Somber Superman story definitely not intended for kids – little kids, anyway. Respectful, downbeat, mature. No giddy galavanting here. One rather gets the sense of the twilight of a hero, as he intervenes in what would be a senseless monster’s obliteration of mankind.

No, the dialogue isn’t always Ben Hecht, but the Bruce Timm team has a grip on the legend that’s rare in comic book adaptations, and while some of the “grown-up” moments are a tad unconvincing (as if the writers watched hours of “The Shield” to bone up on “gritty realism”), the overall effect is of a compact, mythically in tune affair.

Grade: B+

Superman: Doomsday is currently available.