Antonis and Stavros Fylladitis’s short fan film “Superman Awakens” is an absolute accomplishment. It’s only four minutes in length but it conveys a very interesting and intriguing story that is complimented by the massive animation. Rather than attempt a live action film, “Superman Awakens” is animated through CGI, created with Unreal Engine 5 using Lumen technology, and tells the tale of a Superman that has lost it all and is trying to find a reason to keep going.
Told through flashbacks, “Superman Awakens” is inspired by Alex Ross’ Superman, centering on a Superman whose life is shattered after Lois dies during a battle with a foe. Absolutely grief stricken, Superman decides to retire and ignore all the calls for help. But he’s pulled back in to it when he realizes he has to fulfill the hope that his loved ones once saw in him, and decides to rebuild it all again.
While the narrative begins darker than I would have liked, “Superman Awakens” is a great tale centered on grief, and a Superman who has to look for a reason to go on. Antonis and Stavros Fylladitis’s film is an absolute accomplishment, one filled with some stunning animated sequences and still shots. The design of Superman is iconic with most of it inspired by the work of Alex Ross, and it shines through in most of the scenes. “Superman Awakens” is primarily a movie about finding hope in a dark world, and how Superman decides it’s up to him to bring it back.
It works in the short form template, well. Much of the animation is created by the massive team of animators and the role of Superman is well played by Daniel Zbel. The team depicts the fall and rise of Superman evoking many of his most iconic moments in the comics, and they’re punctuated by the excellent score by Thanos Papadellis. As a hardcore Superman fanatic, I can only hope the upcoming cinematic reboot is as epic as “Superman Awakens” is.