The Reel Rejects - SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE (2012) IS THE SUPERMAN MOVIE WE NEED!! MOVIE REVIEW!!!

Starting point is 00:00:00 This week's video is sponsored by Acorns, the money app that makes it simple and cheap to make small yet significant investments. I would like to watch this film. Let's dive in in three, two, one, Superman. Gang, gang, as you're watching this, we have just completed our first time watch of Superman versus the elite. And before we hop into the review, we're doing something new today. We're going to take a few questions from the patrons regarding this. movie from our dear beloved super sexy royal i was listening to you guys record one of these and you came up with a good alliterative what was it uh so on patreon they're royal rejects in real life when i see them outside the internet they're rad rejects radical rejects radical rejects the ones

Starting point is 00:00:47 that make it out of the internet yeah i rl radical rejects corporeal so you royal rejects sent in firth from matthew cronin for superman versus the elite for john and coy that's us do you think the new superman movie would be partial adaptation of this movie for Well, that makes sense with Green Lantern, Hot Girl, and Mr. Trivick taking the place of the elite. That is a fun question, because that would imply a certain villainousness of them. I do not personally think they'll be villainous. I think they will be working for Maxwell Lord, and I think they will be in some sort of sense of the only way to get things done is with corporate sponsorship.

Starting point is 00:01:21 To me, those jackets read NASCAR. I see that as like, in a world where Jeff Bezos has branded heroes is what I think it's going to be so I don't think they'll be as evil but I do like the idea of that kind of messaging yeah yeah no totally I think that you have in terms of the talent you have on hand I don't think you'd want to make them as decisively villainous as the elite is here in such that you know we're probably they're only going to show up again if they break out of prison and start causing real trouble and we did see them in peace pinger in the trailer yeah that's true too so I could see it being kind of a half and half where it's like yeah here are the

Starting point is 00:01:55 cautionary here's the cautionary tale of what corporate super heroism is in the here and now a cynical or at least a cynically comprised team of supers in this day and age and here's the argument for why we got to do things a little differently a little more you know humanely or whatever the case might be but I could see them filling some kind of like you said some kind of iteration of this message maybe just not as extreme and you'll notice that Mr. Griffick wasn't with them I'm thinking that's a point two from Cody Enos saying love with four use that you're continuing these animated movies us too

Starting point is 00:02:30 svee is a we're in modern times but we're doubling down on this is Superman kind of like reminding people what he stands for is there another DC character that would be I like this question would benefit from this type of story i.e. modern setting but classic morals immediately Mr.

Starting point is 00:02:47 Miracle comes to mind Mr. Miracle is such a I use him for a lot because I want to see him done right he is such a classic golden age type hero he's red and yellow and green he's really bright his name is Scott free. But I love that even then there was a darkness to

Starting point is 00:03:03 him and now I think we're entering a world that's so dark, it'd be really lovely to have a character represent people that are really like downtrodden, right? Like Spider-Man, I think appeals to a lot of people because the Parker luck and like what he deals with and all those things. I think it'd be nice to see a Golden Age hero that was kind of groundbreaking

Starting point is 00:03:19 for having some of that darkness be in a world today that suits that darkness but the upliftingness of coming out of that and him like just soldering on I'd really love to see because Superman, you know, he's superpowers. Like he's all, so does Scott free, but like Superman's always going to be okay. So I think someone that's super relatable,

Starting point is 00:03:35 but from that arrow, it'd be cool to see. I feel like you are absolutely the person who's going to have a good, good answer to this question. But an instinctive answer. You know, and this is going to be a very normie take, I will forewarn you, but I feel like if you really did a movie because

Starting point is 00:03:50 we live in a time where there is so much discussion over whether or not Batman should kill people, if you had a movie that was kind of all about the this is the tool of the enemy you know interrogation I think that could be pretty cool I mean like certainly we do stuff

Starting point is 00:04:07 like that in the Batman movies that we've gotten since especially Batman begins the sort of grappling with that but there's a whole lot of other stuff going on and you know this I'm curious as to how you do it because this movie the Superman versus the elite movie does it in such a way where you get all the spectacle

Starting point is 00:04:23 that you would want out of any I think Superman's story but it also is like super thematically tied into him Yeah. So I feel like, you know, you would need some kind of threat to Batman that is, it's the same, I guess it's the same argument, really, is the sort of, should we be totalitarian or not? Which is a timeless question. But it's weird. It feels like somehow, because the flavors of the characters are so opposite, like the same debate persists and it feels like they're totally separate from each other, even though they're the same concept.

