard time following the whole story. They should have made this a 2 part movie or a 90 minutes feature to get a little more of a developing story. The events from the comics are all cramped into just 75 minutes. Take away the credits and it is even less. Not much room to tell the story. Still, it is quite good, but i have to judge it like a viewer who has never read the comics, that are basis to this films, So I can only reward 6 stars. Too rushed, too much left out. Sorry, could have been a fantastic - probably one of the best - superman animations, but it fell (literally) short. Missed out on the chance of making the best Superman movie ever.

Media seems obsessed with the Death of Superman. He had a death in Superman Returns, a death in "Superman Doomsday" and now another death in the animated adaptation of Grant Morrison's "All Star Superman" comic book. A seemingly successful rescue of a Dr Quintum's mission to the Sun has saturated Superman's cells with too much solar energy. This is causing rapid cellular deterioration which would eventually lead to his death. With time running out for the man of steel, Superman sets about to put all his affairs in order before he goes while continuing to defend the earth against threats from within and without.

From the get go, All Star Superman feels like a multi episode TV series compressed into a single movie. But really, that is more the fault of the original source material which in fact was meant to be 12 seemingly standalone stories with some of the plot points finally "coming together" in the final issues. While this worked for a bi-monthly comic book series, it does not have the similar effect as an animated movie. Here the film just feels unfocused and rushed, cramming what is supposed to be a year's worth of events into 70 odd minutes. For example, a single fade out later and superman returns to earth after a couple of months to find it take over by a bunch of long lost Kryptonians. An episodic miniseries would have been a better medium to convey the full feel of the original story.

Thankfully The production team's faithfulness to the source material is not entirely a shortcoming. The animated movie not only sticks to the "self-contained stories" format but also the well developed personalities and timeless characterization. Everyone is perfectly cast, bringing the characters to live in a very natural way. James Denton's Superman/Clark Kent is possibly the most lovable incarnation second only to Christopher Reeves's live action portrayal. The loyal script and top notch acting imbues Superman with just the right level of noble superhuman grandeur mixed with a down to earth homely touch. He is the hero, and the farm boy at the same time. Similarly, Clark Kent's oafish demeanor is comedic yet sincere; his interview with Lex Luthor and subsequent escape from the prison riot caused by a supervillian's escape is possibly the most fun part of the entire movie.

Here is another strength of All Star Superman. It is not a brainless hero brawl like Superman/Batman nor is it as dark and edgy as Batman: Under The Red Hood. The story plays out more like a character centered drama that is not afraid to tickle the audience with a few lighthearted moments. The main cast is given great depth and development as we get to know their reasons for doing what they do. Even Luthor gets a heart wrenching moment once you find out that the reason behind his hatred of Superman goes much deeper than just "because he foiled my plans".

Special mention goes to Christopher Drake's soundtrack which is by far his best work. His music covers a great range, bringing out the best in the scenes it complements; it is grand, emotional and magical. One might go so far as to say that his score here is actually better than Shirley Walker's stuff from the 90s Superman Animated series, just slightly behind John Williams. (In what is possibly a nod to "The Mummy", the music takes on a very Egyptian Gothic style with the appearance of antagonist Bar-El played by Arnold Vosloo, who also played the main antagonist of "The Mummy".)

There is action, not to worry, a good deal of it. Moi Studios once again perform animation duties, maintaining the smooth character movements seen in their previous productions; smoother than Japanese anime at least and without animation short-cuts. While some backgrounds appear lackluster, The production team's faithfulness to the source material is seen in the character designs which is a slightly streamlined version of Frank Quintley's artwork. Too bad the painted colors by Jamie Grant have been replaced with a very "standard" color palate. The colors here look exactly the same as........as every single DC animated production featuring Superman.

It seems like a farce that the movie stuck so closely to the comic going to great lengths to even replicate whole scenes perfectly yet cut out and streamline a fair bit of material. Perhaps Warner Premiere and Bruce Timm might consider a "directors cut" in which they go back and animate the rest of those scenes like the Bizzaro world, or the visit by Superman from the future. At least the plot threads established throughout the movie are woven together nicely in the end.

There are two ways to see this movie. One is that this movie is a "All Star Superman lite": a bite sized version of the great graphic novel for the uninitiated which will hopefully entice them to pick up the miniseries (now available in trade paperback form and an "Absolute" collectors edition). The other way is that it is meant to cheese off the long time fans so that the fans will go around saying "the comic is better" and in the end help to drive up publicity for the comic. Both ways, a perfect win-win situation for DC.

