DC Universe Animated Movies

I love the DC Animated films and am always glad when news and new trailers come out.  Their movies do such a great job for the most part and the films are quite entertaining.  At New York Comic Con 2011 DC showed off the new trailer for the upcoming animated film, Justice League Doom.  Check out the trailer at the bottom of this post.  Also just out this week, Batman: Year One, which i loved as well.  So, today I thought I'd take a break from the action figure reviews and go through some of my favorite DC animated fims in the form of a Top 10 list.  If you're a DC fan, these animated films are a must see.  Marvel may have the jump on DC when it comes to the big budget live action flicks, but DC is certainly holding its own in the animated movie department.   If you haven't seen them, go out and get yourself a copy as they are better then A LOT of the live action superhero movies that have been released in recent years.  

Now, lets go over some honorable mentions.  These films were not my favorites, however a lot of DC fans enjoyed these movies and just because they weren't my favorite, doesn't mean they should be overlooked. 

A lot of DC fans felt that Justice League - The New Frontier was a great film and would probably rank it in their Top 5.  It is based on Darwyn Cooke's 2003-2004 graphic novel "DC: The New Frontier" and features all the major Justice League characters.   

All-Star Superman was released earlier this year (2011) and is based on Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's 2005-2008 comic book "All-Star Superman".  Again, a lot of fans hold this film in high regards but I myself, was not a fan of the animation in this one. 

Superman/Shazam - Return of Black Adam is a DVD made up of a bunch of short films.  In addition to the Black Adam Story, also included are short films on Green Arrow, Jonah Hex and The Spectre.  By far, the best short film on this DVD is The Return of Black Adam.  A lot of action squeezed into a short story.  I wish they would've hammered out a full length film on this one.  Black Adam kicks some ass!  Green Arrow was probably the next best story.  Worth a watch if you can get it cheap. 

Batman Gotham Knight was basically a collection of short films, each of which each has its own style of animation. It was released as a tie into the Christopher Nolan's films supposedly taking place in between the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight films. Batman Gotham Knight features short stories that include the likes of Killer Croc, Deadshot, Scarecrow and many more Batman regulars.

Okay, on to my TOP 10 DC Animated Films:

#10.  Superman: Doomsday 

Loosely based on The Death of Superman comic book, this action packed movie did a great job of taking the concept of the popular comic series and condensing it into a 90 minute film.  It features Superman, Doomsday, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson

#9. Green Lantern: First Flight

Its sort of a new take on the origin story of Hal Jordan becoming the Green Lantern.  Although they rush though Hal's training process (he seems to pick things up fairly quickly), this movie is filled with some pretty tight action sequences and Victor Garber voicing of Sinestro is brilliant. For those unfamiliar with the Green Lantern world, you get a good introduction to the Green Lantern Corps characters.  The movie does have its flaws but is much better than the Ryan Reynolds live action version.   

#8. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies 

First off, Tim Daley IS the voice of Superman, and without a doubt, Kevin Conroy is the best Batman voice ever!! When you get them both in the same movie, you know its gonna be good.  Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based on the  "The World's Finest" comic series where Lex Luthor is President and puts a bounty on Superman's head.  So of course, you have a ton of villains looking to collect. Look for appearances from Captain Atom, Metallo, Black Lightning, Powergirl, Shazam, Hawkman, Gorilla Grodd, Toyman and many more in this one.   

  

 #7. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Based on the "The Supergirl from Krypton" story, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse again features the voices of Tim Daley and Kevin Conroy as well as the equally great Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman.  This movie tells the story of Supergirl and features some really brutally violent fight scenes, which of course, is a good thing.  Darkseid is your main bady this time around and Granny Goodness and Big Barda to make noticeable appearances as well. 

 #6. Justice Leauge: Crisis on Two Earths

Loosely based on JLA: Earth 2, Crisis of Two Earth tells the story of a good Lex Luthor from a parallel Earth looking to recruit the Justice League to help save his planet from the Crime Syndicate.  A very good story and animation the only real knock against this film, is no Kevin Conroy.   

