Product Description

Superman, about to finally divulge his identity and his feelings to Lois Lane, suddenly finds his mighty hands full when Brainiac, a powerful computer, bent on universal domination and Lex Luthor team up to defeat him. Armed with new weapons and a special strain of kryptonite infused in his body, Brainiac becomes the most powerful enemy The Man of Steal has ever faced. When Lois Lane is critically injured by a force beam that was intended for him, Superman must race into the mysterious Phantom Zone to find a cure. Brianiac, believing Superman to be dead, betrays Lex Luthor and begins his attack on the city of Metropolis and ultimately Earth. Will Superman survive the Phantom Zone in order to defeat his deadly foes, save Lois and Metropolis?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43296 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2006-06-20
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 75 minutes

Features

• Superman, about to finally divulge his identity and his feelings to Lois Lane, suddenly finds his mighty hands full when Brainiac, a powerful computer, bent on universal domination and Lex Luthor team up to defeat him. Armed with new weapons and a special strain of kryptonite infused in his body, Brainiac becomes the most powerful enemy The Man of Steal has ever faced. When Lois Lane is critically

Amazon.com
The direct-to-DVD animated feature Superman: Brainiac Attacks pits Superman against two of his longest-running foes: Lex Luthor and the robotic Brainiac. Luthor's scheme is to re-jigger Brainiac's configuration using a combination of Superman's DNA and a rare form of Kryptonite to make him an unstoppable weapon against the Man of Steel. Fans of TV's Superman: The Animated Series will be pleased to note the return of Tim Daly and Dana Delany, who reprise their roles as Superman and Lois Lane from the show, but hardcore Superman/Justice League Unlimited viewers may regret the loss of Clancy Brown's formidable performance as Luthor (who is voiced here by Powers Boothe), as well as Corey Burton as Brainiac (here handled by Lance Henriksen). Also missing is the series' adherence to its DC Comics origins and its serious tone, which here is blunted by Duane (The Batman, Jackie Chan Adventures) Capizzi's frothy script, which hews closer to a combination of the Superman films and broad comedy. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Quite possibly the single worst animated film of all time.
Unlike previous reviewers, I have actually gotten to see this mess, and let me just say that it is truly a disgrace to Superman: The Animated Series, and even writer Dwayne Capizzi's (of The Batman) other work.

When this was announced, and when the word came out that it would feature the original voice tallents for Superman and Lois (Tim Daly and Dana Delaney), fans of Superman and especially that wonderful and under-rated 90's cartoon show were estatic. Finally, this great version of Superman was getting his own animated movie!

Or so we thought.

As more details poured in, fans got more and more skeptical. Fan-favorite villains Lex Luthor and Braniac (Clancy Brown and Corey Burton) were recast. It was to be written by Dwayne Capizzi, of The Batman, an almost universally reviled anime-inspired version of the Dark Knight. What little pleasure that show ever had for me was in its kinetic animation, the writing was always atrocious and simplistic.

This is ten times worse. How this man can type out some of the lines in this movie is amazing. Lines like Lex Luthor saying "I'm happy! Oh, wait, no...I'm saaaaad!" or even telling Superman as he battles Brainiac "I'm rooting for you, my man!" is incredible. It's ten times more kiddie and stupid than any awful episode of The Batman.

The animation is rubbery and, for the most part, poor. Characters rarely look the same way in different scenes.

This DVD has been cropped to Fullscreen for some inexplicable reason since it was made in widescreen for a direct-to-video release.

I wont spoil details of the story for those who care, but suffice it to say that it makes the infamous movie "Batman and Robin" look absolutely brilliant.

All in all, this is not a movie, but a corporate product, perhaps an ad for the upcoming "Superman Returns" movie. Luckily, that film looks much better than this pile of garbage.

This is probably the last time that this version of Superman will be animated. Given the result, it makes it that much more sad.

