• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), French & Spanish (Latin American) Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish (Castilian) Dolby Digital 2.0
  
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American)
  
• Subtitles Color: White
• Region: ABC (Region-Free)
• Rating: PG-13
  
• Discs: 2 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD)
• Digital Copies: UltraViolet
  
• Run Time: 75 Mins.
• Studio: Warner Home Video
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: May 7, 2013
• List Price: $24.98

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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(The below TheaterByte screen captures are taken directly from the Blu-ray Discs and losslessly compressed in the PNG format. There should be no loss of picture quality with this format. All screen captures should be regarded only as an approximation of the full capabilities of the Blu-ray format.

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The Film

[Rating:3/5]

Superman: Unbound is the DC Comics/Warner Animation adaptation of the 2008 graphic novel from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Superman: Brainiac. This animated version has a star-studded voice cast that features Matt Bomer (TV’s White Collar) as Superman, Stana Katic (TV’s Castle) as Lois Lane), John Noble (TV’s Fringe; TV’s Transformers Prime) as Brainiac, and Molly Quinn (TV’s Castle) as Supergirl.

The story finds Superman and his cousin Supergirl having to defend Metropolis, Earth, and the universe, from the seemingly unstoppable planet killing technological menace Braniac in a pulse-pounding battle that the Man of Steel just may lose. Not only was Brainiac responsible for destroying Superman’s home, but he has been collecting specimens from worlds around the galaxy, and now he has his sights set on the Earth.

Superman: Unbound has the usual type of DC animation, so nothing here will look too shocking or out place. The film on the whole, however, is not exactly one of the more groundbreaking Superman films. What begins as something that seems like it will be an exploration of the Man of Steel’s past, something more psychologically driven, devolves into nothing more than an all out brawl of fisticuffs supplemented by somewhat menacing robots.

The voice acting, despite the star power, never really seems to mesh together well, and John Noble towers over the rest of the cast as the menacing Braniac by leaps and bounds. As a minor diversion, however, Superman: Unbound is fine enough, and far from the worst of the animated superhero films that have hit home video.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 encodement of Superman: Unbound is a solid one, offering crisp detail that only occasionally looks a little rough around the line art and has a few instances of softness. Otherwise, the image is crisp and basically clean with vibrant color reproduction.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack is just as you’d expect from an animated superhero action film from the DC Comics universe. It’s aggressive, but without being overwhelming. There’s good balance between front sounds and discrete effects to the surrounds with lush amounts of atmospherics and ambience. Dynamic range is wide and the low frequency extension provides a resounding bottom that gives weight to the numerous blows, explosions, and gunshots. Dialogue is clear and full as well.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3/5]

Superman: Unbound is packed with two solid featurettes that make for very interesting viewing, plus four episodes from the Superman animated series that carry on the theme of this feature film.

The supplements:

• Audio Commentary
• Short Feature: Kandor: History of the Bottle City (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:16:54)
• Short Feature: Brainiac: Technology and Terror (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:24:42)
• From the DC Comics Vault:
• The Last Son of Krypton, Part 1 from Superman: The Animated Series, Season 1 (1.33:1; SD; 00:21:07)
• New Kids in Town from Superman: The Animated Series, Season 3 (1.33:1;SD; 00:21:22)
• Little Lost Girl, Part 1 from Superman: The Animated Series, Season 2 featuring Supergirl (1.33:1;SD; 00:21:16)
• Little Lost Girl, Part 2 from Superman: The Animated Series, Season 2 featuring Supergirl (1.33:1;SD; 00:21:30)
• A Digital Comic excerpt from the Graphic Novel Superman: Brainiac by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (1080p/24)

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

Superman: Unbound is action-packed and nicely animated, but ultimately some dubious casting choices and a thinly plotted storyline make the film suffer a bit. It’s still worth a watch for fans of the Man of Steel.

Additional Screen Captures

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Best Buy Exclusive:

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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

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