Announced as the Man of Steel's first feature length animated adventure, evidently no-one at DC remembers The Batman/Superman Movie from 1998. Perhaps they were referring to Superman: Doomsday being the cow-licked muscleman's maiden animated solo-flight.

But, before the toxic nerd gas reaches critical level, let it be known that this is another example of DC's premiere animation giving its live-action counterpart a run for its money.

Co-director Timm is a veteran of DC superhero animation, including the masterful Batman: Mask of the Phantasm movie and TV's Justice League.

Here he brings a Dark Knight edge to the normally wholesome Superman legend, taking his cue from the "Superman Dies" comics from the early 1990s.

With action scenes that outgun most live action superhero adaptations and a credible sense of danger and pain, Superman: Doomsday is a tougher movie than Superman Returns which may have some Man of Steel purists grumbling.

But, an intelligent script elevates the fisticuffs to a more ambitious level, and a voice cast including Serenity's Adam Baldwin and James (forever Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Marsters as Lex Luthor provide impressive performances.

Rob Daniel