Try to enjoy this movie as it is. Of the scenes that were not cut out in production, revel in its loyalty to the original comic. It covers the full range of comedy to tragedy, heroic to humble, life to death.

All-Star Superman is one of the most popular Superman stories there is. For some Grant Morrison fans it borders on being a sacred text. And as is the way with sacred texts, any deviation from the 'word' borders on blasphemy; however, in this case those fans have a point. Morrison (and artist Frank Quitely) crafted a deeply layered work. Morrison loves the more 'goofy' Silver Age of comics and it shows, but beneath all the 'wacky stuff' (dinosaur men??) is a narrative that's interwoven with the book's structure. Originally running twelve issues published over two volumes, each issue or chapter reflects a specific time of year and/or hour of the day (interviews with Morrison regarding this make interesting reading). Unfortunately, because of the necessity to edit the whole thing down to a 70 minute running-time much of that structure - along with many scenes and therefore continuity - is lost. The result is we're left with a series of what sometimes appear to be random incidents that head-scratchingly don't quite tie together. That said, the voice actors do an first-rate job, as do the illustrators/animators in recreating the feel of Quitely's artwork. And the story is still definitely a touching one. Overall, 7/10

All-Star Superman is the latest animated feature from DC Comics, based off the comic book series of the same name by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. It is the seventh featuring Superman, that's including the Superman/Batman and Justice League movies. Eighth if you count the short film with Shazam. The comic, not part of the regular continuity, features Lex Luthor overdosing Superman with solar radiation so that the Man of Steel will die. Superman then goes on a quest to leave the world in a better place than when he left it.

Though I have not actually read the series this video is based off, I love Superman. I've read the comics, watched the series, bought the movies, and even listened to a few of the old radio programs.

The movie is a different version of the Superman character, much like the comics. The movie starts off with him realizing that he's dying and that Lex Luthor killed him. This is the first time since Superman: Doomsday that he's had to face the idea of his own mortality. Much of the movie focuses on the drama of the characters dealing with his impending demise. Though there are plenty of action sequences thrown in just to keep you entertained.

The voice cast does a good job. The voices of Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor are all terrific. Though I'll always hear the voices of Tim Daley, Dana Delany, and Clancy Brown when I read the comics.

The animation is great. One of my complaints about these animated features has always been that the animation was too close to Bruce Timm's Justice League. So it's nice to see that they're moving on in that aspect.

Sadly, this video left very much to be desired. Not that it was outright bad. It just should have been better.

The main problem with the movie is that it's too episodic. Watching it I felt I could tell where one comic book ended and another began. I understand that it is based off a specific comic book series, but then again so were Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: The New Frontier, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, and Batman: Under the Red Hood and those all seemed to work fine as a straightforward movie.

A resulting problem is that many of these episodes don't help the main story at all. I've read that the comics feature a lot more episodes and the producers cut them down. Honestly, they should have cut it down more. Take for instance the episode with Parasite. On it's own the scene was quite entertaining, especially seeing Clark try to save people without revealing his identity. However, afterward I found myself asking why they bothered with this segment. It added virtually nothing to the story of Superman dying. The scenes with Atlas and Samson are similarly unneeded.

There was only one thing about the movie that I hated. In one early episode Superman is able to grant Lois his powers for one day. For once she can do all the things he can. So what do they do? They fly to Metropolis where she watches him save the day, without doing anything just like she's always shown doing. I kept waiting for her to shoot heat beams, use freeze breath, or beat up some bad guy. Sadly this moment is wasted as they set up something later in the movie.

Just as a general complaint about these animated movies, I'm getting a little tired of always seeing Superman and Batman. As I said, it's the eighth movie with Superman while Batman has eleven with a twelfth on the way. While I do like Superman, I would like to see some other characters too. I loved Wonder Woman and Green Lantern: First Flight, but neither are getting sequels (GL: Emerald Knights is sort of a sequel but not really). I know they've had trouble getting another live action Superman movie off the ground, but must they flood the animated market with him? It's kind of like Marvel Animations obsession with putting the Hulk in everything. While I enjoy Superman, Batman, and Hulk, the animated film medium is the perfect venue to explore lesser known characters that don't have several live action movies.