#5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Yep, that's right, I'm including the older animated films in my list simply because they must be seen.  Batman Beyond was not my favorite TV series but this movie is definitely worth the watch.  Released in 2000, this movie features a retired Bruce Wayne at 80 years old and his Batman protegee Terry McGinnis and tells the story of the mysterious return of Batman's arch enemy, The Joker is voiced by the great Mark Hamill

#4. Batman: Mask of The Phantasm

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released in 1993 and takes place in the Batman: The Animated Series world.  An original story about the Phantasm arriving in Gotham and killing off Gotham's crime bosses.  Batman becomes mistaken for the Phantasm and now must run from the police and apprehend the killer and clear his name. 

#3 Batman: Year One

An origin story based on Frank Miller's Year One comic book, this story looks at Bruce Wayne's transformation beginnings as Batman but even more so, tells Commissioner Gordon's start in Gotham.  Also included in the DVD is a 15 minute short flick on Catwoman.  Very Impressed with this one.

 #2. Wonder Woman

Batman does not totally dominate the Top 5.  A great origin story released in 2009, this Wonder Woman animated movie does a great job telling the story of how Diana of Themyscira becomes the greatest female superhero ever.  Amazing story, stunning animation and brilliant voice acting, this movie really fills the void DC fans are feeling from a lack of a live action Wonder Woman film.  Hey, if Marvel can pull off a live action Thor movie, I say that DC can pull of a Wonder Woman. 

 #1. Batman: Under The Red Hood

The story of Batman: Under the Red Hood is based on the comic book story "Under the Hood" where Batman and Nightwing are dealing with a new mysterious vigilante in Gotham known as the Red Hood.  This leads Batman to interactions with some of his greatest enemies, The Joker, Ra's Al Ghul and Black Mask.  Bruce Greenwood voices Batman this time around and truly does an amazing job.  If ever you need a replacement for Kevin Conroy, Bruce is the man.  Great story, violent, dark and full of emotion, Batman: Under the Red Hood will be very hard to top and is a must see animated movie for any super hero fan.

Thats it for my Top 10. Feel free to leave a comment below about which movie you liked the best or didnt like at all or check out the readers poll on the left side of your screen to vote for your favorite.   See the trailer below for a preview of the upcoming DC animated film - Justice League Doom:

DC Direct - DC New Universe (DCNU) Action Figures from the SDCC 2011

With the new DC Comics reboot of 52 different comic book series coming up in September 2011, we can't help but wonder what this means for action figure collectors.  So far, Mattel has been pretty quiet about their intentions.  They have indicated the the DC Universe Classics line will be stopped at the retail level after Wave 20 and you will need to joint their online club to get any further DCUC action figures (if enough people subscribe).  They have hinted at starting a new toy line featuring the new rebooted line up but little details have been given so i guess we'll have to wait on further news from Mattel. 




Meanwhile, DC Direct didn't waste any time as they showed up at SDCC 2011 with action figures of the revamped Justice League.  The knock, in my opinion, against DC Direct action figures, it their lack of articulation.  They are sometimes missing valuable joints in the abdominal, hips, legs and arms that give you a little more range of motion.  My other gripe is that their action figures are not always in scale with different DC Direct sets. I wish they were more in scale with Mattel's DCUC toy line as well.  But the bottom line is DC Direct does produce some really good looking action figures and they have a bigger variety of characters available so they should not be overlooked by collectors.  Lets check out the new look Justice League. 

A lot of negativity surrounding Wonder Woman's new outfit but I like it.  Gone is the short shorts and replaced by pants.  Less Gold and more silver makes her outfit look more modern in my opinion.  Thumbs up here.

 Little change with the Flash's look.  He's supporting a chin strap and the lightning bolts are going up his forearms instead of around his wrists.  I still say Thumbs up here.

I can't say I'm a fan of this version of Aquaman even though it is still fairly close to his classic look.  I'm not liking his hair or the shade of green used on his pants and boots.  He is probably my least favorite of the group.

 Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) looks pretty similar to his classic version as well.  The only visual difference i see is the detail in his shoulders.

Very little change in Batman's look as well.  Most noticeably is the lack of underpants (lol).  It actually makes his outfit look a little plain.

Superman's new look is also taking a lot of heat from fans.  Gone is the red underwear (DC doesn't like underwear anymore i suppose) and he now support a red belt instead of yellow and his collar goes right up to his neck.  Also, the design of the costume makes it look like Superman is supporting some kind of armor.  Why?...i have no idea but I actually quite like this new look. Sorry to the die hards out there.  Thumbs up for the new Superman. 

