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Malk tells you what he thinks about Superman Vs. The Elite.
Superman Vs. The Elite is based on a pretty well-received comic called 'What's So Funny about Truth, Justice, and The American Way?' in which Superman had his morality questioned by paper-thin analogues of the characters of The Authority (who were themselves paper thin analogues of the Justice League except the kill people) with a little bit of John Constantine mixed in. People have criticized this for the fact that Superman having his morality question weakens Superman but I don't buy that. Superman is defined by his morality more than anything and if that can't be challenged you're cutting off the strength of his morality.
That said, the comic did end up giving us the Elite, originally meant to be a parody, have become what they parodied when they became a black ops branch of the Justice League. It's probably the nature of collaborative story telling but this happens all the time, like with Lobo and Magog the latter of which was basically meant to prove that the JLA is way cooler than those Image heroes that kill people.
That's a separate problem though, and this movie is actually better than the original comic and a lot of it comes to what the movie has time to do. In the original oversized issue The Elite just kind of show up and start barking orders about how the age of capes is over and yadda yadda. Here we have a lot more to do and we get to explore the Elite as characters that are less one-dimensional. It even works in the reverse of how most superhero team-ups with Superman initially thinking he's found new allies which turns to horror as he realizes what they are and what they're willing to do. In the original comic anyone who isn't Manchester Black is set-dressing and while that's not completely true here, they do have quirks and gimmicks that make them fun to watch.
Special mention goes to how Lois is used here. There are a lot of great interactions between Clark and Lois and it's a really solid post-wedding romance. Lois is incredibly likable and actually does things as opposed to being there to be rescued or as a prize. I wasn't very fond of the voice actress herself but the dialogue and interactions between the Clark and Lois are very charming.
That said, this movie isn't perfect. Some of the dialogue is pretty wonky, in particular the line 'They have microwave popcorn in your terror-ass country' which I still don't understand the reasoning behind. I mean the character who says it isn't established to like popcorn or anything. There's also the groan-worthy 'how's it feel to be deconstructed?' but I seem to remember that being in the original comic so I'll let it slide.
Overall though, it's a solid Superman story. Better movie than pretty much any of the live action ones. (unfortunately)
Comments
I don't remember the context for this.
But anyway, Superman vs The Elite has a pretty rocky start (To be honest, the fight with the Atomic Skull feels weird because Superman seems to be causing property damage just for the hell of it) but the ending is holy shit holy shit evil!superman's really fucking creepy
Also, I agree. I knew how it was all going to end, but I still got the chills because the performances were just that good.
^^Yeah, it was kind of weird but again I like that Superman and the Elite started on amiable terms. It gave the conflict a lot more weight.
Yeah, definetly. One of the highest points for me is the characterization for Manchester Black doesn't feel ultra-villanous so much as misguided. Not to say that his actions are forgiveable, but I found him strangely sympathetic, in a way. At first, anyway.
Basically I think in the big thing is that by giving them that background it feels a lot less like Joe Kelly just being angry at people for wanting killer superheroes.