Working as a companion to the live-action feature GREEN LANTERN, this animated anthology feature focuses its stories on the lesser known Green Lantern Corps members. One overarching tale links the five vignettes, which are origin stories of sorts for five characters. It’s like a primer for the Green Lantern world.

The conceit for the film is that Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Nathan Fillion, TV’s FIREFLY) is showing a new recruit named Arisia (Elisabeth Moss, TV’s MAD MEN) the ropes. Meanwhile an epic threat is forming that will need all the Green Lantern Corps to work as a team.

As her introduction to the Corps, Jordan tells her the story of the first lanterns. The guardians of the universe have created powerful rings to award to the greatest warriors in the universe. They are to serve as the police in outer space. The rings select many of the great warriors, but lastly choose Avra, the guardians’ meager scribe. Through their patrols, Avra discovers the true potential of the rings.

Arisia is worried about going to boot camp under the gruff Kilowog (rocker Henry Rollins). But Jordan tells her that Kilwog is nothing compared to drill sergeant Deegan (Wade Williams, TV’s PRISON BREAK), who trained Kilowog. Jordan’s tale goes back to how Kilowog impressed the hard-as-nails Deegan when he was just a recruit.

The best tale in the film brings to life the “What Price Honor” tale of Laira Omoto (Kelly Hu, THE SCORPION KING). Her story is epic. She was trained to be a martial arts master by her father Kentor who died. On her first solo mission as a Green Lantern, she is sent back to her home planet where her past comes back to haunt her as a corrupting force has laid siege to the capitol. The tale of loyalty is a grand scope and gives Laira the most compelling and bittersweet origin.

The next tale is the weakest, however. Bolphunga the Unrelenting (Roddy “Rowdy” Piper, THEY LIVE) is a thug who wants to prove that he is the greatest warrior in the universe. In order to prove this he seeks out the legendary reclusive Green Lantern Mogo. The short has a comedic bent and takes too long to get to its telegraphed ending. However, the tale pays off in the conclusion of the overarching tale.

The last tale Jordan tells is that of Abin Sur (Arnold Vosloo, THE MUMMY), the Lantern who bestowed his ring on Jordan. Long before that, he was partners with Sinestro (Jason Isaacs, HARRY POTTER). The two rounded up criminals from around the universe, but Abin Sur hears word that his partner has been corrupted. For Green Lantern fans, the mystery is less strong, but the vignette does attempt to create some nice tension. The section ponders the responsibility of wielding the rings and one’s loyalty to their friends.

While each story never gets the chance to go into too much depth, the film works as a nice primer to the personal stories of the Green Lantern Corps and brings greater depth to their missions as a whole. Of the anthology animated films from DC this is the best, but it just lacks the depth of something like GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT. In conjunction though, FIRST FLIGHT and EMERALD KNIGHTS work as a great introduction to the world of Green Lantern.

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Class is the key word in the title of this film. The series is back in the same class as the first two. The inherent issue with bringing the X-Men to the screen is the amount of characters. This film simplifies what has been addressed in the previous films by putting Professor X and Magneto at the forefront.

The story begins in the ’40s. Erik Lehnsherr is a young Jew taken from his parents and forced by Nazi scientist Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon, FLATLINERS) to use his mutant powers to control metal objects with his mind. Meanwhile, a young Charles Xavier lives a privileged life in New England, which allows him to nurture his telepathic abilities. One night he finds his mother in the kitchen, but it turns out that it’s not really his mother, but a blue shape-shifting mutant girl named Raven (Jennifer Lawrence, WINTER’S BONE). Charles takes in the mutant as a kid sister.

Grown, Erik (Michael Fassbender, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) hunts Nazis, primarily looking for Shaw. The paths of Xavier (James McAvoy, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) and Erik cross when Xavier leads a CIA driven attack on Shaw and his mutant Hellfire Club inside their submarine. Charles saves Erik from drowning and eventually convinces him to join his team, funded by the CIA, which has the goal of finding other mutants. Erik doesn’t trust the government agents Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne, BRIDESMAIDS) and the man in the black suit (Oliver Platt, 2012).