Missing from the DC Direct Justice League action figure line up was Cyborg.  He's seems to be promoted as one of the main members but a Cyborg action figure was M.I.A. at the SDCC. 

These action figure will be available later this year so be sure to keep your eye out for them.  As usual, I'm a bigger fan of eBay and make the bulk of my collection purchases from there.  There is always a deal to be found.  To see eBay's selection of DC Direct action figures, click here

Hopefully Mattel comes out with some new information surrounding their intentions with the DC New Universe reboot.  For those of you who are still big fans of the DC Universe Classics - eBay also has a very large variety of Mattel's cool toy line - click here

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 - Manhunter Robot

How quickly some things become old new.  All the cool new toy announcement at Toy Fair 2011 like, Wave 18's line up, the Batman Legacy toy line, the new Crime Syndicate 5 pack and DC Universe Classics Wave 16's release in stores, we've almost forgotten about the Green Lantern Classics line up.  I'm sure there are still some of you out there hunting for this action figures so today I'm going to review, Manhunter Robot from the Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 set.

Ahhh the packaging.....No complaints on this front by me but it is irrelevant.  It just gets tossed in the trash anyways but for all you collectors out there who insist on keeping their toys in the packaging, this is what it looks like (see below).  If you look closely at Manhunter Robot's picture of the back of the packaging, you'll see a slight difference in that picture compared to the actual action figure.  In the picture, Manhunter Robot is holding the lantern in his right hand and his left hand is a closed fist.  The actual action figure is the opposite.   

Manhunter Robots torso ,upper arms and upper leg pieces are standard pieces we see on a lot of  DCUC action figures.  The boots and forearms are more unique armor type pieces which look really cool and have nice detail in them.  The head piece, of course, is also unique to the character and looks really good.

From the side, you can see more detail in the boots and forearms. 

I love the metallic blue color used on Manhunter.  The metallic paint is a nice touch and I think looks much better then if they had gone the non metallic route.  The face is painted with just one shade of silver and red eyes which, is a little boring.  Wish Mattel would have at least used a dark wash over the teeth to give them some texture. 

Now for a closer look at the articulation which, for Manhunter Robot, is a plus and a minus.  First, as we saw with the awesomeness of the Black Hand action figure from this wave, Manhunter Robot also has the double hinged joints which is super cool.  You can bend the knees more so with these joints to get them into more bending positions.  BUT unlike Black Hand, Manhunter Robot only has these joints on his knees.  No double hinged elbow joints.  An a little bit more bad news, the movement of the elbow joints are obstructed by his forearm piece limiting to about 80% of normal joint movement.  All other joints are pretty standard compared to other DCUC action figures.  Neck, shoulders, biceps, wrists, abs, waist, hips, thighs and ankles are all there and in fine working condition 

Manhunter robot comes with this extra large sized green lantern which fits nicely into his right hand (left hand is closed).  He also comes with the Collect and Connect upper torso piece of Arkillo. 

Overall, Manhunter Robot is another great DC Universe Classics action figure. A great sculpt job that is painted with a cool color pallet (love the metallic blue).  The new knee joints are awesome but i wonder if Manhunter Robot could have benefited by added the double hinged elbow joints too.  Still, he is well worth the buy and a must have for Green Lantern fans. 

Sculpt/Design - 8, Paint - 8.5, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 6, Fun - 8

Value - 8

To buy DC Universe Classics GL Manhunter Robot on eBay, click here

To buy other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here.


That's it for another ATR Review.  Be sure to check back for more news, info, reviews and previews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures. 

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 - Kyle Rayner

The main action figure from the DC Universe Green Lantern Classics wave 1 set that most people have been waiting for is Kyle Rayner.  So take a guess at who today's review will be on:

First up we have a look at Rayner in his packaging for those who do not want to take their action figure out of the packaging.  It's very similar to the DCUC toy line.  Action figure is encased in solid transparent bubble plastic.  Cool cartoon graphics behind that of the main Green Lantern characters.  On the back, there is a nice little bio on Rayner as well as pictures of figures from the entire wave.  We've all see this before so time to move on. 

Taking a look at the actual action figure now, as far as a sculpt goes, we see a lot of reused parts here.  The head being the only main difference.  Unlike with the Black Hand action figure from this wave, Rayner does not have the new double hinged elbow or knee joints.

