AllMovie

With all of the pizzazz of the Superman: Animated Series comes this straight-to-DVD feature, Brainiac Attacks -- an explosive adventure that pits the Man of Steel against two of his most feared foes. Grand in its exhilarating fight sequences while true to character in its handling of Superman and Lois Lane's complicated relationship, the picture is bigger and more expansive than its small-screen predecessor in almost every way. In the context of the hero's mythology, the audience gets a rare glimpse into the negative zone as well as an answer to what might happen if Clark Kent's secret identity became not so secret. As usual with Warner Bros. animated products, the fun is for the whole family, so there's plenty for young kids to delight in while watching Supes duke it out with giant robots -- and that he sure does! The only thing is that there is so much action that the story almost gets bogged down by it all. Thankfully, the animators are having such a field day with the iconic hero that it's easy to be sucked back into the awe of Superman as soon as he revs up those laser eyes of his. Exceptional voice talent is utilized for the film, most notably Lance Henriksen as Brainiac and ex-Wings-man Tim Daly as the man in tights. Somewhat heavy opposition came from the animated series' fan base with the changing of the vocal guard with the film, primarily with Powers Boothe taking over the acting duties of Lex Luthor from series regular Clancy Brown.