Starting point is 00:04:55 I mean, time changes how that's taken. yeah like that that perception yeah and you know there's the more direct iconography of like the militarism of like batman has to use gadgets and a gun is a gadget right superman's just got all powerful godness going on you know so but uh you know i'm sure in a swamp thing coy swamp thing's always the answer that's in solomon grundy i think that's going to be your answer for one of these next two we're going to do a little quicker in these next two because we have to get to our review as well but we've got from flying scotsman 4,072 yes coy and john are continuing their deep anime or journey so hype somewhat related for superman but is there a comic book story that you

Starting point is 00:05:31 would love to see adapted to the big screen could be dc or marvel quick thought first instinct i've always wanted to see uh ark of asylum serious house and serious earth yeah or that story i adore the art they could translate that vibe well i've already used mr miracle but tom king's mr miracle would definitely be the end of the top of that list i'm also gonna go i'm gonna go marvel because i gave dc answers uh craven's last hunt done correctly or the clone saga i want to see clones like it i would love to see a marvels not not like the marvels but like that you you actually you actually finally connected the thing like that old timey like classic again it's partly it's about the art so you would have to find a way to translate the art but like do something

Starting point is 00:06:11 that's like yeah a marvel crossover story with those retro vibes i think it's really cool we've got game night j 14 asking do you think we'll see this or an adaptation of it in the new superman movie similar to the first question with the feeling of the universe we've gotten from the trailer. I can see it happening in the universe, if not the upcoming movie. Also, with the resurgence, more brutal, murderous characters, especially the Punisher. In pop culture, how applicable is this story today? I have a long answer. Please, by all means, take it first. I think this movie that we just watched kind of speaks for itself on this question. I feel like there will always be kind of a reason. As long as there are humans and there is violence,

Starting point is 00:06:46 there will be a reason to have this conversation. And as long as we have these struggles and how to keep order amongst ourselves and also, you know, enable liberty amongst ourselves. You know, I think this is something that in some way, shape, or form will appear in the James Gunn Superman movie. I don't think it'll be a one-to-one at all, but I think it will certainly, I think it's too obvious that we're living in a time where the answer has to be. The question is being begged. What's the point of Boy Scout Superman, all this bright, you know, high-minded aspiration when it's such a violent, you know, heinous world. When people are willing to go to these disgusting depths, how could we ever win? you know, against that.

Starting point is 00:07:26 I think that's always a question worth asking and a conversation with having. And my, actually, I had a really long answer, but he covered a lot of it. And I think my short answer is more apt. I think your second part of the question is why we need Superman. Punisher used to be the exception to the rule.

Starting point is 00:07:41 And now he feels more like the rule. And I think that is why you need characters like Superman. And I think that's why today more than ever, we need to look up. So I hope you enjoyed this journey. As soon as I felt the button, what's the button settled into my brain? I was like,

Starting point is 00:07:55 eh. That was delicious. So I think it is time for us to dive into the review of this lovely experience. Thank you so much for being this excited for us to come back to these DC animated films.

Starting point is 00:08:06 We are jazz. We're filming another one next week. So it's crank it along nicely. We might even have two on the docket. So keep leaving in comments, letting us know which ones you want to see because it is active. We're very excited about it.

Starting point is 00:08:17 And thank you for being super sexy rejects seeing these questions. And thank you, dear viewer, for continuing to watch. Where we go next? Back to us. Hey, future us. well we have just finished superman versus the elite quite the intense journey before we dive into

Starting point is 00:08:31 our view want to thank the fine folks at prepper for editing this super endeavor editing is quite the way the journey it takes the speed of superman the focus of those laser eyes the endurance of being able to run many miles it's a super endeavor thank you to prepper also please leave a like and comments in this video because it helps the algorithm but the intro was long trying to do our intro's a little faster so you get to this point you press buttons please for us All right, let's talk about it. We just finished Superman versus the elite. Yes.

Starting point is 00:08:59 One that we had heard, beloved. A lot of people suggested this one. We did this, as I said at the top, on your behest. We appreciate it. It's good to be back. John, what did you think of the elite and of Superman? I had a blast with this. And what a timely Superman tale.