Charles wants to work with the humans and integrate mutants into the larger society. His slogan is “mutant and proud.” This is easier for him because he lived in luxury with a power that is hidden. Raven (who takes the name Mystique) uses a good portion of her energy just to mask her natural blue skinned appearance. Erik was tortured for his powers, which has made him bitter and angry. Charles helps him find balance between rage and peace, where his powers are the strongest.

These mutants meet up with others like them. Dr. Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult, A SINGLE MAN) is a brilliant young scientist who also has hands for feet. Like Raven he spends a great deal of time hiding his physical mutation. The two form a bond and Raven is pushed and pulled between Hank’s desire to find a cure for their physical differences and Erik’s attitude that one should embrace their differences. Hank and Raven’s story serves as the perfect subplot to Charles and Erik, because it mirrors it and expands on it as well.

The rest of the mutants are pretty much associated simply by their powers and appearance. For the X-Men there is: Darwin (Edi Gathegi, TWILIGHT), who has the power to adapt to his environment; Angel (Zoe Kravitz, THE BRAVE ONE), a former stripper who has fairy wings and can spit fire; Havoc (Lucas Till, BATTLE: LOS ANGELES), a mutant whose control of his energy bursts matches his name; and Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones, THE LAST EXORCISM), who can ride through the air on his sonic scream. For the Hellfire Club there is: Emma Frost (January Jones, TV’s MAD MEN), a telepathic to match Xavier who can also turn her body into diamond; Azazel (Jason Flemyng, HANNA), a teleporter who looks like the devil; and Riptide (Alex Gonzalez, MILK), who can conjure tornadoes form his hands.

The tale is an alternative history where Shaw uses his power to control energy and Frost’s powers to control minds in order to push the U.S. and Soviet Union into nuclear annihilation. In Shaw’s mind the radiated nations will not affect mutants, giving them Earth for their own. How the story weaves itself into the history and politics of the 1960s is ingenious. The philosophies of Xavier and Magneto match the struggle between Martin Luther King Jr. and a more militant response to civil rights well. And you can’t slight the swinging ’60s setting giving justification to get Jones and Byrne into their underwear.

McAvoy and Fassbender are perfectly cast. McAvoy impressed me the most, because he gets Professor X just right. He plays the character as a sophisticated man of science who wants to use his wealth to better the world. The only reason Fassbender impressed me less was because he had the flashier role, which I knew going in he would master. He brings great emotion to the character, which allows the audience to sympathize with him while we disagree with his actions at the same time. The other real standout is Hoult as the tortured nerd. Think a mad scientist crossed with Bill Gates.

At one point, Shaw proposes to the young X-Men they must join him, because if they are not with him, they are against him. Where have we heard that before? Shaw is a torturer. He created Magneto, who now wants to take out his resentment on humanity. Professor X wants to take the higher ground, wanting to win the hearts and minds of the world. He understands that change takes time and that you can’t force it upon people. Don’t worry the film isn’t preachy, but I’m just saying there is something more here than your average summer entertainment.

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One of the reasons why recent superhero flicks have succeeded where BATMAN & ROBIN failed is because they played the material straight and avoided too many post-modern flashes. Now we get a new superhero adaptation that attempts to find the balance between post-modern and a straight superhero story. Diehard Green Hornet purists might find the film too juvenile, but the character seems the right one for this kind of treatment.

Britt Reid (Seth Rogen, FUNNY PEOPLE) is a party boy, living off the millions of his father James (Tom Wilkinson, MICHAEL CLAYTON), the owner and editor-in-chief of The Daily Sentinel. Their relationship isn’t warm; James has always been very hard on his son. But when James suddenly dies, Britt inherits the paper. He meets his father’s mechanic Kato (Jay Chou, CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER), a brilliant inventor and martial arts master. He agrees with Britt that his father was a jerk, so they go out to steal the head off James’ statue and in the process thwart a mugging. This spurs Britt to decide they need to become superheroes, but make everyone believe their criminals in order to keep the bad guys guessing.

