Death. Superman. Those two words made The Death of Superman one of the most successful comic book series in the '90s. Surprisingly enough, the title of the animated-movie adaptation, Superman: Doomsday, contains neither of those words. But the bloody "S" symbol on the DVD cover should make things clear, even if you haven't read the comic. Yes, this is the movie in which the mysterious alien Doomsday beats the crap out of, stomps on, and "kills" the Man of Steel. Yes, you actually see blood. No, this isn't a movie for kids. Yes, comic book fans will appreciate this movie -- but they probably won't love it.

That's because Superman: Doomsday tries just a little too hard. If you've taken a creative writing class, you know the most echoed rule is "show, don't tell" -- that is, let the characters exhibit their feelings and tendencies through actions; don't explicitly tell us what they are. Writers Duane Capizzi and Bruce Timm took this tip a tad too seriously. Here's how I imagine their brainstorming session:

"How can we show that Lex Luthor is evil and Superman is good?" Capizzi ponders.

"Hm, how about we show Luthor talking about hindering the cure for several deadly diseases, such as West Nile?" Timm suggests. "And then in the next scene, we can show Superman talking about how he wishes he could figure out the cure for cancer?"

You might think I'm joking, but that's exactly how the movie shows (but doesn't tell!) us how Superman is super great and Luthor is rotten to the core. And those are just two examples of "over-showing." When Doomsday makes his first appearance, he kills a harmless, innocent deer for no apparent reason (not even to eat it). And later, Doomsday takes a break from whooping Superman's butt to kill a crying toddler. (Of course, Superman saves the kid.) Wow, is Doomsday an evil alien? I can't tell.

The list goes on for a while, but here's one more. Shortly after Superman is supposedly killed, he makes a triumphant return. But this time something's off about him. He's strangely self-righteous to the point where he's a vigilante. To illustrate this, there's a scene in which undead Superman helps an old lady retrieve her cat that's stuck up a tree -- and threatens to physically punish her if she lets the cat run loose again. Gee, I wonder if this is the real Superman?

Too bad about the script, because Superman: Doomsday otherwise impresses with its smooth animation and talented voice acting. Anne Heche does a tough Lois Lane with a serious attitude -- more of what you'd expect from The Daily Planet's big-shot reporter. Cartoon fans will love the cameo of John Di Maggio (Bender from Futurama) who voice acts as the villain Toyman.

With Superman: Doomsday you can see a major difference between an animated super-hero movie and a live-action super-hero movie. Despite its cheesy screenplay, Spider-Man 2 is hailed as one of the best live-action super-hero movies of all time. Since animation is, well, animation, bad screenwriting is more obvious since there aren't intense, 3D explosions to distract you.

Have I proven my point, or need I illustrate it some more?