Starting point is 00:09:15 I feel like this, when did this come out? I failed to check the date at the outset. But this seems like a perfect. Superman's story for the here and now. A perfect debate over the themes of Superman, the qualities, the tenets of the character,

Starting point is 00:09:33 the place of those tenets in society when societies are 2012. 2012, so we're good 13 years on from this movie. We've grown so much. Yeah, as a society, we've learned from these lessons. And it's, yeah, like this seems like it would be relevant at

Starting point is 00:09:48 any time because I'm sure that, you know, any moment post like the decade or two surrounding the actual inception of the character is probably going to beg a lot of these questions of like it's a really big dark world and there are cancers out there that arguably should just simply be cut out never to return

Starting point is 00:10:07 what do we do about that is Superman's philosophy quaint and antiquated uh like I thought this was a really fun interrogation of that and a good sort of like well here's the alternative do you like that better Violence should scare you. This is not the way. I love that being...

Starting point is 00:10:23 I kept wondering, as soon as that turn happened, how Superman would land the message to the average person. That was such a great speech. Like, that was such a wonderful way to summarize I see Superman as. Like, that was a... Was written by Joe Kelly. The same Joe Kelly.

Starting point is 00:10:38 He had a movie called I Kill Giants, writer of Deadpool, writer of Spider-Man Deadpool, and my favorite comic runs ever. And a guy that gave Deadpool's fourth wall break, very lovely fellow. Yeah, I got a lot out of this as far as, like, the philosophy of Superman being so beautifully, like, summarized. This very effectively showed who he is in an hour.

Starting point is 00:11:00 And these aren't, like, known characters. Manchester Black is probably the biggest. Oh, that guy, Robin Ackon, he looked from there. Robin Ackon down. Manchester Black is probably the most known of these characters, but, like, Vera Black, Coldcast, these aren't, you know, regular. We don't see them all often. So, like, they did a really good job making it, Fred Tatsoscori. He's a very, very prolific voice actor.

Starting point is 00:11:24 Sure, yeah, I definitely know that I am. But, yeah, they did a really good job, like, summarizing these characters. They're not as well known. They did a good job showing their team dynamic. I genuinely felt stakes for Superman throughout, which is always hard and impressive. That's one of the difficulties of Superman is you've got two things working into at Superman. You've got is being truth, justice, and a better tomorrow antiquated. And then you've also got, how do you take on a guy that has every power?

Starting point is 00:11:46 and so to make that feel like it has stakes and then to also show the everyday audience why you should feel this way Troy Evans he is definitely a familiar face Reject Nation you ever look back and realize how little you actually learned about money growing up

Starting point is 00:12:03 for me like many of you was always start investing when you're young no one ever told me how and honestly for the longest time I was too overwhelmed to even try and that's why I'm grateful A grateful because I already used this product and B I'm grateful because we're sponsored by them today.

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Starting point is 00:13:27 Tier 1 compensation provided investing involves risk. Acorns advisor LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. Review important disclosures, acorns. Thank you again, Acorns. That guy. Yeah, he's a bad guy. Oh, man. Look at all those. I recognize all these images.

Starting point is 00:13:38 He's in hellous stuff. He's like a day-to-day, like in movies actor, right? Not a voice actor in my, like he probably, I mean, he definitely is too. He probably does a little bit of everything. fear and loathing yeah under siege demolition man the what a run all right all right he's on bosh legacy for all the dads out yeah yeah dad core dad core to the maximum it's drive me insane he's such a good actor and uh yeah and a lot of uh oh he did a little ncIS loss fear and loathing is definitely where i knew him from the end of that voice well off and that would be like a hundred times yeah he seems like he's acted in literally every version of this you could do from tv to films to animation and everything in between 40 years deep. Robin Atkins Downs doing the work. Oh, he did a lot of

Starting point is 00:14:19 creature vocals in Batman v. Superman The voice of Aux in Hunter Train Dragon. And a demon voice in the Conjuring 2. And of course Mr. Pricklepans and Forky. Additional voices across what if as well. Working actor, man. Working that voice. Doing them voices.

Starting point is 00:14:35 X-Ni-7 as well. Yeah, I got a lot out of this. I think this is a really good if you don't. Oh my God, sorry. Paul Kent was Colonel Campbell from the Middle Gear games, the guy who's a direct transcription of the colonel from First Blood. Nice. So different actor there, but also, yes.