With Britt putting the new up-and-coming crime boss The Green Hornet on the front page everyday, the city’s real crime boss Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) begins to get restless. Helping build Britt and Kato’s criminal profile is Britt’s new assistant Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz, THE MASK), a journalism and criminology major. But his father’s top advisor at the paper, Axford (Edward James Olmos, STAND AND DELIVER), warns him that constantly kicking the nest will get you stung. When Chudnofsky doesn’t think he appears scary enough, he starts going by Bloodnofsky and begins dressing in red. The Green Hornet and Kato are facing up against a guy who’s a few shots short of a pint.

Rogen not only stars, but also wrote and produced the picture. Along with Evan Goldberg, he has crafted a buddy flick with an egotist trying to make his mark. He’s the one with all the money so he casts himself as the hero. Kato has all the talent and skill, but Britt casts him as the sidekick, or executive associate, wherever they might be. Britt doesn’t promote the difference more than when Lenore starts warming up to the former street kid from China. The film never apologizes for Britt’s behavior. What a better character to poke fun at superhero vigilantes with than a jerk who plays superhero posing as a villain?

The comedy mixes satirical pokes at superhero conventions and the juvenile humor one might expect from Rogen. As a superhero spoof, the film doesn’t blaze any new territory that KICK-ASS didn’t with more bite. But I have to say some of the closing action sequences are so ridiculous that you have to laugh. The juvenile humor depends on your appreciation of that sort of humor. But it can’t be denied that Rogen is good at delivering it.

Director Michel Gondry doesn’t display his past flashes of surrealism, but then again he’s not working from a Charlie Kaufman or his own script this time around. One nice directing flare comes when the city’s criminals start to spread the word on the contract on the Green Hornet’s head. Each time one killer tells another and they leave to tell others, the frame splits and before too long the screen is filled with dozens of frames.

The chief reason why the film works is because it doesn’t forget to have compelling characters at its center. Bruce Wayne pretends to be a playboy to hide his Batman identity, but Britt Reid is a true playboy and he’s about what a playboy superhero would be. He hires Kato to do all the dirty work and then takes all the credit.

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This comic book adaptation is not for everyone, especially little kids. Those that hated it really hated it. The film is violent as can be and puts an 11-year-old girl right in the middle of that violence as a gleeful participant. Defenders can tell detractors that they need to lighten up — it’s only satire. But the detractors will come back and say how can you get any joy out of seeing a little girl beaten savagely by an adult? Well I’ll make my attempt to tell you how.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson, NOWHERE BOY) is just your average high school student who hangs with his friends after school at a comic book shop. He wonders why out of all the people who love comics why no one ever decided to try to be one. He freely admits that it’s a crazy idea because as he says his only superpower is to be invisible to girls. But he keeps fantasizing about the idea and like a serial killer one day fantasizing isn’t enough. He confronts a pair of thieves and ends up in the hospital for months. But after he recovers, the urge is still there. He’s like an alcoholic only addicted to putting on a green and yellow scuba suit and walking the streets looking for trouble. Well trouble finds him again and this time there are teens around with cell phones, making Kick-Ass an Internet sensation.

Meanwhile, cold-hearted gangster Frank D’Amico is having problems with a coke shipment. His lackey claims Batman stole it. Turns out that the thug isn’t lying. Damon Mcready aka Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage, GHOST RIDER) dresses up much like the Caped Crusader and has a young sidekick as well — his daughter Mindy known as Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID). Mindy says for her birthday she wants puppy and her dad looks disappointed. Then she says, “just kidding” and reveals she wants switchblades. Big Daddy has sadistically trained his little girl into a killing machine. He has his reasons for wanting D’Amico dead. Now the problem is D’Amico thinks his troublesome vigilante is Kick-Ass, who still takes a beating more than he gives.

