All-Star Superman is the latest animated offering from DC Entertainment, adapting the 12-issue epic written by Grant Morrison, and beautifully illustrated by Frank Quitely.  This was probably my favourite comic written in the past 20 years, a perfect summation of everything that is good about the character, and the medium as a whole, so far that reason, I may be slightly unbiased here.

This is they story of how one day Lex Luthor realised he was getting older and Superman wasn’t, his decision to get serious about killing Superman, and the legendary feats Superman accomplished before his death, as well as the inevitable, although unconventional final confrontation between the two.

What is amazing about this film is how much of the story they manage to commit to screen, with whole sections of the film lifted straight out of the comic, with little or no changes made. The interview with Luthor in prison for example, is spot on, and obscure and newly invented characters like Samson, Atlas and the impeccably dressed super scientist, Leo quantum all play their parts.

Unfortunately, this dedication to the story is also one of its main weaknesses. Things that work well in a comic do no always translate well onto the screen (a perfect example of this being The Watchmen). There’s an instance towards the end of the series where Lois and share a moment together. In the comic this is dramatic, romantic and features a heavy dose of nostalgia for the sci-fi madness of the Silver age of comics. And yet on screen, the dialogue falls flat and feels corny.

And for all that was included here, for someone who knows the story, the parts that are left out scream the loudest. The big moments, like the Bizarro world invasion, Jimmy Olsen as Doomsday, and Clark’s last moment with Pa Kent, and the small, like Superman talking the little girl off the ledge, are all integral to the story, and all unfortunately, absent.

Ultimately though, this is still a thoroughly entertaining story even with it’s faults, and it does have some special moments of it’s own (Ed Asner as Perry White was a superb casting choice), and someone looking for something other than usual superhero slug-fest will be happy to see Superman solve problems with his brain. And if it encourages people to pick up the book, then all the better for it.