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Superman: Unbound (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

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#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )
89





Studio and Year: Warner - 2013
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 75 minutes
Genre: Fantasy/Action

Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring (Voices) : Matt Bomer, Stana Katic, John Noble, Molly Quinn, Francis Conroy
Directed by: James Tucker
Music by: Kevin Kliescher
Written by: Bob Goodman
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: May 7, 2013
"Millions in peril, only one Superman to save them"


Film Synopsis:


Superman battles Brainiac in order to save his home planet’s city of Kandor, which has been miniaturized on Brainiac’s ship. Based on Geoff Johns’ mini series.

My Take:


Based on the Geoff Johns/Gary Frank 2008 release "Superman: Brainiac," Superman: Unbound finds the Man of Steel aptly handling day-to-day crime while helping acclimate Supergirl to Earth’s customs and managing Lois Lane’s expectations for their relationship. Personal issues take a back seat, however, when the horrific force responsible for the destruction of Krypton – Brainiac – begins his descent upon Earth. Brainiac has crossed the universe, collecting cities from interesting planets – including Supergirl’s home city of Kandor – and now the all-knowing, ever-improving android has his sights fixed on Metropolis. Superman must summon all of his physical and intellectual resources to protect his city, the love of his life and his newly-arrived cousin.


This is my second experience with a DCU animated title and I must say that I find them rather enjoyable. As a fan of the man of steel I thought that this updated story remained faithful to his character while adding enough edginess to make it feel both modern and relevant. In addition to the Brainiac threat the plot explores familial/relationship issues as they pertain to Superman/Clark’s romance with Lois as well as handling his headstrong cousin Supergirl. At 75 minutes the pacing is on target and the story flows quite well. There is plenty of action and a surprising level of violence/mayhem which elevates the film above what you would expect to see on regular TV. The voiceovers by the cast are spot on and the production elements are high. The end result is an entertaining animated film that coincides with what we have previously seen from DC Universe releases.


Parental Guide:


The rating is for sequences of violence and action.



AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


Audio: 88

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:




Video: 90

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:


Superman: Unbound comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 17 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 2.6 Mbps.


Animation can sometimes be difficult to thoroughly judge when evaluating its video quality. There are aspects shared by both high definition and standard definition versions in terms of the absence of defining texture and lesser dimensional perspective. Objects in backgrounds are two dimensional which isn’t a problem but images can appear to have less depth. I have noticed that with good high definition animated video this is still applicable but rendering is notably improved. Such is the case here. Images have excellent visual depth with deep, rich, color fidelity and bold defining contrast. The video has tack like sharpness with crisp edges and no distracting signs of edge enhancement. Blacks are stable, with enriching depth that enhances onscreen images containing mixed light/dark elements. Aliasing and banding were nowhere to be found as this is a solid high definition rendering that looked great on my big screen.


The high resolution DTS-HD MA soundtrack is well articulated with excellent headroom and crystal clear rendering across the board. The well balanced presentation features high level detail in a resplendent blend of dialogue, sound effects, bass and music. The results offer a dynamically satisfying, relatively enveloping surround sound mix that delivers punchy bass, and plenty of action based sounds/effects to make the experience fun.

Bonus Features:

  • Audio commentary with the creative team of Mike Carlin, Bob Goodman and James Tucker

  • (HD) Kandor: History of the bottle city – 16 minute featurette

  • (HD) Brainiac: Technology and terror – 24 minute featurette

  • Four bonus episodes from Superman: The animated series – “The last son of Krypton part 1, New kids in town, Little lost girl parts 1&2

  • A digital comic excerpt from “Superman: Brainiac”

  • Trailers

  • Bonus DVD

  • Ultraviolet Digital Copy




Final Thoughts:


This is now my second DC Universe animated title viewing and I am happy to report that Superman: Unbound was 75 minutes well spent. As a fan of the man of steel I thought that its updated story remained faithful to his character while adding enough edginess to make it feel both modern and relevant. It comes to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video in a well rounded package that features excellent high definition audio/video quality and a complimentary assortment of bonus supplements. If you’re a fan this one is worth picking up.













Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





Reference Review System:



JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector

(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )

Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen

Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor

Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier

B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier

Oppo BDP-103 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control

Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers

SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)

APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
 
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#2 ·
I've always wondered about some of these super hero animated movies I see around at various places. Like sometimes they show trailers for em on certain blu rays and stuff.


I like alot of the non animated super hero movies. Used to be a HUGE comic book fan when I was a kid some 25 years ago or so.


I'll give this 1 a shot.


Thanks Ralph.
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by yadfgp  /t/1471860/superman-unbound-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review#post_23293153


I've always wondered about some of these super hero animated movies I see around at various places. Like sometimes they show trailers for em on certain blu rays and stuff.


I like alot of the non animated super hero movies. Used to be a HUGE comic book fan when I was a kid some 25 years ago or so.


I'll give this 1 a shot.


Thanks Ralph.

Be sure to also check out BATMAN YEAR ONE, JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (especially Part 2!)...I found these to be more mature than just about any live-action costumed hero movie (with the exception of V FOR VENDETTA and WATCHMEN Ultimate Cut)..
 
#8 ·

Nice review Ralph. I'll be interested to give this one a look. (Let's see more like this!)

 

Direct-to-video animation often gets a bum rap, but many of the features I've seen like this have been top-notch, and often play as well, if not better to older viewers. The stories are often quite sophisticated and complex (and often on the darker side, it must be said). They won't be everyone's cup of tea, but some of the better ones are at least worth a look.

 

I have not seen Sups Unbound, JL New Frontier or Dark Knight Returns yet, but I've seen several other recent DC and Marvel D2V features, and most were pretty decent. Haven't updated this thread in awhile, but there's info on some of the others here...

 

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1221493/titan-ae-like-animation

 

(^ There's alot of "non-superhero" stuff there as well, which could be a little confusing if you're only interested in the DC/Marvel features.)

 

My favorite of the recent DC titles are probably Wonder Woman (better than most would expect), Superman: Doomsday, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (some great action sequences), and the TV series "Batman Beyond". Favorite Marvel titles are Hulk Vs. Wolverine, Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, and the TV series "Wolverine & the X-Men", all of which have excellent animation.

 

The ones that impressed me the least were probably Batman: Gotham Knight, Planet Hulk, All-Star Superman (nice animation, but story didn't hold my attention), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and Invincible Ironman. YMMV though.

 

The animation is somewhat minimal on Batman Year One, but it has some nice drawing and a muted color palette, and a pretty good story (and a rather risque short featuring Catwoman).

 

There are a number of "mocoms" ( motion comics ) which have been released on Blu-ray in the last few years as well, but I haven't delved too deeply into those yet. There's probably excellent drawing on some of them, but the animation is probably very limited.
 
#10 ·

Watched this last night, and I thought it was pretty good. I'd grown a little tired of the Brainiac schtick. But this story, which is sort of a reboot of that character, held my interest both visually and conceptually. It was sort of a nice blend of old-school and new-school DC with solid animation, some nice dramatic moments, and also some good tongue-in-cheek moments. Supergirl is also featured prominently in this. Picture and audio quality are flawless. Strong thumbs up for me.
 
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