Reign of the Supermen

Today’s quick review: Reign of the Supermen. Following the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday, four new heroes take up his mantle: Superboy (Cameron Monaghan), Steel (Cress Williams), the Eradicator (Charles Halford), and Cyborg Superman (Jerry O’Connell). Still grieving from her loss, Lois Lane (Rebecca Romijn) sets out to investigate the newcomers, find out their motives, and determine whether any of them are the man whose emblem they wear.

Reign of the Supermen is an animated superhero movie from DC Comics. The sequel to The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen picks up six months later as a quartet of new heroes tries to fill the void left by Superman’s passing. Like its predecessor, the movie features detailed animation, a tight story, and deft handling of a large cast of characters. Its solid craftsmanship and ingenuity make it a solid pick for fans of the superhero genre.

Reign of the Supermen accomplishes a surprising amount with its story. The premise seems arbitrary on paper, with no overarching plot to tie the four Supermen together. But Reign of the Supermen manages to cut one out of whole cloth, justifying the inclusion of each Superman with a well-considered origin story, giving each one a clear role in the story, and hooking the viewer’s interest until the true plot emerges from these little mysteries.

Reign of the Supermen’s solid storytelling extends beyond the four Supermen. Lois Lane steps up to the plate as the new protagonist, driving the investigation and serving an important role later in the film. The story works in both classic Superman characters like Lex Luthor (Rainn Wilson) and the version of the Justice League seen in DC’s other animated movies. There are plenty of characters, and Reign of the Supermen juggles them well.

Reign of the Supermen doesn’t disappoint when it comes to action, either. The extra Supermen running around let the film dip into fight scenes whenever it wants to, while late-game story developments broaden the scope of the action even more. Reign of the Supermen occasionally has to resort to clunky measures to keep its characters from resolving the wrong conflicts, but even these are handled as delicately as they can be under the circumstances.

Fans of the superhero genre with even a modest interest in animation will want to give Reign of the Supermen a shot. The movie’s sound judgment and robust craftsmanship let it tackle a difficult premise and succeed. Reign of the Supermen is not as self-contained or as emotionally moving as The Death of Superman, but it matches its predecessor’s high level of quality and makes for a worthy, thoroughly satisfying sequel.

7.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for an impressive story, plenty of action, and few real faults.