Kicking a good man...
Not to jump on the band-wagon here, but I would have to agree with the other reviewers. Had I purchased this instead of waiting for the "free view" on Cartoon Network I would be of all men, most miserable. I absolutely love Batman, Batman Beyond, Superman and Justice League and this production was a huge disappointment. The Luthor and Braniac voices were awful...the story was weak...buy the second season of Justice League instead.

Questions and Answers for DC Animated Universe Completists...
You know who you are. You are the kind of person who is going to buy DVDs related to to Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe to have a complete collection of everything DCAU. Here are some questions that completists who have not seen Superman: Brainiac Attacks yet may ask themselves when thinking about whether or not to buy this DVD.

If you are not a geek feel free to ignore this review.

Q: All the reviews say it's really bad, but internet critics are ALWAYS unnessecarily harsh. Is it really THAT bad?

A: Yes, it is. Static Shock's "Hoop Squad" has always been widely considered the single worst thing to come out of the DCAU ever. This is only marginally related to the DCAU and it is roughly twenty times worse. Sixty if you consider it's 22 minute running time one of "Hoop Squad"'s virtues. It is a pile of dried monkey vomit.

Q: But I want a complete DCAU collection!

A: The movie only uses character designs and some of the voices from the old Superman cartoon but it flatly contradicts things that have come before in the DCAU. Lex Luthor and Brainiac act INCREDIBLY out of character (buffoonish and melodramatic respectively) and the movie is at complete odds with how the Fortress of Solitude and Phantom Zone are portrayed on the old show.

Q: CAN it fit into the DCAU if I REALLY tried to make it?

A: I suppose you could come up with explainations for everything and wedge it into it if you really wanted to but it fits about as well as Teen Titans and Krypto the Superdog. Only those two cartoons are cool.

Q: Is Bruce Timm or any of the major creative forces of the DCAU involved?

A: None of the major creators are involved. It is written by Dwayne Capizzi of The Batman fame.

Q: Is it considered official canon by the fans or the creators?

A: The is a near-consensus of DCAU fans who don't believe it can fit. The DTV's writer, The Batman's Duane Capizzi has stated in an interview that it is NOT in continuity with the DCAU, probably in a desperate attempt to get people to keep an open mind about this abomination. Or as I said, monkey vomit.

Q: Well, even if it ISN'T DCAU I plan to buy every single cartoon DVD related to a DC property ever so where should I put it on my priorities list?

A: After The Batman season sets, Superfriends season sets, and the movie Scooby Doo Meets Batman but BEFORE The Batman or Superfriends single disc releases.

Q: Hey, The Batman isn't THAT bad. In fact, Duane Capizzi wrote The Batman versus Dracula and that was pretty cool.

A: Any talent Capizzi showed in the Dracula movie is missing here. Brainiac Attacks is worse than almost every episode of The Batman.

Q: Does the DVD at least come with any interesting extras?

A: Only a batch of trailers that can be found on both the superior Superman: The Animated Series Volume Three and Justice League Season Two sets. You'll be better off buying those.

Q: Sigh. Well, shouldn't I buy this anyways? Justice League Unlimited has been cancelled and there are no new real DCAU projects in the pipeline. Won't skipping this just send a message to Warner Bros. Animation that nobody ever wants to see new DCAU material again?

A: There is no easy answer for this. It's the ultimate no-win scenario for DCAU fans. If we DON'T buy it we may never see any new DCAU stuff again. If we DO buy it, it sends a message to Warner Home Video that they can release sub-standard DCAU related stuff with no imput from the creative forces that made it great. I reccommend using your money to buy the season sets of Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond and Justice League. It will tell WHV there is still a huge audience for this franchise without letting them think they can get away with quicky cheap-o releases designed for four year olds who frankly have much better children's programming options. And to be honest, if the only new "DCAU" projects we get in the future are on the same level as Brainiac Attacks I would just rather not see anything new from this franchise.