Overall, the film simply does not flow as a cohesive whole. Fans of the All-Star comics may enjoy that it was adapted, or complain about what wasn't adapted. Superman fans will probably enjoy the different take on the character that the movie explores. But from a film audience point of view, it is too disconnected from itself to be truly enjoyable.

When I read the comic, it felt like it came out in the 60s to end Superman stories that started in the 40s even though it came out in the mid 2000s. It was a collection of vignettes that is supposed to show everything Superman is supposed to be drawn out in a nostalgic light. That version of it wasn't very appealing to me. This movie version, event though still vignettes, feels a little bit more connected than when I read the comics years ago, so it was at least entertaining enough and I guess knowing what it is going to be helped make it less annoying.

But what is it with the character design. I'm pretty sure Superman didn't look as creepy in the comics. Whenever there was a close up shot, it was too weird.

All-Star Superman is a real standout movie within the animated DC films, with an outstanding voice cast this one really surprised me but not entirely in a good way.

It tells the story of our hero becoming poisoned with excessive quantities of radiation from the sun and slowly dying. He sets about getting his affairs in order before he breathes his last breath.

With a host of other DC villians including Lex Luthor (Duh!) we see several mini-stories to keep Kal busy until his final moments.

The story is well done, heartfelt and enjoyable but at the same time badly flawed in places and left me scratching my head.

It just felt like the creators went into business for themselves, throwing much of the lore out and just writing whatever they wanted like a bad piece of fan fiction.

Make no mistake I found the oddly titled All-Star Superman to be watchable but I think it spread itself too thin considering how much it tackles and the magnitude of the story they are trying to tell.

The cast do however do a fantastic job including the criminally underrated Anthony LaPaglia as Luthor.

The Good:

Hell of a voice cast

Nice story

The Bad:

Too big a story for its run time

Pretencious finale

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Storing things that can kill you makes perfect sense, destroying them would be silly

Kryptonian formalwear is the same as casual just with a hood

I want super powers for my birthday as well!

My favorite DC animated movie to date, based off of one of the better Superman comic book stories from the last decade. Dwayne McDuffie does a great job of translating Morrison's work to the screen. A few things are changed and some parts omitted for time. One of the complaints I've seen from other reviewers is that it feels too rushed. I can understand that criticism. Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns was four issues yet was given a two-part animated adaptation, clocking in at about two and a half hours combined. All-Star Superman was twelve issues yet this adaptation only clocks in at seventy-six minutes. It would have been nice had they given it more time, but I think they did good with the time they had. It moves at a brisk pace and, while there are a few small parts from the series I would have liked to see included, they did capture all of the big moments well. I watched it recently with a friend who has never read the comics. She enjoyed the movie a lot and had no complaints, so perhaps this is simply a problem among fans. Anyway, I would recommend you check out the comic series also, if you haven't already. Even if you're not a comic book reader you should enjoy it.

I love animation and superhero movies, and thought that All-Star Superman would be a good combination. Sadly for me All-Star was a real disappointment. It is not completely irredeemable, the animation is great, full of detail and atmosphere and the music is a contender for being the best asset of the film being powerfully orchestrated and emotionally resonant. There are two good voice actors, Anthony LaPaglia who does a superb job as Luthor giving the character a certain menace and intelligence and Ed Asner whose Perry is every bit as effective. But the story is a huge let down. The telling of the story feels rushed and disjointed in trying to cram in lots of situations and characters and sadly not giving any depth to them. The Kryptonians just pop out of nowhere and their story is far too brief. Lois is also written in a very stereotypical high-school-girl sort of manner. The pacing on top of that feels lethargic due to lack of any real excitement, the action sequences just don't have any sort of momentum. The script completely lacks the sharp and incisive quality that make the best DC movies, instead coming across as bland. Likewise with the characters. Of the voice work only LaPaglia and Asner stand out, James Denton is too monotone and also too sly and stern for Superman, and Christina Hendricks can't or doesn't do anything with Lois. Overall, a huge disappointment, could and should have been much more. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I can honestly say that this take on the superman story is the best iv'e ever seen. both emotionally and suspense wise the movie fully delivers on all fronts. Iv'e been away from superman the comic for quiet some time - but have seen all of the DC movie material that have been available, but non of the other renditions of Supermans story comes close to this one - This knowing that most of the material is from Morrison's: All Star Superman Comic series - the movies overall style is true to the Comic version with bright colors, light humor and great scenes.

