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Synopsis:
Superman vs. The Elite, a DC Comics Premiere Movie, is produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video. The all-new, PG-13 rated film is scripted by award-winning comics writer Joe Kelly and the story is adapted from his original 2001 DC Comics release, “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?” The single-issue comic, Action Comics #775, was lauded by Wizard Magazine as the “Greatest Superman Story of All Time,” and ranked the epic tale at No. 21 on its list of the “Top 100 Comics of the last 30 years.”

In Superman vs. The Elite, Superman's effectiveness as a super hero comes into question when a new group of super powerful crusaders, known as "The Elite," appear on the scene. As super heroes, the Elite know no bounds, and are more than willing to kill, even on a massive scale, to stop villainy -- putting them on a collision course with the ever-ethical, yet preferably non-lethal Man of Steel.

Blu-ray Bonus Features:
-Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
-UltraViolet™ Digital Copy
-Sneak Peak at Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, the next DC Comics Premiere Movie
-Featurette – “The Elite Unbound: No Rules, No Mercy” – A short documentary focused upon The Elite, and their arc of character throughout the comics. Even the anti-heroes have their own struggles … and triumphs. It’s all highlighted in this compelling film that begins with the inspiration of The Authority, and how The Elite became the answer to that book, and a fresh approach for DC Comics in the post 9/11 world. It was an unexpected twist to the pages of Action Comics, and this documentary summarizes the true potency of these Elite.
-Featurette – “Superman and the Moral Debate” – There’s a prevailing thought about ending terrorism and ridding our Earth of the maladjusted once and for all – by fighting fire with fire! This is the story of The Elite, a band of fringe Superheroes who were compelled to eradicate the Earth of its scum, its tyranny and evil once and for all, not with words, but with raw unadulterated action, designed to kill their opponents. This is their controversial story.
-Creative team audio commentary
-Two bonus episodes from Superman: The Animated Series handpicked by producer Alan Burnett: Brave New Metropolis and Warrior Queen.
-Digital Comic -- Action Comics #775 -"What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?"
-All-Star Superman revisited: sneak peak
-Batman/Superman: Public Enemies revisited: sneak peak
-Photo Gallery- The upcoming The Dark Knight Rises Theatrical Release

Two-Disc Special Edition Bonus Features:
-Sneak Peak at Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, the next DC Comics Premiere Movie
-Featurette – “The Elite Unbound: No Rules, No Mercy” – A short documentary focused upon The Elite, and their arc of character throughout the comics. Even the anti-heroes have their own struggles … and triumphs. It’s all highlighted in this compelling film that begins with the inspiration of The Authority, and how The Elite became the answer to that book, and a fresh approach for DC Comics in the post 9/11 world. It was an unexpected twist to the pages of Action Comics, and this documentary summarizes the true potency of these Elite.
-Two bonus episodes from Superman: The Animated Series handpicked by producer Alan Burnett: Brave New Metropolis and Warrior Queen.
-Photo Gallery- The upcoming The Dark Knight Rises Theatrical Release

Single-Disc Bonus Features:
-Sneak Peak at Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, the next DC Comics Premiere Movie
-Photo Gallery- The upcoming The Dark Knight Rises Theatrical Release

Superman Versus The Elite Blu-ray Review
by James Harvey

While Superman Versus The Elite itself may be chock full of surprises, I can’t say the same about the Blu-ray release. Basically, if you’ve been buying these home video title, then you know exactly what to expect. Now, the bonus material isn’t bad, but it runs into the same problems as they’ve always had.

But, before we get there, let’s take a quick gander at the video and audio components. As expected, the video is absolutely solid save for some of the standard banding issues that pop up, along with some super-slight macro-blocking. It’s a pretty standard Blu-ray transfer. The film, thankfully, sounds pretty fantastic! The DTS-HD MA 5.1 English track is gets a great workout courtesy of the film’s lengthy action sequences. The audio is center-based, but the film will give your complete entertainment system a healthy workout.

In terms of extras, they’re roughly the same as what we’re used to getting for these releases. A few featurettes, some bonus episodes, and perhaps a commentary – and that’s exactly what we get here. The commentary is surprisingly thorough and pretty interesting, thanks to the participation of writer Joe Kelly, who wrote both the original story and this very movie. This gives him the opportunity to wax extensively about both subjects and provide some pretty neat insight. Eddie Berganza is also a part of the commentary and aids in the discussion. The disc also included two enjoyable featurettes, both roughly twenty minutes in length. “The Elite Unbound: No Rules, No Mercy” simply recounts the comic book origins of The Elite and how they came to be. Nothing major, but somewhat interesting. Up next is the excellent “Superman and the Moral Debate,” a surprisingly frank and straight-forward discussing the main themes of Superman Versus The Elite. No punches are pulled, no bull slung during the featurette, resulting in a refreshing look at the issue of what Superman stands for. It gets pretty heavy at times, especially given some recent world events, but the candor is stimulating and welcome – a must-watch!

The disc is wrapped up with a couple Superman: The Animated Series bonus episodes, a photo gallery of The Dark Knight Rises stills, and some ‘sneak peak’ featurettes. The upcoming The Dark Knight Returns, Part One is one of the aforementioned sneak peak featurettes, and looks to be another solid entry in the long-running DC Comics animated movie line.

Naturally, a DVD copy and an Ultraviolet copy of the film is also included in this Blu-ray Combo release.

To wrap it up, it’s a good Blu-ray package for a pretty spectacular movie. The bonus features are all watchable and enjoyable, but the “Superman and the Moral Debate” is an absolute must-watch. It’s a pretty gutsy featurette to slap on this release, and Warner Home Video deserves a nod. Plus, the main feature itself is fantastic. Superman Versus The Elite will likely be a bit of an underdog when it comes to the DC Comics Premiere Movie line overall, but it’s easily the best animated Superman film to date, one that all fans should really check out. It deserves at least a rental from casual viewers, but really deserves to be added to one’s home video collection. Highly Recommended!