The film presents a simple question — why don’t real people become superheroes? It goes on to answer that question clearly. You’d have to be freakin’ crazy. The bad guys out there are not playing dress-up. Kick-Ass isn’t skilled; he’s lucky at best. His superhero dreams are a way to feel less nameless. So many kids do the same by forming a garage band or acting in the school play, because they can put on a persona and not have to take risks as themselves. Dave puts on the suit to get an injection of confidence. He wants to connect with others like him so he starts a webpage where he meets fellow masked teen vigilante The Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, SUPERBAD), whose got a bank account to fund his superhero toys. Getting beaten bloody actually makes the cute Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca, TV’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) notice Dave. The only problem is she thinks he’s gay, which is another persona he embraces because he can’t be himself. Dave is trying to find something that makes his life worthwhile.

Where Kick-Ass is a kid acting stupid, Big Daddy and Hit Girl are trained and heavily armed, but they’re still mortal. Big Daddy’s friend Sgt. Marcus Williams (Omari Hardwick, MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA) questions what kind of childhood he is giving his daughter. Big Daddy has desensitized Hit Girl to the point that when she knives a thug, she sees it like a videogame. After everything she’s done, could Hit Girl ever be a normal high school student? Her father has made her badass, but at what cost?

Johnson is a perfect choice for Kick-Ass. His crackly voice and ah-shucks look make the character believable as an alienated high schooler and as a wanna-be superhero. Cage is great as Big Daddy. He puts on a Mr, Rogers smile when talking with his daughter about guns and killing like its sugar in the cough syrup. In the suit, he talks like Adam West from the BATMAN TV series. Moretz is the center of attention in the film as the half-pint assassin. She’s a foul-mouthed dynamo. But her joy with carnage has a oft-kilter feel as well.

Kick-Ass represents the naïve desire to be a superhero. Becoming a hero to single-handedly stop wrong. Big Daddy and Hit Girl are the dark side. Revenge fueled murder. Leading up to the traditional ending, where Kick-Ass and Hit Girl storm the castle, I wished for something more original to bring the pieces together, but what I did feel wasn’t excitement like scenes such as these usually elicit. I felt fear. Do these kids really know what they are getting into? The film is based on a series so it doesn’t take it to the most realistic dark conclusion, but it hints at it between over-the-top wish fulfillment. But take note to how the heroes get saved when their backs are to the wall. Says something about the odds these heroes are betting on. They should take on Vegas next.

So is it immoral? Morality is a fuzzy world and it will always be up to the viewer to judge something through their own lens. Gene Siskel would have said so because he felt it was wrong in any way to put children in danger in films. But taking things to that extreme would mean Dickens is immoral. I look at it from a universal perspective no matter the age of those involved. What is the view point of the film and the characters. Director Matthew Vaughn might be having fun with it all, but he also shows the harsh realities of vigilante justice no matter how trained you are. Is that less responsible than sending a teen Robin out to pummel villains in the name of good ole fun? Bloody revenge is always a gray point of morality in films. But whose reasoning for heroism succeeds in the end — Hit Girl or Kick-Ass — and which one is more noble?

This isn’t for 11-year-olds to watch and pretend they’re superheroes, it’s for adults to see what it would be like to be a superhero at the age when they pretended to be superheroes. Some in the audience will mindlessly chuckle like Beavis and Butthead, but I’ve always been of the opinion that a filmmaker can’t worry about the lowest common denominator. The more observant viewer will feel a range of emotions, some not all that comfortable. It’s fantasy and pitch black humor and twisted reality mixed.

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This character-driven animated feature reminded me of the landmark BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. The production from Warner Premiere takes the “Under the Hood” story arc from the comics and creates the best filmic treatment of the relationship between Batman and Robin.

Shockingly the story begins with The Joker (John DiMaggio, TV’s FUTURAMA) beating Robin with a crowbar. Batman (Bruce Greenwood, STAR TREK) races to save him, but as he arrives and explosion rocks the building and he carries out the body of his dead ward Jason Todd (Jensen Ackles, TV’s SUPERNATURAL). Struggling to cope with the loss, Batman continues his crusade against the underbelly of Gotham City. However, he’s more brutal and cold than ever. His original ward Dick Grayson (Neil Patrick Harris, TV’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER), who moved on from being Robin to don the identity of Nightwing, can’t even get him to open up.