Starting point is 00:14:55 Anyway, continue. I was going to say, this is a great, if you don't think Superman is fitting for today, movie. Like, if you think that the Superman of the 40s, 50s, and 60s doesn't suit 2025, this is a great translation. Like, this feels like it aligns with that, which I really, really appreciate. Yeah. I really like, too, that this is taken from a story called What's So Funny About Truth Justice in the American Way. Which Joe Kelly wrote the comic of. Joe Kelly's same writer of this movie and also the writer I mentioned earlier, prolific Deadpool writer. Yeah, man. Libre Mejo is an incredible artist. I got to read that. I probably had, but when did this go out? Action Comics, 2001. I was a wee laugh. 775. I was 13. Golly. I do remember this,

Starting point is 00:15:43 being a moment at the top I said like I wonder if this deals the authority. The authority and the elite are kind of simpatico timing wise like the early 2000s was an age of what if it's dark, what if it's gritty in movies I think that picked up around 2006

Starting point is 00:15:59 but in comics it was kind of reactionary you'd see a lot of stuff with the British invasion of like Grant Morrison and like a lot of the writers of that time would do commentary on stuff and then you had writers like with the Ultimates you had Mark Miller you had a lot of people doing commentary on the regular heroes.

Starting point is 00:16:17 So the authority was a commentary on D.C., just like Squadron Supreme was, just like Ultimates was a commentary on Avengers while also being an Avengers team. So the early 2000s was a lot of dark and gritty, what if we need to work on stuff? So when I heard the elite, I was like,

Starting point is 00:16:31 that feels like an authority era and feels like the authority to me. I was halfway expecting some of those characters, but here it says, real life debate amongst the comic community and the last success of the authority. So that is kind of what, I was speaking to is the dark and gritty stuff is, we wonder if that's the way the world

Starting point is 00:16:48 is. And this has been a conversation for at least 25 years. Yeah, man. And I mean, you know, it's, I feel like it's one of those human questions. Like it, I feel like Superman always correct me if I'm wrong, but is always having some sort of conversation about humanity. And, uh, and yeah, I mean, like, it is one of the ultimate human conundrums of like, what do we do? How do we create harmonious peace and order? And do we need to sink. to the level of those willing to go to depraved lengths to do so. Right. And yeah,

Starting point is 00:17:19 like I thought this really kind of hit the ground running and it built up nicely and it's like, you know, sometimes I feel like it's a debatable choice as to whether or not to reveal up front that you can't trust whoever these newcomers are

Starting point is 00:17:34 to the story, you know, them being here, the elite. But yeah, I thought it was kind of fun because it still left you room to guess and it still left you room to kind of think to yourself like, okay, I know that these guys are at least going to be willing to cross Lion's Superman isn't, but are they like

Starting point is 00:17:50 bad guys? Right. And for the most part, kind of yeah, like they overlap with good interests at points. When it serves them. Self serving good interests. 100%. And I like... And they escalated quick. Yeah, and seeing the point at

Starting point is 00:18:06 which each member of the team was sort of like, hey, wait a minute, this is going way too far. Yeah. And Manchester, we got to we gotta like stop back like come on like we can't win this um and yeah just the way that he ultimately defeats them is very sort of rewarding and and you know cathartic in a way and yeah you get i think this allows you to have your cake and eat it too where like he defeats them in a way that is like dark and scary and badass but you are also sitting there going like this is dark like what is happening here is this a fantasy is this some kind of ruse yeah i thought they were in his

Starting point is 00:18:42 for a minute because I was like Superman wouldn't do this but then I like that I was repulsed by Superman doing it which was his goal which was the goal and like that it's like so it's it's really well orchestrated very smartly done and yeah just a uncanny in a way how this has only because I think this is it's like I would imagine that yeah the comics community has probably been having this debate for a little while longer especially when you get the introduction of groups like the authority that do a feature more adult and probably more hardline solutions to things and and just content in general. Stuff like the boys came out in 06.

Starting point is 00:19:16 Like, I mean, that's all this era and this commentary that we haven't really recovered as far as believing in good, I think, since 2001. And I think that it's not a coincidence. And it feels harder and harder as time goes on weirdly. Yeah. And, yeah, like

Starting point is 00:19:32 with the way, just limiting it to the idea of the debate in popular culture about Superman and the themes and, oh, does this fit into our time? Do we need an updated version of the character? It's like, I think you could do the quintessential tenets of the character any time, and you just have to kind of fit them to the debate of the world around you,

Starting point is 00:19:53 and that feels like what this did, and this, again, because we've had the whole Snyderverse debate, you know, there are other movies that contribute to this, but obviously I feel like Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman, all that stuff, like, really contribute to the modern question of like, oh, is Superman just a boring Boy Scout? Should we do a violent, you know, totalitarian Superman of some kind? And that debate has reached the mainstream in a greater sense because movies and more people, you know, that many more people are aware of these, you know, themes of the stories, the characters, et cetera. So like, yeah, this fascinatingly seems like it would only just get more and more relevant over time.

