Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006 Video) User Reviews

What a Shame....

[lostangel-2 · 5/10 · 17 June 2006]

The previews for this movie made it seem to be good, but the one thing I saw that was lacking, was how they portrayed Luthor. They made him out to be some kind of wuss. They had him making lame jokes, and scared how his image would be if his satellite destroyed Superman. This only gets a 5 because Superman was again voiced by Tim Daly and The rest of the original cast had returned. With the exception of Luthor and the voice of Brainiac. Who was making cheap cracks and smirking which I found a bit odd. I was going to buy this on DVD but I'll stick with the cartoon network airing.

That is all

What was WB thinking

[tshodan · 5/10 · 3 July 2006]

Does the WB really believe as Kevin Smith has said, that their only goal is to sell toys? First off then they should have made better toys from the Superman movie, most of the new ones bite, but even worst was the audacity to make this film.

It was nice to have Tim Daly back on cast, and the Clark - Lois, Superman - Lois relationship was handled well, but who agreed to recast all the other voices??? Don't get me long, I'm a fan of Tara Strongs work, but she missed the Mercy role big time. And Brainic sounded, well kind a sad , but Worste of all (the movie destroyer) was a recast of Lex Luther from Clancy Brown to Powers Boothe. I mean he does a good job on Grodd, but as Luther??? He obviously ad-libs the dialog making Luther into some kind of sad Metrosexual idiot. "let's have a Luah" when he believes Superman to be dead for instance, Lex would never suggest such a thing. He would be more like, "Send the Planet and Miss Lane my deepest regrets and get my Causal Suit ready, we will need to throw a party to unveil my newest plan." If you are a Lex Luther fan, this movie will make you cry in embarrassment.

"Time to log off."

[DarthBill · 6/10 · 13 July 2006]

Plot in a nutshell - set in what is not apparently in sync with the rest of the DCAU continuity established by Bruce Timm, we find that Superman (voiced again by Tim Daly, who was missing in action for Justice League, where Superman was voiced by George Newbern) has decided he should tell Lois Lane (Dana Delany) his secret, but Brainiac (exit Corey Burton, enter Lance Henriksen) is back and has allied himself with Lex Luthor (exit Clancy Brown, enter Powers Boothe who did the voice of Gorilla Grodd on Justice League) to destroy Superman and take over the world. Lois is infected by a strange virus, and Superman must venture into the Phantom Zone to find the cure. Will he make it back in time to thwart Brainiac? Not as horrible as everyone says, but this direct to DVD feature, undeniably a marketing tool to help promote "Superman Returns", did make some serious mistakes. The most noticeable mistake was the decision to replace Clancy Brown with Powers Boothe as the voice of Lex Luthor and, even worse, the decision to play Luthor as an over the top ham like Gene Hackman instead of playing him as a real villain. Boothe was a good Grodd on "Justice League", but he's a poor substitute for Brown when it comes to Lex Luthor. Lance Henriksen's not as bad as Brainiac, but his performance is harmed by making wisecracks that Brainiac had not made when he was voiced by Corey Burton and by the usual suspects of Bruce Timm and his cronies. That leads to the other mistake - not using Bruce Timm, who all these long, undoubtedly lonely years has devoted himself to carving out the DCAU. While this feature isn't full blown terrible, it's weak in certain places that it probably would not have been if Bruce and his henchmen had been in the driver's seat, such as Superman's analysis at the end of why it's okay for him to be around Lois no matter what kind of insanity surrounds them (reportedly the feature was written by one of the writers for "The Batman").

Still, it was good to hear Tim Daly doing Superman's voice again, even if he did get saddled with unflattering dialogue. Nothing against George Newbern, as George got a lot better as "League" went along, but like I said, it's always good to hear Daly's Superman. It's also always good to hear Dana Delany as the voice of Lois Lane, and she probably got some far worse lines than Daly did here. Animation was well done for the most part with the Phantom Zone, and the Superman VS. Brainiac fights, especially half-way through and at the end when Superman is fighting the giant mecha-Brainiac, were well staged.

Probably will appeal more to little kids than the older fans who grew up with Bruce Timm's stuff.

Disgraceful....