Black Mask (Wade Williams, TV’s PRISON BREAK) has a strong arm on the drug trade in Gotham, but a new killer has moved into the picture. Red Hood is a vigilante trying to take over the crime operations of the entire city. Batman and Nightwing had a run-in with a version of Red Hood before, but this new enemy is extremely skilled and seems to know their every move. As they get deeper into their investigation, Batman will have to confront his past and look for the truth with his enemy Ra’s Al Ghul (Jason Isaacs, HARRY POTTER).

For non-fans, the way the story begins might disorient them in how it throws the viewer right into a tragedy. But even for those that don’t know the backstory of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd will get the emotional picture through the flashbacks woven into the production. For the uninitiated the opening might actually work as a shocking hook.

The story touches on the core of who Batman is as a hero. Jason is dead, but he has left the Joker alive. With Dick becoming Nightwing and Jason falling at the hands of one of his archenemies, he struggles with whether he has provided the best life for his apprentices. Batman’s guilt over how the lives of his wards have turned out is touching.

One can easily see the influence of THE DARK KNIGHT on the film, especially the performances. Greenwood gives Batman a hard edge much like Christian Bale’s interaction with Heath Ledger’s Joker. Speaking of the Joker, DiMaggio makes the iconic character unique, combining some of Ledger’s anarchic madman with Mark Hamill’s crazed hyena from THE ANIMATED SERIES and adding in his own droll approach to the character’s morbid humor. Harris is a genius stroke as Nightwing adding a nice dose of sarcastic humor to the otherwise somber tone.

Director Brandon Vietti gets a big advantage over his other DC Direct title, SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY, with Judd Winick’s script. DOOMSDAY felt too rushed, while RED HOOD is satisfying. The fact that I wanted more isn’t a complaint that anything crucial was lacking, but that what was there was so good I wanted more. For instance, a juxtaposition of Batman’s relationship with Dick versus Jason would have been interesting. Nightwing does disappear from the story too early.

In the end, the film does a compelling job capturing the complex relationship between Batman and his wards, especially Jason Todd. Part mentor, part father, Batman/Bruce Wayne finds his own inner demons flowing over to Dick and then Jason. The guilt grows into anger, but will it change his soul and push him over the edge into becoming one of the villains he fights against. Both Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale said they are not interested in doing any BATMAN films with Robin. If they see this, it could change their minds.

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In this animated world, villainy is a corporate venture. Master criminals live among the average citizens, clearly out in the open. The gothic mansion of baddie Gru sticks out in the same row of suburban family homes. To fund criminal ventures, the villains apply for loans from the Bank of Evil (formerly known as Lehman Brothers).

Gru (Steve Carell, GET SMART) wants to be the top criminal mastermind, but he has competition in the newcomer Vector (Jason Segal, I LOVE YOU, MAN), who just stole the Great Pyramid, which he has stowed in his backyard, painting it blue so that it blends in with the skyline. Gru; along with his mad scientist cohort Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand, GET HIM TO THE GREEK) and hundreds of his minions, yellow pill-shaped sidekicks who get giddy over troublemaking; go to the Bank of Evil to get the funding for his biggest caper yet — steal the Moon. But before he can get to the Moon, he has to build a rocketship and steal a newly created Chinese shrink ray. The key to getting the ray — three orphans named Margo (Miranda Cosgrove, TV’s ICARLY), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher).

Gru adopts the girls as part of his plan. Margo is the oldest and the defacto parent of the trio. Edith is the tough one. Agnes is the youngest and a ball of cuteness. At the orphanage, the girls were forced to sell a quota of cookies or face time in the box of shame. With Gru’s pointy nose, penchant for bad disguises and exploitation of orphans, one might think of LEMONY SNICKET’S Count Olaf. But unlike Olaf and his more morose trio of orphans, do you think Gru can resist the softening affects of the adorable munchkins? The other difference between these orphans and the Baudelaire siblings is that they’re less individuals and more a collection of traits. Why have three when one would have served the same purpose?

