Overview: All-Star Superman, one of the Man of Steel’s most personal tales, from the mind of comics icon Grant Morrison, produced by animation superstar Bruce Timm, and one of the final films from the legendary Dwayne McDuffie, gets its long-awaited debut on 4K Ultra HD when Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment makes the DC Animated Movie available to own on April 18th, 2023.

When a trap engineered by Lex Luthor gives Superman a fatal overdose of solar radiation, the Man of Steel sets out to complete a series of tasks during his final weeks on Earth ... but will the weakened hero be able to defeat his arch-enemy in a deadly final battle?

Twelve years after its initial release, All-Star Superman still stands as one of the best reviewed films in the ongoing series of DC Universe Movies and DC Animated Movies that now number more than 50 films across 17 years.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated All-Star Superman in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this April 18th, 2023.

For my money, this All-Star Superman [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is All-Star Superman presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10 and Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments now being when Superman visits Luthor in his prison cell and tells him he has won, that he is dying. Luthor looks up from his book, Mixing The Perfect Cocktail, gets up, walks to the glass separating them, listens to Superman’s plea for him to do good for the three weeks he has left before he is executed ... and just spits at the glass where Superman’s face resides behind.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, and as much as I won’t try and give too much away for those unknowing, this timeless tale tells the last Superman story and often tops the list of best Superman stories. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other stories out there that as just as good, but sure, this one is for the fans a true knockout, that’s for sure.

Frank Quitely had worked with Grant Morrison for a long time and the two men had developed one of the most fruitful writer/artist relationship of modern times. Thus, and to the greater opinion, Quitely knocks it out of the park with All-Star Superman. Morrison is known for throwing all kinds of craziness into his scripts and Quitely really rose to the occasion, taking everything Morrison put into the book and bringing it to life perfectly.

Quitely’s work on the comic book that this animation comes from (and which was a twelve-issue series at that) actually earned him a spot amongst the best Superman artists of the modern age. Which means every character in the book, and now here on the 4K screen, looks like the ideal version - and there’s some amazing scenery and action set pieces in the book that are 100% lovingly brought forth here within the gloriously colorful animation, trust me.

Most Superman stories focus a lot on the Man of Steel and that makes a lot of sense - he’s the one that does all of the cool superhero stuff, after all. However, Clark Kent is still a very important part of the whole equation and Morrison makes sure to give Clark Kent some great moments throughout the movie.

To my mind, All-Star Superman is a greatest hits montage of Superman concepts, so of course there’s going to be some Bizarro in there. Morrison, though, gives Bizarro a unique twist - he and his race are from the Underverse. They copy worlds, trying to drag them down there and exist as a massive cosmic predator.

This little wrinkle makes the whole concept make more sense, as it explain exactly why Bizarro World is a place full imperfect perfect duplicates. He even introduces Zibarro, the only normal person on Bizarro World, a tortured soul surrounded by idiots and constantly reminded just how alone he is on his homeworld.

Also, the aforementioned Lex Luthor is probably Superman’s greatest villain and All-Star Superman highlights him. The entire catalyst of the story is Lex Luthor’s latest scheme to destroy Superman, one which is actually successful. From there, Luthor appears multiple times throughout the story and is integral to the plot.

Much like the comic book, Morrison presents Luthor to us perfectly, showing him for exactly what he is - an evil man who will do anything to prove that Superman isn’t better than him, while he tries to makes his actions seem altruistic. There are so many great Lex Luthor moments in All-Star Superman and they alone are worth the price of admission. In fact, Luthor gets some of the best lines in movie.

All-Star Superman is also a story that is very indebted to the past and the Silver Age heyday of the Man of Steel but also surprisingly modern. The best way to describe it is that it’s a greatest hits album for Superman, taking everything great about the character and putting it into the story.

James Denton does a wonderful job of adding warmth and feeling to the man of steel in his final days. While Anthony LaPaglia adds a cool and calculating air to Lex Luthor and, well, Ed Asner is just simply perfect as Perry White.

And although the movie is pretty short, it does get to the point, the plot moving quickly, and yet everything making sense along the way. Plus there are some sub-plots, the specific one about the Kryptonian’s is actually quite good, and yet random at the same time!

Full of amazing Superman moments, it really shows just how much Superman means to pop culture. He’s a modern day myth, everything that humanity could be given the chance. Thus, All-Star Superman really cements Superman’s place in pop culture and it’s a story that everyone should re-watch, buy on crystal clear 4K UHD, or if you’re still a geek, re-read the comic book at least once more!

And for those trying to put voices with faces to TV shows, James Denton (Superman) is known for having played Mike on Desperate Housewives, who finds himself in a love triangle between Catherine (Dana Delaney) and Susan (Teri Hatcher). Also, and on a side note, Delaney and Hatcher have both played Lois Lane, Delaney in Superman: The Animated Series and Hatcher in Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman.

And finally, and sadly, this would prove to be one of the last projects that Dwayne McDuffie would see to fruition as he passed away on February 21st, 2011. Not only would this be the day before the film’s release, but it was one day after his birthday as well.

Special Features:
The Art of the All-star Adaptation (New Featurette) – Go behind the scenes and inside the process of screenwriting, character designing and scoring the animated adaptation of the quintessential Superman comic series, All-Star Superman. This fascinating featurette includes insight from executive producer Bruce Timm, director Sam Liu, character designer Dusty Abell and composer Christopher Drake.

An All-Star Salute to the Silver Age Superman (New Featurette) – Explore DC’s historical inspirations in Grant Morrison’s love letter to the wildly fantastic Silver Age of Superman in comics.

Superman Now (Featurette) – In a moment of inspiration, Grant Morrison was provided an opportunity to revamp the Man of Steel into something modern, something more relevant for today’s audience. This is the story of All-Star Superman - where it all started, and what it came to be.

The Creative Flow: Incubating the Idea with Grant Morrison (Featurette) – A detailed look at Grant Morrison’s original sketches and ideas.

Audio Commentary – Featuring the thoughts of Bruce Timm and Grant Morrison.

Digital Comic Book – All-Star Superman

All-Star Superman: 4K Ultra HD | Warner Bros. Entertainment [Original 2011 Trailer]

www.DCcomics.com