Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Pjtaylor-96-138044 'Superman: Unbound (2013)' attempts to bring a more rounded and humanised vision of its eponymous hero by, essentially, making him more vulnerable and connecting the flick's central conflict directly to his home-world, introducing the beefy 'Brainiac' as its antagonist and having him 'collect' fragments of different civilisations including a segment of the long-gone Krypon. This makes for an experience that tries to emphasise the empathy with its protagonist, and does so successfully to a degree, but also resorts to the high-powered fisticuffs the character has ostensibly been known for without much hesitation, delivering these moments with confidence and providing some excitement at the same time but largely seeming 'stakes-less' since there's little other to care about besides some basic (if realistically rendered) relationships. The issue is that making the 'man of steel' physically weaker, or weaker compared to the antagonist as least, has been done before and better. It also isn't as interesting a conceit as when the hero is challenged mentally or emotionally. Still, there are some more cerebral and emotional elements here. For one, the inclusion of 'Supergirl' allows for some unique characterisation. Namely, a different examination of the abilities and responsibilities associated with being a 'superhero' of this sort. She's scared of the villain and shows it, at least initially, which is distinct and, actually, quite natural. It allows her to feel more 'human' and gives her something to overcome internally, rather than a baddie to beat with her fists. A few sequences of off-world antics open up the 'universe' in interesting, usually unexplored ways, too. The climax, however, comes down to the typical 'beat 'em up' type of stuff and even, in its conclusion, comes across as quite contrived and convenient, even if it is left somewhat open for a sequel. 6/10

Eric Stevenson Well, I had no idea what this Superman movie would be about, so I was glad to be surprised. This movie features Superman and Supergirl going up against the villain Brainiac. It's interesting to see Supergirl being more developed as the last movie I saw introduced her in a way. Now, the character designs are different so we know it's not a direct sequel. It does kind of make me wonder why they do this. Why not just set up a new series of related films instead of just making them different? They're made by the same people. It's weird how these cartoon Superman movies are much more entertaining than the theatrical ones with the DC film Universe.Well, Brainiac gets to shine here. My favorite thing is probably just how well paced this film is and for a movie that's only 75 minutes long, that's no easy task. I also really like this version of Lois Lane given how snarky she seems and wants her relationship with Superman to advance. It ends on a rather uplifting note too. The action's quite good and it's interesting to see Superman in weaker times. We even get to see some of the humans contribute by fighting some robots! This may be the lowest rated movie here I've ever seen with a 100% on RottenTomatoes, but it's still good. ***

Brownsbros3 DC continues to put out some really good animated films. I watched this last night on Direct TV pay-per-view. The animation was first rate. The characters were more realistic looking. I also give some credit to the voice casting. Other than Diedrich Bader and Stephen Root, I've never heard of any of these people. However, they did a fantastic job of getting over the personalities the way the comic book writers intended. The story was good, but short like all these movies are. I've always wondered why they cut them off at an hour and 15 minutes instead of an hour and a half. I wouldn't recommend this for little kids because some of the violence can get graphic. There is also a little bit of bad language, and also at one point Lois gives Brainiac the "double bird" salute. Adults should find it enjoyable though.

sanddragon939 Like the previous Superman animated DTV 'Superman vs. the Elite', 'Superman Unbound' also has the Man of Steel squaring off against a super-powered foe who can truly match him punch for punch. The difference is that while the conflict in the previous film was centered around a larger philosophical and ethical debate, this conflict is pretty much a superhero vs. super-villain battle played straight. And the villain is none other than one of the most iconic members of Superman's rogue's gallery...The portrayal of Brainiac, and Superman's clashes with him, are easily the highlights of this story. Another interesting point is Kara/Supergirl representing the helplessness of a powerless civilian against overwhelming threats, and the desire for such a person to set the world right when given a chance. Less impressive however is the attempt at showcasing tension in the Clark-Lois relationship. 'Superman Unbound' is ultimately a sci-fi story at its core...and attempts to introduce romantic elements sorely stand out in what is otherwise a pretty decent production.