The Drawing are fabulous reminding me of the Japanese Anime style, at some points but still with a strong American pen style, voice overs are very good and believable, poses etc. are just wow - there's simple so many good moments in this Movie that its hard not to get surprised on every new picture frame. At one point i was thinking: " all this goodness must end soon" but no the movie kept going on with some new cool stuff to marvel over. i guess this movie has all the trademarks of good old solid craftsmanship, teamwork and love towards the superman legacy - witch are very visible when handling old classic elements from other alternative superman comic stories that have been weaved nicely into the story.

end note: i felt a closure to the superman epos, witch was nice.

This is the superman i want to remember..

thank you DC for making this possible

I can appreciate that they did a comic book story on the big screen, just feels like cramming a few storylines into a short time didn't pan out that well. Lex Luthor is a badass though, and I wish that we can one day see a live action version of this Lex!

This story is a little strange but it's also really interesting. The romance between Superman and Lois is actually touching. Some characters and scenes feel random but at least it's all entertaining and enjoyable to watch.

All-Star Superman(2011) is a movie in my DVD collection that I recently rewatched on HBOMAX. The storyline follows Superman as he just completes a mission that got him too close to the sun causing him to start dying from an overload of power. He unveils his plans for life after Superman and how his inventions and beliefs can still protect the world from super villains like Luther. Leave it to Luther to test those plans. This movie is directed by Sam Liu (Batman: The Killing Joke) and contains the voices of James Denton (Face/Off), Christina Hendricks (The Neon Demon), Anthony LaPaglia (So I Married an Ax Murderer), Ed Asner (Elf) and Obba Babatundé (How High). The animation in this, much like the graphics of the amazing comic, are perfect - really cutting edge and beautiful. The depiction of the aliens and monsters are so fascinating and well done. The action scenes with Luther and Superman together and versus the aliens/monsters are excellent. The ending gives you the perfect showdown and triumphs. This movie itself isnt perfect but it is very entertaining and worth a viewing. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

Watching animation doesn't have to be all about storyline, time line or which "universe" this exists in. This was a fun story and they told it well enough to keep me entertained. In the end this may be just a one off type movie. No sequel, no prequel and a lot of mini stories wrapped into 1 movie. That is fine with me. It was enjoyable to see all the different mini-verse story lines..where it could go, where it came from. I sat back and just had fun with it. If you go into this expecting some revealing craziness that you don't know about Superman you will be disappointed. If you just go into it looking for a good movie to watch with your kids and maybe remember when you were a kid, this is a good one.

I have to say this is the best Superman portrayal I've ever seen and a very emotional one too. Really. I was left speechless at the end. This is how Superman is and should be. Towards the end, I was getting emotional. Just for that alone, I'm giving it a 5 out of 5. Now, some may complain that there were too many characters, but THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BE! Were there beings like this in the world, that's probably how things would go. Also a really great portrayal of Superman as Clark Kent, and fun to see how he switches between the two in some scenes. The animation is well, done, though at times, I felt like the detail was a bit off, and if we were really to hit it home, the animation might've had more of an impact, but that's not taking away anything from the movie for me. Voices were also really well done, especially Superman's, because it makes him seem a lot more like a hero with the gentle, calm voice, and Luthor a vain intelligent evil man (as well as other characters who the read should find out for himself). The dialogue is EXCELLENTLY done! Very smart dialogue. Very characteristic of the character saying the dialogue. Absolutely great. The interaction between Superman and Lex Luthor when they did happen were also really well done and intriguing. Part of the emotional impact this movie had was the real feeling of heroism you felt from Superman - like I said, how Superman should be. And of course, the ending, which had so many things to it that were emotional, from pretty much every single character in the movie (like seriously! even one of the robots!) So yeah, definite 5/5 from me and the best Superman movie I've ever seen so far.

It was so stupid it simply made me laugh the whole time. If this is supposed to be a plot... Somehow I felt like it was made by those guys who made Family Guy, it's just so random. No structure just things happening. I really thought about turning it off but then there came another funny text oder situation. You will really see some strange things in here. Someone tries to steal sunlight, lizard-people attacking the city but no one cares! Strength contest between superheroes next, than there is a violet vagina faced monster, Lois can fly, miniature city under glass, Superman is dying, other Kryptnonians appear but it's as unimportant as all things that happened before, Superman leaves his key to his secret base in front of his door and who wonders? The enemies take the key and enter the base! Just so many incredibly stupid superficial situations it is just horrible and funny at the same time. This is my favorite quote:"What do you feed him?" "Suns. Little ones I make here on my cosmic anvil" For all in all I would give this movie really no more than 1 point but the animation and the music were good, and it kept me laughing but at the other side it's not intended this way. So if you like a good superhero movie don't watch it. If you like stupid funny things you may go on and watch it.

