It's a bird! It's a plane! It's… 'Chuck's' Adam Baldwin?
-
- March
- 17
Well, yeah! Sort of.
Adam Baldwin, who plays my favorite character in FBI agent John Casey on “Chuck,” voices the lead role for 2007’s animated “Superman: Doomsday,” a loose interpretation of the Death of Superman trilogy.
Although I’ve always been partial to Marvel Comics, it’s almost impossible to dismiss DC Comics’ Superman and Batman. And while many correctly argue that Batman’s a more intriguing superhero because he has no superpowers and that “Batman Begins” was better than “Superman Returns,” I’ve of late preferred the Man of Steel. I think that decision was solidified when I became a newspaper reporter (Clark Kent, after all, is a scribe for the Daily Planet) and started watching “Smallville” on DVD a couple of years ago.
As a “Chuck” fan, I was curious when I saw Baldwin’s name in the Netflix synopsis for the direct-to-video “Doomsday”:
To defend Earth, Superman (voiced by Adam Baldwin) battles an evil entity known as Doomsday. But the powerful being, created by Lex Luthor (James Marsters), proves too strong for the Man of Steel. Lois Lane (Anne Heche) joins the world in mourning the fallen superhero, but Luthor’s joy in his enemy’s demise is short-lived: Even death can’t stop Superman. This animated epic is based on DC Comics’ 1993 “The Death and Return of Superman” story arc.
I figured I’d stream just a couple of minutes of it on my computer—yes, Netflix allows you to do that with selected content legally—to hear him give a voice to Kal-El. Some 75 minutes later I had completed an above-average animated adventure.
From what I’ve read, the movie strays quite a bit from the plot lines revealed in the comic book. I suppose that would upset me more if I read comic books regularly, but I found it to be engaging, fun and worth the view.
“Doomsday” producer Bruce Timm gives Baldwin his due in an interview on the movie’s glossy Web site:
The thing about Adam is that he’s such a good actor. He often plays heavies or characters of that type, but he’s such an immensely likable guy that he can have that authority that you expect from Superman, but he also has that vulnerable warmth.
The voice casting is a mixed bag. Baldwin’s baritone quips fit Superman perfectly, and devout fans of the caped crusader probably appreciate Marsters on another level as he’s played Professor Milton Fine on “Smallville.” Heche isn’t a bad Lois Lane, but I was hoping for a little more oomph for one of the coolest comic book characters ever created. But veteran voice-over artist John Dimaggio, perhaps best known for providing the pipes for robot Bender on “Futurama,” is a standout for his portrayal of the villainous Toyman.
For those who remember the groundbreaking “Batman: The Animated Series” from the ’90s, “Doomsday” has the same, distinct Warner Bros. animation style—Deco-inspired motifs, sharp facial features and moody nightscapes. It’s not Pixar, but it’s not trying to be, either.
The score is excellent. Robert J. Kral deserves his due for composing bombastic and haunting themes throughout the movie, saving his most triumphant for the opening and closing credits.
The movie’s rated PG-13 for good reason. While the extent of cursing is limited to what you’d hear in a CBS sitcom, there’s a lot of action and comic book violence, both shown and implied. Plus, Lois Lane and Superman are both seen in towels. Random.
In short, I’d give “Doomsday” 3.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it to non-purist Superman fans and to “Chuck” fans who’d rather not incur the wrath of John Casey.
(Photo of Baldwin courtesy of NBC; Drawing of Superman courtesy of Warner Bros.)
This entry was posted
on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 9:00 am by Chris Serico.
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