[JaySandlin86 · 18 June 2006]

(Spoilers)

For over ten years now, the DCAU has provided us with the most quality superhero entertainment outside of a comic book. Fans who haven't been reading about these iconic heroes for years can easily dive right into the shows and not be lost, yet the shows still maintain a constant continuity throughout any adaptation. From Batman: TAS, Superman: TAS, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited, we have been allowed to follow these heroes throughout adventures that not only grow more exciting year after year, but we have witnessed relationships that have had time to grow year after year. I believe that this movie is a major disappointment in the Superman AU. Nothing was resolved, no characters were changed, and the environment our characters live in is found to be identical to when we came in. This movie was billed as a final confrontion for Superman and Brainiac and the final revelation concerning Superman's secret identity. I grew excited when I learned Superman would reveal his identity, after all, I believe the show is the only medium where he hadn't yet. And, once he did reveal it, I felt a sense of relief. I was glad she knew. Then, when it was revealed he had only expressed his identity to a phantom lois, I was disappointed. Since when has the phantom zone been a place where your greatest desire comes true? That's Mongul's area! Also, Superman already went to the Phantom Zone before, during TAS, and he should've known what to expect. Then Superman apparently changes his mind about revealing his identity for no apparent reason. I found this whole thing to be out of whack with characters, plots, and continuity. I would like to say thank you for getting my hopes up and giving me rubbish. I imagine this movie was made in haste to cash in on the new Superman movie. Don't waste any money on this.

Action packed and funny.

[moviefan1725-1 · 6/10 · 20 June 2006]

Of course this movie was made to capitalize on the release of Superman Returns. What's wrong with that? I say...nothing. Brainiac Attacks is a fun and fast moving adventure story. The epic battles are truly fun to watch. The animation is the same as you see on the animated series, and on Justice League. Tim Daly returns as the voice of Clark/Superman, as does Dana Delany as Lois. Lance Henricksen takes on the role of Brainiac, and while he may not have the smooth coolness the character used to have, his gravelly voice is menacing nonetheless, and he does a great job. If I have one complaint about the movie, it's with Lex Luthor. He's not the same character he used to be. He's far more aloof, and even a bit of a clod. He's not as menacing, and seems to go for the joke too often. He does get a couple of good lines, however. During a huge battle with Brainiac, Superman ends up face to face with Lex who gives him a "Rootin' for ya, my man!". That was quite funny. But it's not Clancy Brown who reprises his role as Lex. Powers Boothe takes over, and while he's a good actor, he's not really right for Lex. He does a serviceable job, but it would have been MUCH better with Brown. So if you are a fan of the animated series, there is much to enjoy here. Unless of course, you can't get around the whole Lex thing. It's a good rent.

Pretty good...

[TerminalMadness · 7/10 · 20 June 2006]

"Superman: Braniac Attacks" is an interesting effort from the DCU, and without a doubt a tie-in with the upcoming "Superman Returns" even featuring interesting foreshadowing that's meant for fun. But, the true glory of this film is that Tim Daly returns! Out of all the animated voices for Superman, Daly is my favorite mainly because he provides a humility that a god-like individual like Superman needs to have. While I thought George Newbern was great, Daly is the man I grew to enjoy, and he's back yet again, and this time Clark is re-considering confessing his secret to Lois. But when Lex and Braniac team up to create the ultimate weapon to defeat Superman, he must save Metropolis once more and discover a cure for Lois who is infected by Braniac.

Gladly, the welcome refreshing course is also aided by the talents of Dana Delany, the definitive voice of Lois Lane as the spunky and brave reporter. "Braniac Attacks" has the same wide-eyed enthusiasm as the series, the wide-eyed enthusiasm Timm couldn't grasp, and evidently, the writers were approaching the same fantastic experience to make way for the upcoming film, and I didn't mind it. The script dares to have more fun with Superman and his powers, and the audience gets to watch him make use of his abilities with a wider spectrum. One highlight of which is seeing Superman enter the Phantom Zone, Superman struggling to leave the Phantom Zone, and we even get to witness an effect we never saw in the animated series. Superman uses his x-ray vision to see Lois' beating heart, and the infection coursing through her blood stream. A wonderful use of x-ray vision, and his redundant microscopic vision. Superman is superman here. Powerful, determined, and center square.

