Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006)

I know many dislike the movie but I must say I really enjoy it. That Tim returns as Superman after these years and that Lance Henriksen's Brainiac is very menacing.

This is like one of those cheap dollar store coloring books made into a movie. To say it's written for kids is an insult to kids. Maybe it would be more accurate to say it's written for babies. Despite the animation style and some of the same voices, this has NOTHING in common with the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini TV series. This is bad on every level. The worst of the worst is the portrayal of Lex Luthor. First, he's voiced by Powers Boothe instead of the awesome Clancy Brown. Second, Lex is portrayed here as a comical buffoon. Those comparing this Lex to the Gene Hackman Lex don't know what they're talking about. There really is nothing to recommend here. If you're a Superman completist and you just have to see everything with him, then go right ahead. Otherwise don't torture yourself.

Superman: The Animated Series had wonderful animation and was careful with the unique and interesting continuity that it had set up,this has all gone the way of the dodo in this cartoon movie that although has characters in the same model as the animated series it had nothing at all to do with that great show Paul Dini and Bruce Timm produced A goofy Lex Luthor with dumb one liners, A Brainiac without his cold calculating logic and a focus on Clark upset that Lois like Superman but not him are what you can find in this movie. Plot holes that make no sense and a Kryptonite nannite ray that makes people look like they haven't slept in days are also found. If you want to see how a bad Superman Animated Series would have looked then this movie is for you, otherwise avoid it like the plague.

Although I'm a college educated adult, I actually like the Superman, Batman and Justice League cartoon series (I'm sure I'm far from alone on this one). The plots have been excellent examples of sci-fi writing and can be quite clever,complex and entertaining. Not so this one. The vast majority of this movie consisted of Superman and Braniac pounding each other into the ground, throwing each other through buildings, etc. The encounters went on for so long I got bored and fastforwarded through the monotony. There is a weak plot that holds this together, but it's not strong enough to redeem it. The phrase "phoning it in" leaps to mind. If you're a Superman fan, you're going to be disappointed in this.