All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison is James Gunn’s inspiration for the DCU‘s upcoming superhero blockbuster, and is widely counted as one of the great superhero works in comic book history. DC’s animated All-Star Superman movie from 2011 is, well, a suitable animated Superman film. Fans say the animated film is a decent abridged retelling of Grant Morrison’s great work, but sidesteps the best moment in the entire story, perhaps in order to save time.
While the vibes in the animated film are impeccable, its overarching story is a bit light on substance, although that was the original design of the comic series’ iterative nature. Given James Gunn’s knack for gut-wrenching character work and storytelling, he is definitely the right man to successfully weave a strong narrative into All-Star Superman’s high-flying feats of heroism.
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The Man Of Steel has starred in many great animated films that showcase his best qualities, from Superman Vs. The Elite to All-Star Superman.
As Teddy Roosevelt once said — and Lex Luthor’s fragile ego often demonstrates — comparison is the thief of joy. This truth permeates the animated film’s routinely marred perception as it relates to the comic books. As a Superman film, there is no denying that All-Star Superman is fantastic. As an adaption of its superior source material, though, it loses luster. The film earned an indicative 80% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes from a total of five reviewers, but faltered with 62% approval from over 1,000 audience members, many of whom claimed the plot felt underdeveloped.
But there’s one thing that viewers need to remember about the ‘underdeveloped’ plot structure of All-Star Superman. It’s based on a 12-issue comic book release featuring episodic stories of Superman’s varied exploits during his last days alive. When adapted into a single 70-minute film, there are going to be some omissions.
Compare the trailer for All-Star Superman to the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman. They both feature technicolor, over-the-top heroics in quintessential benevolent god-being grandeur. Toss in glimpses of a defeated live-action Supes to match All-Star’s ‘Superman is dying’ plot, and it’s safe to say James Gunn’s hair-triggering emotional touch will lean into the edgier, and ultimately more satisfying, aspects of All-Star Superman.
For reference, compare both trailers to the preview for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which was released shortly after All-Star Superman in 2013:
In Zack Snyder’s Superman, Kal-El’s greatest adversary was the gatekeeper of life’s meaning. The movie earnestly tackles the emotional depths of Superman’s plight, shedding light on the Man of Steel’s globe-spanning battle with the human condition.
Perhaps the film’s greatest success is its ending, which sees Superman deal with the ramifications of making an impossible choice and living with the philosophical consequences. It’s likely that James Gunn takes a similar weighted approach to his own film, while counterbalancing it with the colorful, joyous nature of the idealistic hero and his super-powered dog, doing good for the sake of goodness.
Did you know Superman saved a little depressed girl from taking her own life in All-Star Superman? Those who have only seen the animated adaptation probably didn’t. That’s the beef most comic book fans have with DC’s otherwise enjoyable book adaption. After reading the passage, their gripe is quite the relatable hill, or in this case, rooftop, to (not) die on.
Of course, the subject matter is touchy, and the story’s omission from the film makes sense in the context of truncating for run time. DC may have had to include a warning or amend its rating for depictions of suicide, which would complicate its tidy PG-13 rating. The film is generally suitable for all audiences, although the Parasite attack sequence towards the middle of the film, as shown in the following clip, is nightmare fuel even for some now-adults.
Spoilers for All-Star Superman and Man of SteelWhile All-Star Superman‘s tone is dramatically disparate from Man of Steel‘s, the two films find equal footing in the creative license they both took with their divisive endings. The two movies sidestepped their source material in order to present a novel, if not grounded, take on Superman’s closing bouts with his all-too-mortal enemies.
In Man of Steel, Superman is (very arguably) “forced” to break Zod’s neck to save a family from his lasers, betraying Superman’s intentions to avoid killing at all costs. In that scenario, his choice was the necessary evil, but a grave evil nonetheless. Conversely, All-Star Superman (2011) sees Lex Luthor realize the error of his ways and confess them to a sun-bound Superman.
In the comics, Superman was tortured and nearly demoralized by Luthor’s incessant pestilence, despite his pleas to appeal to Luthor’s nonexistent better nature. After it all, Superman punches Luthor, knocking him out in an instant. The denouement is satisfying, but only after an arduous 12-issue lead up to its finale. In the shorter animated film, Luthor’s evolution as a person is more believable, as is Superman’s forgiveness.
July 11, 2025
130 Minutes
David Corenswet
Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El
Rachel Brosnahan
Lois Lane
Nicholas Hoult
Lex Luthor
Edi Gathegi
Michael Holt / Mister Terrific