Sadly, though, as much as I didn't want to admit it, this felt awfully empty, and not because Timm was gone, but because there was really nothing to it. Superman is Superman, and Lex and Braniac team up. It's the same themes we saw throughout the end of the "Justice League" Series, and we see it here, too. Though the film takes place before "Justice League" continuity, and this is intended as foreshadowing to future team-ups we'd see in the former series, it's really nothing but more of the same plot we saw in the last seasons of the "Justice League" series involving cadmus and whatnot. So, with this alliance, we have the awkward, and I do mean awkward, alliance of Lex and Braniac that I've seen played with much more grace. And that's due primarily to the wholly inconsistent characterization presented without much shame.

One of the many inconsistencies is that Lex is a sniveling, spineless, comedic presence, a complete departure from any of the variations on the character and a most unwelcome change. Lex is a man among a god challenging him, not some worm. Also Mercy is annoying and becomes nothing but a Harley Quinn clone who sits around waxing sarcastic to Lex, and has a ridiculously forgettable sub-plot where she trades flirts with Jimmy Olsen. In the series, Mercy was a hard-boiled, street tough, vicious body guard who must have been in the mid-thirties, but oddly the writers feel compelled to make her in her mid-twenties, and not very useful to her employer. And, you expect me to believe Jimmy could sneak into Lex's labs without being spotted? Give me a break. Worst of all, Lois is reduced to nothing but a lovelorn teenager who sighs and gazes wide-eyed at Superman's presence and gets herself into trouble. I'm aware this film disconnects from continuity, but did they really have to back step character progress? So, Superman is back in animated form, and I couldn't be happier. True, there are many bumps along the road in terms of characterization, and some of it feels empty, but I had fun, and it was great to see the actors voicing these great characters once again. Would I buy it? No, but as a passing experience I'd definitely recommend it. Bring on "Superman Returns"!

Superman Brainiac Attacks: Feature length television episode

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 28 December 2017]

Animated by the same people who created the Superman animated television series we see our infinetly square jawed hero face off against a very poor looking Braniac.

In this very family friendly affair Superman must tangle with Braniac, a Lex Luthor scheme and deciding whether he can tell Lois his secret.

With an old school 1970's Superman soundtrack this almost feels nostalgic but is let down by it's excessive cutesy'ness and seven shades of generic.

The film has the vocal talents of the recently deceased Powers Booth and the film icon and legend Lance Henriksen who do a great job with the material they are presented with.

It's not awful, it's just not great either.

The Good:

Old school soundtrack

The Bad:

Really don't like the animation style

Braniac looks dumb

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

You know you have a problem with the protagonist when I'm cheering on the bad guy

It's alright

[stargazer_1682 · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

What do you get when you merge Grodd, The Joker and Lex Luthor? Lex in Brainiac attack's; a man with Grodd's voice, Lex's body and Joker's bad sense of humor. Maybe they were trying to channel Gene Hackman's version of Lex, but it doesn't work; largely because this Lex is already well established as a dry, conservative business man and this Lex comes off as something of a caricature of that character. But I gotta admit, I laughed when Superman comes back, everyone screams out, "It's Superman" and Lex whimpers, "yay" At first I was going to say I was disappointed with his trip to the phantom zone, getting what he needed and heading back so quickly and without any trouble. I don't know why I was fooled, maybe it was underestimating the writing ability of the people behind this movie. All in all, it wasn't really bad, in some places it could have been better though. Especially where the villains were concerned, they seemed to have the old school mentality, with views of world domination, maniacal laughing and throwing punches rather than try to out think Superman. I definitely think it was unnecessary to change Brainiac's look. I'm not ungrateful for this installment though. This is still within the same continuity as Superman TAS and the Justice League; and with those regular series over with now, I'm hoping there will be plenty of future movies like this coming out. Maybe with any luck, a Batman movie with Kevin Conroy or Batman/Superman team up. I am disappointed though, that as usual Clark always chickens out, in every incarnation, to tell Lois the truth about his identity. It's like pulling teeth with him and he usually uses the worst logic; namely "Her knowing the truth will only put her in danger from my enemies". Well, guess what champ, she's usually in danger anyway, as you, yourself figured out at the end of this movie.