The story is at its best when it’s playing with its villain world premise. In addition to some of gags I mentioned earlier, another one of my favorites was the ridiculously elaborate mechanism Gru employs to get into his secret lair. And why even have a secret lair when your house screams criminal mastermind? The minions are also a comic goldmine. They have the mischievousness of Beavis and Butt-head mixed with the energy of a Mexican jumping bean.

While the plot rides along parenting cliches such as making the big recital on time, the film earns its sentiment. One of the funniest and most touching moments comes when a young Gru tells his mom about his desire to go to the Moon. By setting up the emotional side of Gru’s plans early on, the story makes for an easy transition to the emotional resolution with the kids.

With the minions providing some great chaotic humor and Gru and orphan’s tale the heart, the film has an engaging story to tell. Carell is a star who actually provides a “voice” that matches his animated character. He’s a criminal with a soft spot for cute precocious children — why else would he fill his lab with hundreds of rambunctious minions who in addition to evil doing like to photocopy their butts.

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Any IRON MAN sequel had a big suit to fill, following the original, which is one of the best superhero movies ever made. The story nicely builds on elements from the first film instead of rehashing the same ones. The second adventure is entertaining, especially in parts with a wisecracking Tony Stark, played once again by Robert Downey Jr.

Tony Stark is being pressured by the U.S. government to turn over his Iron Man suit. Stark argues that be has privatized peace and that he will do what he wants with it. His ego draws the attention of many adversaries. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke, THE WRESTLER) has the biggest beef. He believes Stark’s father Howard (John Slattery, TV’s MAD MEN) stole the idea for the Iron Man suit from his father, so he builds his own suit and sets out to seek revenge. This validates all of the fears of Senator Stern (Garry Shandling, THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW), who doesn’t want Iron Man armies in the hands of enemies. Stark’s chief manufacturing rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, MOON) recruits Vanko, so he can get a leg up on the competition. Meanwhile, Stark’s best friend Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle, HOTEL RWANDA) is given orders to get a suit for the military. If Stark didn’t have enough problems already, the reactor in his chest that is keeping him alive is also poisoning his blood.

In this film, Downey gives Stark an even bigger playboy eccentric quality. Kind of like Bond after a few martinis. He’s more interested in his public persona than running his corporation so he hands it over to his brilliant and dedicated secretary Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, SEVEN). The seemingly bone-headed move inspires a great cameo. Of course now, Downey needs a new assistant so in comes the sexy and deadly Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson, GHOST WORLD), who is more than she seems. Even Stark’s trusted driver Happy (Jon Favreau, SWINGERS) gets into the fray this time around. And lets not forget SHIELD agents Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, PULP FICTION) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg, SPARTAN) are always keeping an eye on Stark’s actions.

As you can see the film tries to tackle a lot in two hours. Sadly some of the best parts of IRON MAN have been lost. While the story advances Stark and Potts’ relationship, it doesn’t have the time to do it as compellingly as the first film. Paltrow was so good in the original that I really missed her here. Fury and Rushman feel like ads for upcoming movies. The story touches on Stark’s alcoholism, but does so in a jokey way instead of dealing with the real ramifications of a drunk man in an Iron Man suit. In an effort to balance too much, the film feels a little bit like a product and not a rich story about a weapons manufacturer who finds his soul, which set the original apart. This film seems in search of a central theme. Stark deals with life and death, his daddy and go-it-alone/egotism issues, while the film skirts the surface of bigger issues with high-tech weapons in the hands of private citizens and bad guys.

That said the film does do a decent job of bringing all the elements together into a cohesive single story. It’s not like SPIDER-MAN 3 where too many different stories seemed to be fighting for screen time. Downey is given some dialogue gems and he fits into the role perfectly. Cheadle comes into the franchise replacing Terrence Howard who played Rhodey/War Machine in the first film. He brings a great sublty to the role, giving it depth beyond the page. He is a man concerned for his friend and his country and the problem is they stand on opposite sides of an argument. Additionally, Rourke and Rockwell are wonderful baddies. Rourke oozes vodka from his pores as the Russian physicist who has nothing to loose. Rockwell, with his wonderfully bad bronzer tan, is a geek with big toys who wants the cool kid, aka Tony Stark, to pay attention to him.

