Customer Reviews

Superman - Last Son of Krypton (Mini-DVD)

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I was quite pleased with the quality of this production. The animation is not nearly as refined as the work that may be found in those short cartoons produced by Max Fleisher; however, it is still light years beyond most of the cheap animation produced today.

I was really pleased with the initial flight sequences and the way super speed was presented. Later on in the film, the flight scenes seem far less dramatic. Also, there are a few points where the art work simply seems crude. What this film may lack in graphics is more than made up by a very original and concise telling of Superman's origin.

The origin story of Supeman, sole survivor from the doomed planet Krypton, has been told quite a number of times in both comics and film. This version expands greatly upon the original (and all too brief) origin story provided by Jerry Siegal and Joel Shuster. It also deviates dramatically from the retelling presented much later by John Byrne. In my opinion, this origin story is in many ways superior to Byrne's.

Without giving too much away, Byrne presented Krypton as a planet populated by a race of cold, unemotional beings. The animated version presents the Kryptonians as being a far more human like race. While this may lack scientific credability, it certainly makes it easier for the viewer to feel sympathy for the plight of Jor-El who must send his son off to another world.

Dini and company do decide to follow Byrne's lead and keep Clark Kent's adopted parents alive. This makes perfect sense to me. Superman is a very up beat character. Why impose gloom and doom on him? After all, he is not Bruce Wayne.

Brainiac is given an entirely new origin story in this film. It is chilling. In fact, I hope that Warner Brothers will make the Braniac episodes available sometime in the future. His (or ITs) appearance here is all too brief.

Fans of H.P. Lovecraft should pay close attention to the scene following the action in the ice cavern. There is a very brief allusion to _At the Mountains of Madness_.

There is, of course, quite a bit of gunfire. This is to be expected in a film about a man who is bullet proof. It does not bother me, but it may concern some parents.

Overall, it is a lot of fun. I think quite a number of adults will appreciate it as much if not more than their kids. Some of the humour is obviously directed at an older crowd. At one point Lois Lane gazes at a photographic image of Superman. She quips, "Nice 'S'."

Regards and Best Wishes,

Donald Eric Kesler

This video is the compilation of the first three episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, which originally aired primetime on September 6, 1996.

I love this movie because it's a Superman story told through a visual medium. As a fan of Superman and animation I can safely say this movie captures the true spirit of Superman. The movie is mostly action, but drama is incorporated throughout the story.

The film deals with the destruction of Krypton, Clark Kent in high school, and Superman's first romps through Metropolis.

If you don't have access to Kids'! WB to watch The New Batman/Superman Adventures, The Last Son of Krypton will give you a great taste of what you're missing.

Although the DC live-action adaptations have generally lagged well behind the Marvel adaptations, in the animation field DC wins hands-down. "Superman: Last Son Of Krypton", my personal favorite of the 'movie/tv' chronicles of the Man Of Steel is a stellar example of this. Like the Batman animated material, the animated Superman has admittedly been simplified and, to a lesser degree than Batman, toned down for the younger audience, but remains a faithful, spirit-capturing translation of the epic Superman comics. Unique animation style, tremendous scenes combining action and drama magnificently (including the legendary 'airplane-save' scene), and some of storytelling's alltime best characters add up to a great movie, one that, in my opinion, surpasses the ongoing animated series that followed it. The voice actors aren't who I would have picked for the parts - they sound utterly nothing like the characters I hear when I read the books, although admittedly that's a pretty subjective standard to judge on, with probably almost everybody who reads a tale in comic book format, novel format, or whatever hearing the voices differently - but they do indeed turn in good performances and prove worthy interpretors of their parts. Highly recommended for everybody; suitable for tots but DEFINATELY not a 'kids-only' picture; great stuff, overall almost on par with the best Superman comics.

This "movie" comprises the first three episodes of the superb Superman: The Animated Series. It is an excellent introduction to Superman, and one of the best of the first season. (...)If you're not a completist then don't buy this, because(...) there is a box set due out in the summer. I bought it for the sole purpose of having it in a movie format.

Bruce Timm and Paul Dini prove that lightning can strike twice when they switched creative gears from the dark streets of Gotham City to the bright lights, big city look of Metropolis. This animated epic begins on Krypton but quickly travels to Earth, with the arrival of baby Kalel to the Kents. Eventually, Clark Kent's trials lead him to Metropolis, where a rival/love interest named Lois Lane fights for headlines while a greedy businessman named Lex Luther fights for control of the planet! Outstanding family entertainment about the man of steel! A must for any serious Super-fan!

What a great episode to open one of the best animated superhero runs!!!. A heartbreaking kryptonian origin, the formative years, and Superman's first appearance gave the series the best kick-off possible. The episode is well paced, the plot is engaging and the music befits the charachter.

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton is a classic--the very first episode of the Superman animated series, which sadly, I was too young to appreciate when it came on TV regularly. The simple fact that Superman really does seem utterly invincible in this first episode (apparently before everybody and his cousin discovers Kryptonite)--that's enough to enjoy the experience. I, for one, enjoy seeing the good guys win. If you're into collecting the Batman animated series, then this, too, is a must-have. There's just no other way to say it--this is Superman at his finest.

This is the 90 minute pilot to the Superman cartoon series from Warner Brothers. The story is excellent. I am very pleased with the care that was taken in trying to retell the original Superman legend making it identifiable for adults and interesting for kids. The entire series was well produced and I sincerely hope that someday the series will be available as a DVD boxed set.

Superman the last son of Kryton is a great video!This is the first 90 minute movie to the new Superman: The animated series by Bruce Timm and Warner Bros. This animted series series re-introduces Clark Kent/Superman, Martha Kent, Jonanathan Kent, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and Lex Luther. A+

I still prefer the 1978 Christopher Reeve Superman movie to this, but for a pilot episode for an animated series, I found this one to be quite enjoyable. And there were a couple of things I liked better about this version like the introduction of Brainiac. Plus you also get more insight into Krypton's society than in any of the other Supermans, and you also get a little more on-screen time with Superman's birth parents. Those things are what really makes this animated version so good.

Superman's home planet Krypton is dying, and their lead scientist, Jor-El (Superman's father), is attempting to warn the planet's leaders of the threat, but no one will listen to him because Brainiac, Krypton's all-knowing computer, says there is nothing to worry about. Jor-El, knowing that Brainiac is lying, tries to find out why Brainiac would say such a thing. Hacking into Brainiac's systems, Jor-El discovers that Brainiac is downloading himself into a satellite in order to save himself. Brainiac orders the police to arrest Jor-El. Evading capture, Jor-El returns home and sends his only child and infant son into a small spaceship and launches it towards Earth just as Krypton explodes.

Arriving on Earth, Jor-El's son is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. They decide to name the boy Clark. As Clark Kent grows he realizes he has amazing powers that he decides to use to protect mankind. Moving to Metropolis, Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet newspaper and meets the beautiful female reporter Lois Lane. Superman makes his presence known and must stop a group of terrorists who have stolen LexCorp's new high-tech battle suit. Superman suspects that LexCorp's CEO, Lex Luther, may know more about the theft than he's saying. Now it's up to Superman to save the day.

The episode ends with a group of aliens in deep space picking up the Brainiac's satellite. Brainiac kills the alien crew, takes over their ship, and sets a course for Earth.

In all, I say this film was pretty entertaining, and considering that its just over an hour long, they managed to fit in quite a bit of material. Highly recommended!