Even kids would get bored with this one

[cine-11 · 3/10 · 19 June 2006]

Although I'm a college educated adult, I actually like the Superman, Batman and Justice League cartoon series (I'm sure I'm far from alone on this one). The plots have been excellent examples of sci-fi writing and can be quite clever,complex and entertaining. Not so this one. The vast majority of this movie consisted of Superman and Braniac pounding each other into the ground, throwing each other through buildings, etc. The encounters went on for so long I got bored and fastforwarded through the monotony. There is a weak plot that holds this together, but it's not strong enough to redeem it. The phrase "phoning it in" leaps to mind. If you're a Superman fan, you're going to be disappointed in this.

It could have been better

[DeathRowe00 · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

First and for most, I love superman. The thing about this movie was that (and everyone should agree) Lex Luthors voice and Brainiacs were just mediocre. I have seen better voices, like Clancy Brown is a perfect voice for Lex. The script was good but Brainiac always calls Superman,Kal El not last son of krypton. George Newburn should have been the voice because he made a great impression on everyone with the Justice League series. They could have done a better job with it. Keep up the good work and use the better voices not the crappy ones. The Justice League saga was the ultimate series and it would be a shame not to keep the spirit of superheroes alive, with Superman at the helm, there should be more movies in store for the franchise. RB OUT!

This is what makes people hate large companies

[lillythai · 1/10 · 18 June 2006]

Here's what makes me hate big companies...and I'll do a little dishing to make this a bit more interesting.

Yes, this movie was made entirely to capitalize on the live action Superman feature hitting the theatres on the 26th. Which isn't exactly a bad thing except it's obvious that this movie was truly an afterthought.

Dan Riba, the Godfather of the Justice League series is mysteriously absent from this production and man does it show. It seems as if Warner Brothers wanted to crank out a straight to DVD flick but Riba insisted that he needed more time to make the film coherent and best of all...good. Warner Brothers said, "No Can Do" and went ahead with production.

Ugh.

Enter writer, Duane Capizzi. Before this movie he was writing ALF: The Animated Series, Jackie Chan Adventures, and that other travesty, The Batman. It's clear that Capizzi has no interest or knowledge in following actual story lines and caricatures which is evidenced in his ridiculous portrayal of Lex Luthor. Why Lex Luthor is written like it was supposed to be cast by Gilbert Gottfried, I'll never know.

Then there are the producers, Margaret M. Dean, Kyle Jolly, and Sander Schwartz whose previous credits involved Tom & Jerry and Scooby F'n Doo.

Make no mistake, this is a horrible, horrible film that was made specifically for 5-10 year olds who probably don't care about story or plot. Don't hold any ill will towards The Justice League. Dan Riba had nothing to do with this garbage.

Avoid this film at all costs.

not bad

[berg-27 · 8/10 · 20 December 2006]

I've been away from the board for a while so bear with me.

I was never really a superman fan but I saw the movie two nights ago and I new who superman was and stuff and I thought it was a fairly well done movie.

I really liked to part where clerk and Lois are at the resteraunt and when she "findes out" that Clark is superman The quotes are to establish the question, you'll have 2 see the movie to find out what I meant.

I grew up watching Batman mostly but superman is starting to grow on me.

Pretty Good, Just Not the Film that "Fans" Wanted

[jackhurricane-52610 · 7/10 · 19 November 2020]

Many people's complaints about this film come from the standpoint of a comic fan and/or fan of the Justice League animated series. They definitely get some of the characters wrong, especially the two main antagonists. Lex Luthor is way too childish and carefree, and his motivation is completely off. Brainiac is similarly quite different from his original character not only in design but personality. But judging it as a standalone film, without comparisons to the comics or animated series, I think it really holds up. The synopsis is one the Superman character is familiar to, and really brings nothing new to the table. But even so, it's well structured and keeps a tense pace from beginning to end. Other than some of the parts with Jimmy Olsen, there are hardly any scenes in the movie that feel meaningless. A lot of plot dumping in the dialogue, though. While animated Superhero films can be pretty predictable, there are some good twists that keep you engaged and curious. The main reason I liked this movie though was the animation. Very flashy and fluid action scenes, mixed with excellent color grading, really makes it feel like a comic playing out in front of you. This isn't like a DCAU film where everything seems gray and navy blue. The soundtrack is very reminiscent of the 1970's Superman films and really captures the essence of Superman's pure hearted heroism. Overall, even though there are a few gripes, I think the film hit the nail on the head for what it was attempting. Which was a fun, light hearted Superman story that the whole family could enjoy. Don't listen to the haters, they judge the movie not for what it is but what they want it to be.