As one would expect, IRON MAN 2 has great action and visual effects, but none as cheer worthy as the first installment. So overall, the sequel is thinned out from the original. It doesn’t have the newness. But like your favorite car you’ve had for years, you feel comfortable riding around in it. It doesn’t have the punch it did when you first got it, but its original style is still there. With Downey behind the driver seat, it still attracts positive attention.

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This is truly a PG-13 production. It lacks maturity with its obsession with fight after fight. Throughout the film I got the nagging feeling the sole purpose was to answer those boring arguments comic fans have where they wonder if so-and-so fought so-and-so who would win. This film throws a litany of villains and heroes at Superman and Batman in a world where Lex Luthor has become president of the United States.

Based on a popular comic series run, the premise is interesting. The United States has sunk financially; crime and unemployment are at an all time high. America is ready for a major change. Enter, Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), a man who claims that he has paid his debt to society and that he wants to now help fix it. He wins and turns the country around. In an effort to control superheroes, he enlists them in his administration and warns all others to stay out of his way.

Chief on that list is Superman (Tim Daly, TV’s WINGS), who believes that Luthor is up to something. Power Girl (Allison Mack, TV’s SMALLVILLE), who now works for Luthor, is convinced otherwise. She believes that Luthor is now using his massive intellect to fix global problems that no one else could. It’s a monster ego trip. But when Luthor wants to save the world himself from a radioactive meteor, he frames Superman to keep him away. With a bounty on his head of $1 billion, the Man of Steel must run from every person with powers and a spandex suit. Injured, Superman must rely on the help of his good friend Batman (Kevin Conroy, TV’s BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES) to save himself… and the world.

This is a major disappointment in Warner’s direct-to-DVD DC adaptations. Starting with SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY each new production only grew in quality, building right up to the best of the lot so far GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT earlier this year. This is the worst so far. It takes the interesting premise and strips it of all its guts. The plot simply puts heroes Superman and Batman on the run with a new fight every minute or so. There’s some nice banter between them but it never turns into the buddy movie they want it to be. Plus the potential of the premise to bring out interesting emotional issues is completely missing. Superman is good and heroic. Batman is dark and brooding. Luthor is drunk with power. That’s all we get. And a runaway meteor? Come on.

As with the other films in the DC Direct series, the animation is solid. However, for a film dedicated to fight sequences, they lack the punch of those in WONDER WOMAN and GREEN LANTERN. When you set out to make an action-packed adventure and the action only packs boredom, you know something is wrong. Not even Superman or Batman could save this one.

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Rob Zombie enters the world of animation via a feature adaptation of his comic book. It’s promising to see more adult content coming to 2D animation in America, but I wish it were a bit more sophisticated than this combo of sexual innuendo, easy puns and randomness.

El Superbeasto (Tom Papa, THE INFORMANT!) is a celebrity Mexican wrestler who’s trying to get into porn. His sister Suzi X (Sheri Moon Zombie, DEVIL’S REJECTS) is a buxom crime fighter with a horny robot sidekick named Murray (Brian Posehn, TV’s THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM), who turns into a motorcycle steered by Suzi via a strategically placed joystick. While Suzi is battling zombie Nazis, El Superbeasto falls in lust with the foul-mouthed stripper Velvet Von Black (Rosario Dawson, CLERKS II). So when she is kidnapped by the geeky Dr. Satan (Paul Giamatti, SIDEWAYS) and his talking gorilla henchmen Otto (Tom Kenny, TV’s SPONGEBOB, SQUAREPANTS), he’s determined to stop Dr. Satan’s plans to marry the dark haired beauty.

The press site describes the film as “AUSTIN POWERS meets THE MUNSTERS by the way of A HARD DAYS NIGHT.” That’s accurate except that those productions were far wittier. This world is a strange mix of Hollywood diva satire mixed with horror movie spoof infused with a lot of sex. El Superbeasto is the diva, but the film never does a good job of developing whether he’s really a star or it’s all in his head. I believe it’s the latter, but either way he’s not a very sympathetic character. Suzi could be, but in the end she’s just a sexy superhero in latex to be ogled at.

