| Superman: Red Son | |
|---|---|
 Blu-ray release cover | |
| Directed by | Sam Liu[1] |
| Screenplay by | J.M. DeMatteis |
| Based on | Superman: Red Son byMark Millar |
| Produced by | Sam Liu Amy McKenna |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Christopher D. Lozinski |
| Music by | Frederik Wiedmann |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Superman: Red Son is a 2020 Americananimatedsuperhero film focusing on theDC Comics characterSuperman, and the 40th film of theDC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film is based on the2003 comic book miniseries of the same name written byMark Millar and pencilled by Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong and Killian Plunkett.[3] In the film, instead of landing inKansas after being shot away from a doomedKrypton,Superman lands in Ukraine and is raised on akolkhoz. As he grows up, he is found by theSoviet Union authorities and pressed into service toJoseph Stalin himself.
It was released digitally on February 25, 2020 and was released onUltra HD Blu-ray andBlu-ray on March 17.[4] This was the final film ofJim Ward before his retirement in 2021 and passing in 2025.
In theSoviet Union in 1946, a young boy is chased by a gang of bullies. A young girl,Svetlana, defends him by chasing them away. He reveals to her that he was not scared for his own safety, but that of the bullies before demonstratingsuperhuman strength and the ability to fly. Svetlana tells the boy he should use his powers to help his country.
A decade later, in 1955, the Soviet government releases apropaganda film of an alien superhuman under the command ofJoseph Stalin, dubbed the "Soviet Superman". U.S. PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower tasksLex Luthor to develop a countermeasure against him. Meanwhile, in an action planned by Luthor, Superman prevents a satellite from crashing into Metropolis, leading to Luthor's wife,Lois Lane, securing an interview with him. She shows him a top-secret document that leads Superman to a secretgulag shielded by lead. There he meets a young boy surrounded by bats, and a dying Svetlana, who was imprisoned there by Stalin because she knew his real identity. Enraged, Superman confronts and kills Stalin. As a result, he becomes the new leader of the Soviet Union, pledging to use his powers for good and to spread the influence of the Soviet state.
Superman advancescommunist ideals across the world, ending theKorean War and demolishing theBerlin Wall, which the Western powers built to deter him. He also forges an alliance and close friendship withPrincess Diana / Wonder Woman ofThemyscira. Meanwhile, Luthor unveils a clone of Superman, dubbed "Superior Man", who is sent to confront Superman. The two battle until Luthor overloads the clone with excess energy to keep up with Superman's power, causing it to degenerate and dissolve into protoplasm. Superman is left appalled by Luthor's actions.
In 1966, Superman stops an invasion by the alien cyborgBrainiac, reprogramming him to become his advisor, and uses his technology to advance the countries of theWarsaw Pact, as well aslobotomizeSoviet dissidents. However, he is unable to prevent Brainiac from shrinking the city ofStalingrad and is also forced to deal with the terroristBatman, a survivor of the secret gulag who blames Superman for his family's death. Batman kidnaps Wonder Woman and binds her with theLasso of Truth to lead Superman into a trap, using lamps that simulateKrypton's red sun to neutralize his powers. Batman beats Superman and leaves him to die until Wonder Woman breaks free and destroys the lamps' power source, restoring Superman's powers. When Superman threatens to lobotomize him, Batman chooses to commit suicide. Drained from freeing herself, Wonder Woman leaves Superman, disillusioned by the brutality of men.
1967: In the United States, Luthor is elected President and ushers in a new age of prosperity that threatens Soviet dominance. FindingAbin Sur's crashed spaceship and body, Luthor tasks ColonelHal Jordan with uncovering the power of Sur'sring, leading to the formation of theGreen Lantern Corps. In 1983, Jordan leads an attack against Superman, which is briefly halted by Wonder Woman, who tries one last time to end the conflict before announcing that Themyscira will be closed to all men forever. With Brainiac's encouragement, Superman confronts Luthor at theWhite House, only to find Lois with thebottled city of Stalingrad. Superman tells her that for years he has tried and failed to reverse the miniaturization of the city, but Brainiac reveals that the technology has always been available to him; he just chose not to mention it, and Superman gave him no direct order to reverse the process. Realizing the error of his ways, Superman stands down, but Brainiac destroys the city and proceeds with the attack, revealing that the reprogramming failed and he had been using Superman to conquer the planet for himself. Superman and Luthor battle and destroy Brainiac, but his ship is set to self-destruct. Superman flies the ship out into deep space, apparently dying in the explosion.
At a ceremony in front of theCapitol Building, a disguised Superman watches from the crowd as Luthor resigns to spend more time with Lois, handing over the country toVice PresidentJames Olsen. Lois shares a brief glimpse of Superman before he disappears into the crowd.
In 2013,Warner Bros. Animation producerJames Tucker said that aSuperman: Red Son film adaptation had been discussed at the studio and that he personally would be interested in such a project.[5] On January 8, 2019, it was announced that adirect-to-video film adaption of the comic was in development, as part of theDC Universe Animated Original Movies line.[6][7]
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Superman: Red Son received generally positive reviews. As of August 2024[update], 89% of the 18 reviews compiled byRotten Tomatoes are positive, and have an average score of 7.6/10.[8]
The presenters of the pro-Kremlin TV channelRussia-24 Alexey Kazakov and Anastasia Ivanova described the film as "Russophobic hysteria", further stating that "if Russia had not been so interesting, then there would have been no 'Red Son'."[9] In the programTime Will Tell, the film adaptation was called an element of a seriousinformation war against Russia, the purpose of which is to form the image of the enemy. Anatoly Kuzichev concluded: "Comics are evil. Literature only!"[10] On the other hand,Yevgeni Popov considers this marketing without political background. According to the journalist, "we need to focus on our heroes."[11]
Mir Fantastiki criticized the adaptation, primarily for changes in the plot compared to the comic book.[12] Reviewer DTF [ru] noted that in the film adaptation, the atmosphere of the original was completely lost, and the main plot twist was removed from the final product.[13] In the review of Disgusting Men, the film was called very weak, having lost the main idea and depth of the comic and having cheap animation.[14]
The film earned $615,905 from domestic DVD sales and $1,447,215 from domestic Blu-ray sales, bringing its total home video earning to $2,063,120.[15]