not the animated Superman I'd come to love

[groonk-1 · 1/10 · 19 June 2006]

Paul Dini and Bruce Timm had nothing to do with this...thing. And it shows. Filled with clichés and trite plot devices that even a one year old would be bored with. This is nothing like the animated series that was clever on so many levels.

They couldn't even grab Clancy Brown or Lisa Edelstein to reprise their roles as Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves. The new voices were more than a little off putting. As was the entire story in general. It should be a crime to mar a project that had such a good run years earlier.

If you want your animated Superman fix, for yourselves or, better yet, for your kids, don't invest any money in this DVD. Reach back a few years and grab the proper animated series.

How is Lex Luthor alive??

[jus-rodk11 · 31 October 2018]

First and foremost, I understand that this is an animated movie, but I mean seriously are you really going to sit there and say that Mercy beat up Jimmy Olson to the point she puts him in the hospital with her bare hands. Lex on the other hand, gets beat up by Brainiac (stomped on, slapped down the road, etc.) and he's barely got a scratch?? Lex is the most terrible Lex Luthor ever. Doesn't even come off as intelligent, just sounds more like money than knowledge. One of the more annoying themes that the Daily Planet characters kept bringing was the thought that Kent MIGHT be Superman. Like holy f-word, how is this not so obvious. Like captain obvious couldn't make it more obvious. Overall, this movie is good to fall asleep to.

Is nice but

[klauzcezare · 6/10 · 18 March 2020]

Is nice but all history of Superman is so boring, I can sleep watching this film

Brainiac Attacks

[WeAreLive · 7/10 · 12 November 2017]

I watched this movie a few years back and it was really good to watch.

If you are a fan of Superman the animated series then you might enjoy this movie especially since they kept the designs from DCAU and the had made the animation slightly brighter.

The voice acting, on the other hand, wasn't as good but still good that they got most of the cast back.

But through DC logic what does not make sense is when Lois was dying and Superman was too late to save her with the antidote it didn't work. But when Superman kiss Lois thinking that she is dead she comes back to life. What logic is this?

It was a good movie overall though.

After all the Hard work with JLU they dish this out

[knight619 · 4/10 · 17 June 2006]

I already miss the Justice League.

Is this normal? Brainiac with a smile, Lex Luthor Making Seinfeld type banter...this is not the usual great work I expect from WB Animation. On the upside it was nice seeing the character of Clark Kent open up a vulnerable state with the semi uncovering of his identity by Brainiac.

There are a few nice twists inside the story but not enough to save it But I would have preferred a different direct to DVD Movie, perhaps the Story of Warhawk or another Batman Beyond movie with Terry a bit older, however this project seemed like a late night term paper turned in at the last moment. IT is there but It could be way better.

Another faux pas, is the casting of alternate voice talent for Superman, Lex, and Brainiac.

As Much as I have enjoyed the JLU Staff work in the past, this really lacks the quality work of the Warner Bros Animated Features to date, even Mystery of the Batwoman had a much better story, music, and overall feel to it.

This very much is a cartoon for children, not for true fans of DC comics and WB animated work.

There are better animated super hero films out there but this is still worth a watc

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 14 November 2021]

Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006) is a movie I recently watched on HBOMAX. The storyline follows Lex Luthor and Brainiac deciding that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They decide to join forces to bring their mutual friend, Superman, to an end.

This movie is directed by Curt Geda (Vixen) and contains the voices of Tim Daly (Wings), Powers Booth (U-Turn), Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead), Dana Delany (Tombstone) and Tara Strong (Powerpuff Girls).

The storyline for this felt like a classic Superman plot that's fairly straightforward. The animation in this is excellent as is the voices selected for the characters. This is a perfect depiction of Brainiac, Superman and Lex Luthor. The character interactions between Jimmy, Louise and Clark Kent are also very good. The conclusion of this is well throughout, both with Luther and Superman as well as Superman's self reflection on his future with Louise.

