[Review] Reign of the Supermen (2019)
Reign of the Supermen (2019) gives us look into life without the Man of Steel. This movie picks up six months after Superman’s legendary fight against Doomsday in The Death of Superman (2018), and we get to see how the world has handled losing him.
With Superman gone, someone was bound to rise up and try to take his place. Being the opportunist he is, Lex Luthor gets a jump on it and creates his own “Superman,” or shall I say, Superboy? Cameron Monaghan makes his DCAU debut playing Superboy, and he does a fantastic job. In the time Superman has been gone, four new Supermen have taken protecting Metropolis into their own hands. If you’ve read the comics, you’ll easily identify them as Steel, Eradicator, Superboy and Cyborg Superman. Is this some coincidence, or is something more sinister going on? That’s exactly what Lois Lane is working on, and she is determined to get to the truth.
Reign of the Supermen does an excellent job connecting all the Easter eggs planted in The Death of Superman. The pacing is slow through the first two acts, and it can drag a little, but it pays off nicely in the final act. There is a lot of information learned about who these new Supermen are and what the world has been like since Superman died. Although short, there are a few fight scenes in the first two acts with some amazing animation.
Darkseid makes a surprise cameo, and that’s when everything starts to pick up, as the plot has time to develop and everyone’s motives are revealed. It was really cool to see Darkseid reference his defeat from Justice League: War. Plus, a certain someone with a beautiful mullet makes an entrance and helps turn the tide against the evil Cyborg Superman.
I’m glad this film kept the same animation as the previous film, because it helps maintain the continuity. The animation was smooth like the film before it, and that helped create the awesome fight at the end of the movie.
The voice acting was good; Jerry O’Connell is easily my favorite to voice Superman. Tony Todd as Darkseid is still something I’m getting used to, and I’m not sure whether I like him. I love Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman: I think she captures the character excellently. Plus, the ice cream reference from Justice League: War was nice.
Overall, this is a good movie that unfortunately has a slow pace. In my opinion, it’s one you have to watch to understand future movies. While not as important as The Death of Superman, it contains some information that’s used in upcoming movies. It’s got some great action, amazing animation, and a solid voice cast. For those who are watching the DCAU chronologically, Batman: Hush (2019) is your next movie.
What are your thoughts on Reign of the Supermen? Do you think think it lived up to the expectations? If not, what would you have done differently? Let us know in the comments!
