Reign Of The Supermen [Blu-Ray]

Director: Sam Liu

Cast: Jerry O’Connell, Rebecca Romijn, Rainn Wilson (VOICES)

Release Date: January 29, 2019

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Reign of the Supermen finds Earth’s citizens – and the Man of Steel’s heroic contemporaries – dealing with a world without Superman. But the aftermath of Superman’s death, and the subsequent disappearance of his body, leads to a new mystery – is Superman still alive? The question is further complicated when four new super-powered individuals – Steel, Cyborg Superman, Superboy and the Eradicator – emerge to proclaim themselves as the ultimate hero. In the end, only one will be able to proclaim himself the world’s true Superman.

Please Note: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Reign of the Supermen’ continues the epic story that began in ‘The Death of Superman’ (you can also read my review of that film’s Blu-ray release Here) and finds the world still struggling with the loss of Superman. But things quickly become worse when various wannabes with differing talents and curious backgrounds rise from the loss each trying to claim the mantle of the one, true Superman. Now the remainder of the Justice League and other powerful forces including mastermind Lex Luthor and reporter Lois Lane must dig deep into the arrival of these powerful and mysterious individuals and attempt to determine if any are in fact the hero they believed lost before their power and hold increases. And as the chaos continues to build, Lex and other dark forces slowly begin to reveal their true intentions in this uncertain time, leading the world to need the real Superman now, more than ever.

‘Reign of the Supermen’ picks up shortly after the events of ‘The Death of Superman’ and tells the second part of the classic comic tale. It easily manages to deliver a capable conclusion to the story loaded with action, emotion and plenty of twists and turns (at least for those who don’t know all of the details), connecting the two into one noteworthy and massive animated film when viewed together. Fans of the popular comic book storyline should also thoroughly appreciate this far more detailed and faithful exploration of the infamous comic storyline which holds true to the source material (particularly when compared to the 2007 animated film ‘Superman Doomsday’ which basically kicked off the ongoing lineup of DC Animated Movies but also took a far more open and broad approach to the material) while also adapting the events into the ongoing DC Universe animated film lineup. I would strongly encourage fellow DC Comics lovers and fans of these animated features in general to make a point of checking out ‘Reign of the Supermen’ whenever possible, although you will of course want to be certain you’ve seen ‘The Death of Superman’ prior to doing so as it is a direct continuation of that film and therefore required viewing for this one (or at least strongly recommended). Those who thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Death of Superman’ and are considering a blind purchase of this one shouldn’t be disappointed either.

Overall, ‘Reign of the Supermen’ does a great job of concluding the story that kicked off in ‘The Death of Superman’ and fans should find themselves quite pleased with this rather faithful and story-rich adaption of the comic’s unforgettable storyline. Delivering plenty of tense and extravagant action scenes throughout while still never abandoning the heart and soul within which is equally crucial. ‘Reign of the Supermen’ is definitely highly recommended for fellow DC Comics fanatics, as well as any fans of the Superman character and/or of these DC Animated Movies. It’s a moving and action-packed follow-up to ‘The Death of Superman’ that blends together perfectly (fans can also expect a single release later this year seamlessly combining the two into one longer film similar to ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’) and delivers an animated feature that both casual and diehard fans can appreciate in their own right and won’t want to miss out on.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Reign of the Supermen’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty solid for the most part and provides a sharp, detailed and richly colored presentation from start to finish, merely suffering from the occasional banding that we fans of these animated films are surely well accustomed to at this point. It holds up remarkably well even during the various fast moving and/or darkly lit sequences and never results in anything occurring on screen becoming negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a great high definition video presentation that’s on par with the majority of the other DC Animated Film’s and should have little trouble satisfying the fans.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack serves up a crisp, clean and notably aggressive audio presentation throughout. It takes full advantage of all five available channels in order to send Supermen and other flying characters and objects, material and action effects regularly zipping throughout the various speakers along with more, while always making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible. Overall, this is a fantastic 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that contributes plenty of extra fun and excitement to the overall viewing experience and sounds great every step of the way.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Reign of the Supermen’ includes a few fun extras that fans should enjoy. Included on the release is ‘A Sneak Peek at DC Universe’s Next Animated Movie, “Justice League vs. The Fatal Five”’ (running approximately 9 minutes in length), in addition to a Behind the Scenes Featurette focusing on the famous villain ‘Lex Luthor: The Greatest Nemesis’ (running approximately 16 minutes). Also included are 2 Bonus Cartoons featured in ‘From the DC Comics Vault’; ‘Superman: The Animated Series, “Heavy Metal”’ (approximately 21 minutes) and ‘Justice League Unlimited, “Panic in the Sky”’ (23 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘Reign Of The Supermen’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from DC Entertainment & Warner Bros. Entertainment

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You can purchase your copy of ‘Reign Of The Supermen’ by clicking on the Amazon Cart icon immediately below!