Overall there are better animated super hero films out there but this is still worth a watch. This is an above average addition to the genre that I'd score a 6.5/10 and recommend watching at least once.

Not worth the time

[williambraski · 3/10 · 17 June 2006]

They get the majority of the voices (oddly enough not Clancy Brown despite his commitment to Justice League) from the Superman cartoon to return, but the writing is weak.

It didn't follow any of the cues or tone set by the animated series, instead the writer(s) ended up making this feel more like Superman of the George Reeve's era (plenty of "Gee Ms. Lane." moments and other trite dialog) and there was never a sense that anyone was in real danger. Unlike the show where they have killed off characters during major events.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks is a pretty weak showing and seems to be an attempt at cashing in on the imminent release of Superman Returns. Unless you're absolutely a Superman fan or are over the age of 12, you could let this easily pass up.

Trash

[educallejero · 1/10 · 21 September 2019]

Story told on segments instead of a flowing narrative. Atrocious dialogue. Bad jokes. Awful animation. Lame score (at moments, Bugs Bunny 1940's Warner cartoons like). Characters? Lol. The only character moments are terrible attempts of portraying romance, but not even close to be close to the level of Mask of the Phantasm. It was all simple, cheesy and boring. Villains: They literally say things like "we are in the conquering the world business" or something like "why wouldn't they just allow me to dominate them all".

It's all pathetic. All of it.

Not bad, but...

[mhyson · 8/10 · 17 June 2006]

This just played on cartoon network and it was actually pretty good; neat little ending too. It played much like a two-part episode, but the one thing that seemed, not necessarily bad, just not very good were the voices of Lex and Brainiac. I'm not sure if Clancy Brown wasn't available for Lex, they just want'ed bigger names with Powers Boothe and Lance Henriksen, etc, but I think the essence of what Clancy brings to the character was lacking after all the times he's played the character almost to perfection. Powers Boothe came off more comical and just wrong for the part that I cringed a few times when the character Lex was joking around, but hey I'm just glad they keep making them and nice to see Tim Daly and Dana Delany in their roles. :D

This is what Superman TAS would have been without Paul Dini and good writers

[bbshockwave · 4/10 · 12 January 2022]

So, when this came out in 2006, 6 years after Superman TAS has ended, I was excited by the trailer. The classic character designs all over again, well animated! Tim Daly and Dana Delaney reprising their roles and others too! Unlike Batman TAS which got 3 movies, Superman TAS never had one, so I was excited. I was young, and did not check who the director and writer was. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

So for those who are as unaware as I was in 2006 -this movie LOOKS like Superman TAS, uses the same character models, even some of the same voice actors... but is NOT in continuity, and it is an abysmally written boring story that feels like it was lifted from some Golden Age comic.

You learn this quickly when the movie starts with Brainiac landing on Earth and starting to absorb knowledge from computers, then confronting Superman for the first time. Wait a minute, I said, but they already met several times in the show! Well... these may look like the same characters, but aren't. In general, they feel like alternate universe versions of characters you love, who look the same, but are far, far more dumb.

Take Superman - throughout the movie, he keeps thinking that he needs to retire the Clark Kent personality and just tell Lois who he is. Anyone who seen "The Late Mr. Kent" knows that Clark IS the real personality of Kal-El, he doesn't want to be Superman all the time. He is a mild mannered reporter from Smallville at heart. But here, he wants to retire because he thinks he gets Lois Lane into trouble... not realizing this Lois is simply, too stupid to live. Several times in the movie, Lois almost tries to get herself killed in incredibly convoluted ways.

But that's not the worst part, wait until you see Lex Luthor. Remember how threatening and powerful Lex felt, despite not having superpowers? Well, not only his voice changed -Powers Boothe instead of Clancy Brown - but he degraded back to some comical small minded villain from the Golden Age. When he muses that he doesn't know whether to feel sad that Brainiac is destroying his base, or happy that Superman is trashed, I wanted to slap him. He is also incredibly stupid (see a pattern there?), thinking he can partner with Brainiac to have him kill Superman for him, then take a fall and pretend that Lex beat him. To nobody's surprise, Brainiac betrays him.

