There must have been much more nuance, context and characterization in the original comics run of this story. But what is on display here is an absolutely puzzling trashing of the "Superman" legacy. You'll be going, "Wait, what? Why?" throughout.
Long story short, Superman suffers a loss so devastating at the hands of the Joker that his rage drives him to try to eliminate all conflict on Earth. This sees him become a dictator of sorts, killing indiscriminately for even the slightest infractions (what he does to a group of teenage Joker fans at a rave will drop your jaw).
Unbelievably, heroes such as Wonder Woman and Cyborg ally themselves to Superman, even as they witness him carry out these terrible acts and partner with one of Batman's most terrible and violent foes.
Why Superman becomes a murderous despot, and why reasonable heroes would join him is barely explained in ham-fisted exposition that really just exists to somewhat justify Superman's astonishingly cruel violence.
You'll watch this movie shaking your head, thinking, "Why is Superman doing these terrible things?" and "Why is DC taking an absolute dump on its most valuable IP?"
The answer is, I suspect, rooted in this film's source material, which I haven't read (and which, I'll argue, probably most of this film's audience hasn't read). The comic book story was probably a thoughtful deconstruction of the superhero mythos; likely a meditation on the idea that power, even super power, is corruptible under certain and maybe tragic circumstances.
But none of that intellectual argument is present in this film. It's just Superman acting completely out of the character developed for him over the past nearly 90 years, with a lot of bloody and violent set pieces, and an ending even more stupid than that of "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Considering also the weird character designs and clunky limited animation, what results is an absolutely appalling entry in the often otherwise excellent DC Animated Universe film series.
I can't not recommend this movie highly enough.
Long story short, Superman suffers a loss so devastating at the hands of the Joker that his rage drives him to try to eliminate all conflict on Earth. This sees him become a dictator of sorts, killing indiscriminately for even the slightest infractions (what he does to a group of teenage Joker fans at a rave will drop your jaw).
Unbelievably, heroes such as Wonder Woman and Cyborg ally themselves to Superman, even as they witness him carry out these terrible acts and partner with one of Batman's most terrible and violent foes.
Why Superman becomes a murderous despot, and why reasonable heroes would join him is barely explained in ham-fisted exposition that really just exists to somewhat justify Superman's astonishingly cruel violence.
You'll watch this movie shaking your head, thinking, "Why is Superman doing these terrible things?" and "Why is DC taking an absolute dump on its most valuable IP?"
The answer is, I suspect, rooted in this film's source material, which I haven't read (and which, I'll argue, probably most of this film's audience hasn't read). The comic book story was probably a thoughtful deconstruction of the superhero mythos; likely a meditation on the idea that power, even super power, is corruptible under certain and maybe tragic circumstances.
But none of that intellectual argument is present in this film. It's just Superman acting completely out of the character developed for him over the past nearly 90 years, with a lot of bloody and violent set pieces, and an ending even more stupid than that of "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Considering also the weird character designs and clunky limited animation, what results is an absolutely appalling entry in the often otherwise excellent DC Animated Universe film series.
I can't not recommend this movie highly enough.