Battle of the Super Sons: A Fun Entry In The DC Animated Universe

Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons is an entertaining DC animated film that is not without its flaws. A familiar story of “only two heroes can save the planet,” it’s a movie that can be enjoyed as long as audiences don’t expect a serious story.

When the Justice League Watch Tower is attacked and the entire Justice League and Titans are out of commission, Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne must look past their differences in order to save the world. Sprinkled through the story is the origin of Kent learning about his powers. It’s a fun element that is often a plot device to help the heroes out when convenient.

Animation is incredibly subjective so while I was not the biggest fan of the animation style, I did not fault the film for it. It’s a pseudo-anime/video game design with cell shading mixed with 2D animation. I personally was not the biggest fan of the style, but I will admit there were some stellar visuals—especially in the final fight at the end of the film.

The cast of this film is filled with top tier voice actors and up and coming actor. Troy Baker plays Batman, Travis Willingham is Superman, and Laura Bailey plays Lois Lane. Voicing the kids are Jack Dylan Grazer (who also stars in the live action Shazam movies) as Jonathan Kent and Jack Griffo plays Damian Wayne. The script was written by Jeremy Adams and the dialogue is sometimes cheesy but the tone of the film feels like it was meant to be a fun experience.

Directing this movie is veteran DC animated film Director Matt Peters. Peter has worked on a host of different DC animated films, and I appreciate how he is changing the visuals and style in newer works. While I am partial to classic 2D animation, I could not argue that the design fit the story and the likely targeted audience.

Where I felt this film struggled was in the plot and the dialogue. Kent and Wayne are both younger and so I understand the goal was to make their “voice” match their age. However, sometimes I was taken out of the moment because of lines from other characters. The plot is predictable and Kent learning his powers when it was most needed feels formulaic throughout.