Speaking of Brainy, Lance Henrikssen replaces Corey Burton, but he cannot save the character from turning into a boring, generic megalomaniac. Gone is the inhuman, cold logic that made Brainiac so scary. Unfortunately he also spends half the movie in a new body made out of a satellite that looks like a badly mistransformed Transformer.

The worst part though, was reserved for poor Jimmy Olsen. His plot for the movie? Well, for some inexplicable reason, he has a huge crush on Mercy. To the point of creepiness, where he takes photos of her and has a shrine. Needless to say, people's warnings to Jimmy that a woman who would rather kill him than look at him and who does Luthor's dirty work is not someone you would date, fall on deaf ears.

The movie has some OK action scenes, and is well animated - same studio who did Superman TAS. The voice actors all do their work well. But the writing and asinine dialogue just ruins it all. It is still, something I recommend to DCAU fans - it is an eerie, strange experience, seeing these beloved characters in identical animation to the show's, yet acting in strange and silly ways. It almost feels like this movie is from a parallel universe, where Paul Dini was never born, and Superman TAS was based on dumb Golden Age comics.

A True Disaster

[khicks3 · 2/10 · 17 June 2006]

This addition to the Superman / Justice League body of work is a real letdown - the story is okay - and, of course, the entire Superman revealing his identity Lois subplot is enjoyable - But Powers Booth as Lex Luthor and Lance Hendrickson as Brainiac ruined this for me. Booth's portrayal of Luthor is a 180 degree departure from Clancy Brown's smart and sinister version of Luthor. I'm sorry - he comes across as a third rate pun-slinging evil car salesman - Lance Hendrickson put far too much emotion into the Brainiac role. Why couldn't Warner Brothers secure the original actor who portrayed Brainiac for the entire series? Just warning you - listening to Luthor's dialog will make you wretch - blech!

A major disappointment for all concerned.

[mahatmarandy · 1/10 · 17 June 2006]

For those not in the know, the DC Comics Animated Universe ("DCAU" for short) has been running continuously since the early 90s. First there was Batman: The Animated Series, then Batman: Gotham Knights, then there was Superman: The Animated Series, then Batman: Beyond, then Static Shock, then Justice League, and then Teen Titans, and then Justice League: Unlimited. Though there were some klinkers here and there, the "Shared Universe" that all these overlapping shows took place in was generally a great example of American Animation and American Storytelling. The last shows - Teen Titans and "JL:U" - ended their runs just a couple months ago on an extreme high note, and this film is the first DCAU story to be told since then. As such I, and ever other animation geek out there had high hopes for it.

Alas, the film is a massive disappointment for all concerned. Several of the voices of prominent characters that we've grown very accustomed to over the last ten years or so have been re-cast for no reason whatsoever, and the new voices are really distracting. The plot is just typical "Indestructable man vs. Unstopable machine" stuff that we've all seen so many times before, the dialog is largely cringe-inducingly awful and, most bizarre of all, though this movie looks just like Superman: The Animated Series, it completely ignores a decade's worth of continuity that's been established since that show ended. For example: JL:U ended with Lex on the run from the law after a failed bid at the presidency, and he and Darkseid apparently either dying or at the very least leaving the earth. Brainiac Attacks begins with Lex inexplicably once again a respected business man, no mention of Darkseid, and no mention of Luthor's previous extremely close relationship with Brainiac. There is, however, nothing in this film that indicates it's a prequel, or shoehorned in between the end of Superman:TAS and the two Justice League series.

In short, the movie makes a mess of the DCAU, stomping all around without wiping it's feet first, and it doesn't really give us a story worthy of the annoyance it brings us. It's just junk. They had the opportunity here to do a great coda to 15 years of great shows (Warners has tacitly announced that the DCAU is done for the foreseeable future), a great final chapter, and they blew it. They had a chance to tell a really good story, and they blew it, and, what's more, they didn't care.

Fans will find out about this movie, expecting it to be like a farewell kiss on the lips from someone you loved who's moving away forever, but in the end it's more like an unexpected punch in the mouth. Avoid! This is not a movie for enjoying, this is a movie for laying down and avoiding!