All-Star Superman opens with a classic bit of super-heroics, as Superman rescues Dr. Leo Quintum and his scientist, who are researching the sun from a genetically-enhanced time-bomb clone controlled by Lex Luthor. It turns out that, in doing so, he received an overdose of solar radiation, supercharging his cells but also, slowly, killing them off. In other words, Superman is going to die. Clark decides to make the most of his remaining time on earth, most importantly, revealing his identity to Lois Lane. Lex, who engineered Superman's demise, has escaped from prison and is carrying out his plans the hero's final humiliation and his own rise to power.
Meanwhile, Superman performs various heroic deeds as he prepares for his death, including finding a permanent home for the people of Kandor, giving Lois superpowers for 24 hours as a birthday present by using a formula he created from his DNA, confronting (and ultimately saving) two lost Kryptonian astronauts, answering the "Unanswerable Question" posed by the The Ultra-Sphinx, and fighting off an invasion by the Subterranosauri caused by Samson and Atlas. The film greatly condenses the original miniseries. There Kal-El had to complete 12 labors before he died, much like Herucles. The film cuts six of these completely and dramatically changes a seventh, which undercuts the mythological feel of the comic. Two major subplots, involving Superman traveling to the Underverse and traveling back in time to meet his father, are also cut which is a shame as these were some of the more emotionally resonant chapters in the comic. It also cuts out one of the comic's most iconic moments, where Superman saves a young girl who is about to commit suicide.
Nonetheless, the film does a good job bringing the story to the screen and preserving its central themes. Indeed, I found that I better understood the comic (I had only read it once) after watching the film. One of the main thematic threads is Lex Luthor's envy of Superman. He has pursued power and knowledge all his life, but compared to Superman's abilities (which he didn't have to work to attain), all of his efforts seem to pale. As he tells Clark Kent when he comes to interview him in prison, "Doesn't his very existence diminish you? Diminish us all?" But, despite everything, Superman does not resent Luthor, he instead feels regret that this man has wasted his own talents on his hateful, self-centered pursuits.
Unfortunately, there are also some strongly transhumanist themes here. In some ways this was always sort-of inherent to the character but it is brought to the fore-front here. This is most apparent in Dr. Quintum's P.R.O.J.E.C.T. lab which "engineer(s) new forms of humanity ... for the eventual betterment of mankind." Dr. Quintum is the kind of character who might easily be a villain in another story, but to Morrison he is an inspirational figure. This issue also extends to Superman himself. Because he can't have children with Lois, he eventually figures out how to use artificial insemination so that Lois can bear a son like him. The movie does change this, which I get to shortly.
The presence of these themes is mitigated by the film's much more traditional central themes of mortality and sacrifice. Kal-El must come to terms with his imminent death. Like the hero he is, this serves not as a crushing blow but as a motivation to do better. When he flies away for the last time to repair the broken sun, he is prepared to lay down his life for the people of earth, even if the film suggests that he will ultimately survive. It is this sacrifice that inspires Luthor to make amends, in some extent, for all his wrongs, analyzing the heroes DNA so that he can figure out a way for Lois to bear a "son" like Superman. This is probably the biggest change form the comic, where Superman figures it out himself. I like this better as it shows that Superman's greatest power has always been to inspire others.
The film does a good job bringing Frank Quitely's unique art style to life. It is somewhat streamlined, as you'd expect, but many of the iconic moments from the book are nonetheless rendered beautifully. The voice cast is excellent all around. James Denton does a fine job as Superman, evoking that duel sense of down-to-earth humanity and unwavering moral uprightness and optimism that have made the character so endearing. Christina Hendricks is a fairly solid Lois Lane though, as in the comic, she is not given that strong of material to work with. Anthony LaPaglia is excellent as Lex Luthor and Morrison's take on the character is one of the most unique and interesting that I've read.
In the end, All-Star Superman, though not a perfect adaptation, does get to the essence of the comic it's based on and even makes some subtle improvements though it also shares many of the original story's flaws.
Score: 7/10
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