Starting point is 00:20:32 Yeah, I feel like this is going to be, I think this was a perfect first one back for us. Yeah. As we're leading to the summer of Superman, like, like this is like a depth. friggin adapt this you know and it seems like I wonder if I wonder if some of this story will be in the soup of the James God movie I'm really curious if it's like I know

Starting point is 00:20:50 the film is addressing that Superman is someone that believes in good and the world is like really and so like that to me does you know feel sympathetico yeah I love this this is one of my favorite of the DC animated ones we've done the animation took me a little bit to adjust to it was a little simpler

Starting point is 00:21:08 than than others we've seen like a little more raw and dirty but I really liked the opening credit to have some flavor I really enjoyed that little insert to have some flavor and yeah I thought the acting was fantastic and I had a really good time with this so and props to George Newbern and

Starting point is 00:21:24 Polly Perrette I like their leading performances very much I don't remember who the guy was his name Baxter I'm trying to find these voices are killing me so man this is a huge cast where's Papa Baxter I guess it's not the guy from agents of shield oh well but yeah man

Starting point is 00:21:40 This was quite a blast And yeah, it's super timely It makes me want to go read the book now It's solid If I remember now again I read it no one I was 13 But I remember it was one That I think they reprints it like four or five times

Starting point is 00:21:52 So I might have read in 2002 And it got reprinted But it's just that issue You can pick up 775 Superman 775 For you guys playing along at home Joe Kelly Superman 775 It's just one issue

Starting point is 00:22:01 It is a big big boy It's a thick boy Yeah yeah It's like an anniversary Like that big number If memory serves That was 14 years ago 13 oh no it was

Starting point is 00:22:10 Henry Simmons. It was correct. Oh, fantastic. My man. There we go. All right. All right. I stand vindicated.

Starting point is 00:22:17 I am vindicated. He heard it here, folks. Yes. Well, that is going to do it for this episode. Please leave a comment below. Let us know what you want us to watch next because we're back. Don't know how many of these we're going to do, but at least some more. So let us know in the comments below what else you'd like us to watch.

Starting point is 00:22:31 Please let us know what you thought of Superman versus the elite. Please press that like. Please check out the Patreon for all of your full-length watch log leads and lots and lots of discounts. please do something super today we'll see you soon bye guys Chris my friend

Starting point is 00:22:51 lately I've been getting really in tune again with our Patreon our Royal Rejects because I've been I feel like I've taken it for granted you know a lot of people run patrons Patreon accounts and it's like a business

Starting point is 00:23:05 that it eventually turns into and I guess my mindset has been really connected to lately of it's not just a business like these are our followers who are really like even if it's a $5 even if it's a $5 tier that's a lot of money

Starting point is 00:23:22 to contribute every single month you know and with you Chris they've gone out of your way so many times to shove out a lot of money sometimes 200 bucks sometimes 500 bucks in a live stream and

Starting point is 00:23:36 and as much as we've made jokes about it there's something about that generosity that's really hard to receive and i really do appreciate i think we all do we all really appreciate though how i don't want to just say giving it's it's it challenges my character in a way in a way that makes me uncomfortable uh in a good way so it forces me to grow and we really appreciate not uh not just the financial contribution but what that action does as a way to reflect on the kind of people we could be. So thank you, Chris, for being you.

Starting point is 00:24:14 For inspiring us to be better and more generous ourselves. Like, you really do lead by an example. And I mean, yeah, every time you show up and are as generous as you are, I feel unworthy even as just a small part of this operation. And, you know, when I think of, it's weird, even though we've never met in person, you are somebody who inspires me to try and do my best to be as caring and outwardly minded as I can be

Starting point is 00:24:40 because it certainly seemed like you are. And that's rare in this world. So thanks for leading by example and inspiring us just as much as, you know, I'm sure you've been inspired by other, you know, people who lead by example in your life. Thank you, Chris.

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The Reel Rejects - SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE (2012) IS THE SUPERMAN MOVIE WE NEED!! MOVIE REVIEW!!!

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