A nice, beautiful film with a lot of Kryptonian essence, knowing how to shape many pages of comics and thus take you through an animated experience. All-Star Superman has its great moments, references and exceptional reflective messages. Once again, director Sam Liu did a great job. Honestly adapting the All-Star comic is complicated, but here it is done justice in many scenes of the film.

If you are a Superman fan, this tape is for you, adding other aspects of the alien that many people are unaware of. Here you get the plus of getting to know the character, entering into a conversation practically with him, with the aim of connecting with the story and having a better experience.

The film encompasses a reflective message about true love, justice, truth, compassion, friendship, the bond with your past, the relationship with your parents, personal growth, the legacy of a death, the importance of society and what they think of you, knowing a life from the eyes of that person, the responsibility to possess powers and above all to provide for your loved ones.

It has a good animation with great fluidity in the action scenes. In addition, a drawing pattern with noticeable changes unlike its predecessors. The color tint adds a lot of life to the film, adding the essence of the meaning of the colors of both Superman and the villains present.

The connection between Clark Kent and Lois Lane here is well shaped. Having a decent start and a more than remarkable improvement. The importance of the journalist in the life of the Kryptonian is fundamental and vital. Likewise, we also have memorable scenes about the change from Clark to Superman, having a formidable support and that encourages the greatness of the character.

Lex Luthor is well written, well worked and well executed. The villain's personality shines in every scene, reflecting his expressions, actions and/or motives. A Luthor who doesn't disappoint on the big screen.

We have incredible scenes, very well-planned battles and interesting action. This dispute between Lex and the Iron Man is phenomenal as it demonstrates the villain's superiority over Superman's emotional instability and power for each of the events he has had in such a short time.

The human side of Superman/Clark Kent here says present. The way he says goodbye to his parents, Jhonatan Kent and Martha Kent, is sublime. The sentimental side to Lois, his kindness to his relatives and the way he treats his Kryptonian robots is applauding.

A film that has the true meaning of Superman from another narrative approach, but that is worth it. Of course it has its disadvantages, but the experience is unique, may be better raised by the plots it possesses, but it deserves its chance.

6.5/10.

I am a professed Lover of animated storytelling. Despite this fact, I found this to be a particularly weak and incoherent attempt.

I am not familiar with the All Star Superman graphic novels, but I'm certain they must be much better than this. I have the distinct impression they were trying to cover way to much content in too little time. The result of which is simply awkward. This is an unfamiliar Superman, which in itself is fine and good, but to have so many exploits and with so little quality time engage in this arc, just felt empty.

I'm sure if you ara a fan of Superman in any manifestation, you can find something to Love about this production. No doubt you will be entertained, provided you can see no fault in your idol. But for the rest of us, nothing doing. I could find no connection with this tale. If you are a fan of the iteration of the animated Superman, be wary, because this is just not the same. This is the cheap soap opera version.

Right, well I can't really claim to have had any expectations to the 2011 DC animated movie "All-Star Superman", because it is an animated superhero movie. And I don't have much of an interest in the superhero genre. But I still sat down to watch "All-Star Superman", despite being 8 years too late.

First of all, I must say that I am very tired of watching Clark Kent reveal to Louis Lane that he is Superman in almost every single animated Superman movie out there. It is wearing mighty thin and annoying, and it just ticks me off as there is no continuity to these DC animated movies. They are all just stand alone movies that individually change things from the movie before it. Annoying, irritating and downright ridiculous.

With that being said, I will say that the 2011 "All-Star Superman" animated movie was actually enjoyable to watch - once you get past the revealing of Superman's secret identity yet another time. The storyline in this DC animated movie was quite good. Well, aside from the two random superheroes that popped up to challenge Superman to contests and the two Kryptonians that also just randomly popped up.

The animation style and art style seen in "All-Star Superman" was actually good and had a very unique touch to it. I enjoyed that quite a lot. And the voice acting performed in this DC animated movie was also quite good.

All in all, the 2011 "All-Star Superman" animated movie is well worth sitting down to watch. And I am rating it six out of ten stars.