Oddly, the most interesting characters are the villains. Giamatti has fun with his fey nerd who is trying way too hard to be evil. He’s developing a collection of wives, which he keeps frozen in his liar. Von Black is definitely a modern stripper whose diva attitudes rival those of El Superbeasto. She knows what men want from her and she isn’t shy about using that to get paid. Kenny of course brings a droll humor to Otto and the pairing between him and Von Black creates actual laughs in an odd couple sort of way.

Zombie seems freed by animation to do whatever he wants. So the plot is actually quite thin. However, due to the all over the map pop culture references, the film seems too loose at times. There’s nothing really powerful driving the story forward and some plot sidesteps are just plain stupid. Random and shocking are not really a joke. So random characters with big testicles aren’t funny because there is no context. The film seems inspired by both REN & STIMPY and FAMILY GUY. They should have went more for the former and less for the latter. And let’s not even get into the obvious songs. I will admit though the catfight tune toward the end did make me laugh out loud.

In the end, the reason that cat fight song made me laugh was because it mixed the various elements well. It had sex and pop culture and story context and a satirical wit. Most of the rest of the production feels like 13-year-olds doodling naughty cartoons in their notebooks. You can draw lots and lots of boobs, but it doesn’t make it adult. And when I say adult, I mean smart.

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One of the chief complaints of most of the DC universe superheroes is that they’re hard to relate to because they are like gods. This direct-to-DVD animated feature finds a way to deal with that issue head on. When you are a god, what responsibilities does that give you?

Hal Jordan (Christopher Meloni, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT) is a test pilot who is chosen by an intergalactic organization called the Green Lantern Corps for their effort to protect the universe. When one member of the Corps dies, their power ring goes to the next worthy wearer, giving the user the power of flight, force fields, and the ability to form any object out of energy. Jordan receives the ring of Abin Sur, a very respected member of the Corps, which makes the other members doubtful that the Earthling he can live up to his predecessor.

However, Sinestro (Victor Garber, TV’s ALIAS) takes Jordan as his partner, but Hal quickly learns that Sinestro’s strong-arm ways are not the kind of justice Jordan is interested in. Sinestro believes the leaders of the Corps have become weak and that any means necessary are warranted in hunting down villains like Abin Sur’s killer. The pretty Boodikka (Tricia Helfer, TV’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) takes pity on the rookie, who gets a great deal of flack from the brooding Kilowog (Michael Madsen, RESERVOIR DOGS).

The political parallels of Sinestro’s use of harsh interrogation techniques are easy to notice. But director Lauren Montgomery (WONDER WOMAN) and writer Alan Burnett (BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM) never make the film an agenda piece. They take the Spider-Man motto that with great power comes great responsibility. It’s interesting how they play the cockiness of Jordan against the arrogance of Sinestro. One understands why Sinestro takes to the new guy so quickly; he thinks he’s found a kindred spirit.

Another thing the film does an excellent job with is the origin story. It avoids every origin story cliché by simply moving past them. Jordan gets the ring, but there isn’t a lame montage of him learning the ropes. The filmmakers find a more interesting story in his introduction to the Corps. There’s also a moment toward the end where the filmmakers rightly avoid a last minute mistaken identity plot twist. The only negative thing I’d say is that if you want a grown up Green Lantern, maybe don’t have him use giant fly swatter on the bad guys. I know it’s part of the comic’s history, but it was ridiculous then and it’s even more ridiculous now.

DC Direct animated features have been solid so far and this one is by far the best. The 2D animation is far better than TV quality animation. Montgomery is a good director who knows how to balance story with action. The tight plot is perfect for its 77 minute running time. There isn’t a wasted moment. Warner Bros. just announced that Ryan Reynolds is going to play Green Lantern in a live-action feature. It’s hard for me to see them doing much better than this origin story.

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