Superman: Red Son (2020)

[Silver Nemesis]

Mark Millar's classic Elseworlds story is finally receiving an animated adaptation. The voice cast includes Jason Isaacs as Superman, Amy Acker as Lois Lane and Diedrich Bader as Lex Luthor. Here's the first image.

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Boy has this story taken on a new context in the current year.

Wonder if they've got the paired reproductive organs to faithfully adapt the story.

[Silver Nemesis]

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I have wondered if there will be some attempt at linguistic authenticity in this movie. Will the cast use Russian accents where appropriate? Maybe I'm overthinking it but it might be a bit jarring for Jason Isaacs to use his conventional British accent, Roger Craig Smith to an American Midwest accent, etc since they're all supposed to be Russian.

[Silver Nemesis]

Russian accents confirmed.

I'd have preferred a more Connery-esque voice for Luthor.

"Sholving problemsh ish jusht like eating or breathing for me and thish Shuperman..."

[thecolorsblend]

Connery? Interesting choice. Under the circumstances, I think I would've preferred a German accent for Lex. In a way, it kind of makes sense. He could've been one of the scientists taken back to the States during Operation: Paperclip. Obviously there was no love lost between the Russians and the Germans before, during and after the war. It could make sense that this Lex has a rivalry with Superman that reaches every possible level.

There are drawbacks to that approach, of course. But considering the real history of Stalin (which I doubt this animated film will delve into very much), I don't see how making this version of Lex basically a Nazi is somehow worse.

I wonder if they'll stick with the comic book ending, re: time loop.

[Silver Nemesis]

I always thought Luthor was modelled on a young Connery in Red Son. With Millar being both Scottish and a huge Bond fan, I can imagine him directing the artist to use the actor as a reference.

But the idea of Lex being a Wernher von Braun-type war criminal recruited through Operation Paperclip is very interesting, and would offer an historical foundation to the character's Nietzschean worldview. So how about this – Connery with a German accent:

"Vhy don't you jusht put ze entire vorld in a bottle, Shuperman?"

But considering the real history of Stalin (which I doubt this animated film will delve into very much), I don't see how making this version of Lex basically a Nazi is somehow worse.

True. Then again, this is Hollywood we're talking about. Folks in the entertainment industry are more likely to read Trotsky than Solzhenitsyn, and to regard anyone right of Michael Moore as a Nazi. Don't be surprised if they downplay the horrors of Stalin's reign.

I wonder if they'll stick with the comic book ending, re: time loop.

Hopefully they'll preserve the original ending. A number of recent DC animated adaptations have made substantial deviations from their source material, but the Red Son trailer looks reasonably faithful so far. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it turns out better than the Gotham by Gaslight movie.

[Silver Nemesis]

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Finally watched it. Which should say something about how much I ever prioritized this movie.

Been a while since I read the miniseries. But my memory of it is that it was implied that Hippolyta had something going on the side with Stalin. For sure, a big subplot was Wonder Woman's unrequited feelings for Superman. Um, yeah. The movie does away with both of those things because El Gee Bee Tea.

In the miniseries, Bizarro was basically a critique of Bush 43, the international war on terror, 9/11-era American foreign policy, etc. In the movie, it's Orange Man Bad. And it's bad. Very bad. Cringe-inducing.

The invasion of America in the miniseries was Superman's desperate gambit to save his empire. But Lex held the upper hand because he'd been preparing for that moment since the Fifties while Superman had barely gotten his head around the idea before launching the invasion. The movie shows Luthor launching the invasion first (for some reason) and so Superman launches a defensive action that takes him all the way to Washington DC.

Of course, in the middle of all that, there's the face off with the Green Lantern Marine Corps. In the comic book, it's built up to be something big but then Superman takes them out without breaking his stride. Is the movie different?

Do you even have to ask at this point?

Naturally, Wonder Woman intervenes because you need to have a stronk indapandant waman be the voice of reason or something. But Superman ignores her and presses on with the war. Honestly, by itself, this change wouldn't have bothered me. But it exists in the context of all the third wave feminism stinking up the rest of the movie so it stands out as a negative. Even tho it actually does ring true as something Diana would've at least tried to do.

The change that bugs me the most tho is how the movie chickens out on the loop ending of the comic book. You could argue it's still a loop and we just don't see it. But that's dumb. The comic ended on one big twist (arguably two) and it was a good closed-loop time travel story. The movie is... meh.

All in all, it's rly hard to recommend the movie. If you don't have much investment in the Red Son comic, you might enjoy the movie. But I didn't, ultimately.

[Silver Nemesis]

I never got around to watching this, and after reading your review I don't think I'll bother. Thanks for saving me some time and money.

It's a shame to see how consistently poor the DCAU offerings have been over the past eight years. The only animated DC film I've really liked during that period was The Brave & the Bold Scooby-Doo movie, which was great. The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen films were ok too, but all the others have disappointed.