(DC/Warner)

Public enemies, private bromance – you know it’s true

The DC animated straight-to-DVD features have been a mixed bunch and this sixth one is one of the disappointments. Each one has featured a different art style; Public Enemies makes the male characters look like interchangeable musclemen who’ve just been coloured differently and puts oddly jagged shadows on everyone’s faces. Power Girl, the main female character, usually looks pretty ludicrous so there’s no change there. The story, based on one from the comics, has Lex Luthor becoming President and then using his new power to either control or outlaw various heroes, with only Superman and Batman standing up to him. His election campaign is rushed through before the credits, leaving you amazed at how easy it is for a supervillain to get elected – maybe he was running against Bush. As Luthor pits the heroes he controls against those he doesn’t, a Kryptonite meteor hurtles towards the Earth. The fights make up the main substance of the 65-minute movie however, and although a wide range of familiar and obscure characters appear the fights usually seem to involve everyone milling around off-camera so they can attack one at a time. Most of the voice cast come from the TV shows and are solid actors, but the bratty 13-year-old Toyman will have you wanting to strangle him. Stick with the other DVDs or go back to the comics, which will suddenly seem like a haven of common sense after this.

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JODY MACGREGOR

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