Superman: Man of Tomorrow 4K/Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros)
Superman: Man of Tomorrow is a 2020 animated direct-to-video superhero film directed by Chris Palmer (Voltron: Legendary Defender). It’s loosely based on the 2015 miniseries Superman: American Alien by Max Landis. It was written by Tim Sheridan (Justice League Action, Reign of the Supermen, The Death and Return of Superman, & Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost). It was produced by James Krieg (Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, Superman: Red Son, Batman: Hush, & Wonder Woman: Bloodlines), & Sam Register (Constantine: City of Demons, Justice League Dark, Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, & Batman: The Killing Joke). It is the forty first film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
As a young adult, Clark (played by: Darren Criss from American Crime Story, Hollywood, Midway, & Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is an intern for the Daily Planet, covering the launch of a Lexcorp telescope meant to discover other lifeforms from space. Grad student Lois Lane (played by: Alexandra Daddario from Texas Chainsaw 3D, Night Hunter, True Detective, & Baywatch) reveals the fraud Lex Luthor (played by: Zachary Quinto from Heroes, Star Trek franchise, NOS4A2, & American Horror Story) has given to the President, just as Clark sparks a friendly conversation with janitor Rudy Jones (played by: Brett Dalton from Milo Murphy’s Law & The Resurrection of Gavin Stone). The rocket is launched, but soon explodes in the air. Confirming the disaster is based on Lois’ sources, Luthor is arrested. Lois becomes a big reporter over it. Clark sees an article wondering if the “flying man” is a hero or menace, just as he meets Lois, whom reveals to him that her way of getting the story is a power play.
STAR Labs reveals something coming to Earth, to which Clark encounters a Czarnian bounty hunter named Lobo (played by: Ryan Hurst from Remember the Titans, Bates Motel, Sons of Anarchy, & Outsiders). He is after the last Kryptonian. Rudy is pinned from debris & a bomb infects him with its strange purple liquid. A mysterious man (played by: Ike Amadi from Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge) reveals himself to be a Martian & attacks Lobo. Clark manages to defeat the ruthless bounty hunter. Clark gets advice from his adopted parents (played by: Neil Flynn from Scrubs & Bellamy Young from Prodigal Son) after all the recent events in his life. Rudy wakes up & murders the people around him in the hospital. The mysterious man introduces himself as J’onn J’onzz the Martian Manhunter. He tells his story that as the last of his kind. J’onn surprises Clark with the revelation that he is Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton. Martha gives Clark an upgrade: a red & blue costume with the “S” from the crystal. Seeing Lois’ first part of the “Superman” article expose, Clark decides to head back to Metropolis. Rudy now known as Parasite shows up & kills everything in sight. Clark takes advice from Lois & asks Lex Luthor for help against the unstoppable Parasite. Was this a mistake? Can anyone be trusted at this point????
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Warner Bros! This 2160p (1.78:1) transfer with HDR10 looks fantastic in 4K. These DC animated productions keep looking better & better with each release. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, & Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the UHD disc. This one sounds great especially when it comes to the action & fights. All of the dialogue is very clean & the music has a nice boost to it. It also has English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles.
Superman: Man of Tomorrow is a reboot, a new unique, & different take on the iconic superhero. The last few films all have been one big story & they were really dark. I really enjoyed the direction that they took the role with these direct to video releases. Red Son was something totally different from all those original features but I thought Man of Tomorrow was much better than that one. This one really focuses on identity, the other people out there like various aliens, & being a survivor from all of that. It has more than a few people that are supposed to be the last of their kind in this which is interesting. I thought the best thing about this one was Lobo. He is one of the most under-rated DC Comic villains of all time & he’s barely used in anything. He was actually included in Season Two for Krypton which was awesome. Ryan Hurst voiced the character here & he did a great job playing the brutal bounty hunter looking to wipe everything out. It was also cool to see Martian Manhunter get more attention in Man of Tomorrow. I thought making Parasite the main villain was an excellent choice because he is never used either in any of these projects. Both Darren Criss & Zachary Quinto were odd selections for these classic roles but they were really good in this. I was actually surprised by them & they doing something completely opposite of the previous portrayals. DC always kills when it comes to these animated features. I respect & enjoy that they taking this franchise to something new. Huge fan of Alexandra Daddario & it was cool to see her voice Lois Lane. This one isn’t as dark as the ones before it but it does have all kinds of action in it. I am looking forward to the next one, RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s discuss the special features from Warner Bros! All of the bonus material is located on the blu ray disc. “Lobo: Natural Force of Chaos” is a little over 10 minutes. It has interviews with writer Tim Sheridan, artists Jon Bogdanove, Bernard Chang, DC Daily host Hector Navarro, actor Ryan Hurst, & various others. They go over the villain. They chat about his origin & various appearances over the years. They bring up pro wrestling being a huge influence on creating Lobo. They talk about his look, his powers, & what makes him stand out from the others. “Martian Manhunter: Lost and Found” is almost 9 minutes. It has interviews with the same as the previous extra here. They go over the character, story, & his beginning. They show various different versions of him. They bring up the science fiction elements. They mention him being the perfect match when it comes to teaming up for Superman. “Batman: Soul of the Dragon Sneak Peek” is almost 12 minutes.It has interviews with the cast & crew for the upcoming film. This looks wild & something totally original from the DC Universe. “Justice League vs. The Fatal Five” & “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” Sneak Peaks that have been put on a few of these home video releases in the past. Both give you an almost 17 minute inside look into the animated productions from DC Comics. “From the DC Vault – Two episodes of Superman: The Animated Series” featuring both parts from “The Main Man”. Each episode is a little over 20 minutes & they are standard definition quality but they are nice bonuses to have on here. It has “Trailers” for Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Mortal Kombat Legends, & Superman: Red Son. It also includes a slipcover, a digital code, & a Blu Ray copy of the release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