Kyle's Green Lantern costume difference from the classic Hal Jordan.  You can see the GL symbol is not centered on his chest but more centered on his left pectoral muscle (reminds me of Robin's "R" symbol for some reason).  The costume is really true to what you would expect in a Kyle Rayner action figure.

Up close we can get a better look at the head sculpt which is one of the main highlights of this Kyle Rayner figure.  The mask is sculpted really well on his face and the hair is nicely detailed.  You can also see up close a few minor scuff marks in the paint on the left side of his chest.  Slightly sucks but overall, its not a big deal. This is really a luck of the draw thing.  Sometimes it happens, especially when you're ordering online instead of being able to pick them out at a store. 

Rayner's articulation is pretty standard compared to the old DC Universe Classics action figures between waves 1 to 15.  As we mentioned above, Mattel now appears to be incorporating double hinged knee and elbow joints to add more movement to these action figures.  It appears as though some figures from this Green Lantern Classics Wave have them as well as some from the upcoming DC Universe Classics Wave 16 set will also incorporate these new joints.  Unfortunately Kyle does not but his articulation is still as good as any previous DCUC figures.  He's got all the standard joints we've been use to over the last 2 plus years. 

One of the other highlights of this Kyle Rayner action figure is the accessories that come along with him.  I love it when we get addition green lantern accessories.  Kyle comes with a cool looking green lantern, much more sci-fi like than the one that comes with Hal Jordan.  He also comes with a giant sword that attaches on to his ring hand.  The good thing about these accessories is that you can use them with other Green Lantern members. 

As per my ATR poll that was asking which GL Classics wave 1 figure(s) they would purchase, readers responses was heavily favored to Rayner, and Mattel did not disappoint.  It is a bit of a bummer that he did not get the new double hinged joint treatment like Black Hand, but overall, Kyle Rayner is another great action figure.  I'm not sure how many Green Lantern Classics waves we'll be seeing but Rayner was definitely a must have figure for any DC or Green Lantern fan.  With the new Green Lantern movie due to come out in the next 6 months, you can bet these action figures will be very popular for at least the first half of 2011. 

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 8.5, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 10, Fun - 9, Value - 9

If you're looking for your very own DC Green Lantern Classics Kyle Rayner action figure, ebay has a lot of good auctions available to get a decent deal for those of you unlucky souls that cannot find these Mattel bad boys at your local Wal-mart, Toys R Us or Target store. 

To find DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Kyle Rayner on eBay, click here

To find other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here

So many DC Universe Classics action figures coming out this year.  Ive just ordered my DCUC wave 16 which i expect will be in next week, not to mention, I'm still looking for a few more of these Green Lantern Classics wave 1 figures.  GLC wave 2 will be coming soon as well as DCUC wave 17, probably in March sometime.  One thing is for sure, alot of reviews to come so be sure to check back. 

Feel free to leave any comments regarding this review below or check out my poll questions on the left hand side of your screen. 

DC Universe Classics - Green Lantern Wave 2 Preview

Quite a lot of new stuff coming out in 2011, so much that i find I'm doing more previews of new stuff than reviews lately.  As I await the arrival of my DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 figures, lets take a look at what wave 2 is going to look like.  The line up for this wave was announced a couple months back but you probably wont see these babies Q2, 2011.  And here we go....

First up, we have a 3 in 1mini set of Despotellis, Dex-Starr and B'dg.  I believe they are all suppose to come together in one package.

Looks like Mattel is going to continue giving us action figures with interchangeable heads and/or hands.  Medphyll and Nautkeiloi.  Looks like the hands are exactly the same on these guys.

I'm pretty sure these next two figures also will have interchangeable head and hands, Night Lik and Skallox

Next is Sodam Yat

And finally, Star Sapphire

ahhhh...but there is one more.  A secret action figure modelled specifically from the upcoming Green Lantern movie.  Guess who....

Finally, the DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 2 Collect and Connect action figure - a very cool looking Stel. 

So there you have the DCUC GL wave 2 line up.  Green Lantern fans will have nothing to cry about in the coming months, thats for sure. 

That's it for this preview.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to actually post a review in my next post.  I still have some from as far back as wave 11 to review.  Be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for all the latest news, previews, info and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.

If you're looking to add to your collection of DC Universe Classics, I strongly suggest you troll through eBay.  There are good deals to be found if you look hard enough. 

To search for DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here.