DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation
Home Media Release - Original: July 20, 2019, included with Batman: Hush
Home Media Release - Extended Edition: October 13, 2020, included with Batman: Death in the Family
Synopsis: The original tale finds Battle-weary Sgt. Rock thinking he has seen everything that World War II can dish out. But he is in for the surprise of his life when he is assigned to lead a company consisting of legendary monsters into battle against an unstoppable platoon of Nazi zombies. Karl Urban (Star Trek & The Lord of the Rings film franchises) provides the voice of Sgt. Rock. Also voicing characters in Sgt. Rock are Keith Ferguson, William Salyers and Audrey Wasilewski. Sgt. Rock is executive produced and directed by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) from a script by award-winning comics writers Louise Simonson & Walter Simonson and Tim Sheridan (Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Reign of the Supermen).
Additional Details:
Runtime: Appr. 14 minutes
Animation Studio: Studio MIR
DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock Mini-Review
By James Harvey
The DC Showcase Sgt. Rock animated short is, hands down, a moody, cinematic and overall fantastic piece of work that feels ripped straight from the pages of a DC Comics title. Sure, the story is pretty basic - Sgt. Rock has to take an untested team to defeat a possibly unbeatable foe - but it's still a riveting watch thanks to the short's interesting setting, engaging characters and an expected little twist part way through that takes this story somewhere else entirely. Plus, the animation for this short is pretty sharp and is quite possibly some of the best we've seen on a DC Universe Movie release in recent memory.
Please note that while this mini-review will be light on spoilers, the media below does include spoiler material.
The talent on this short is nothing short of incredible, and easily recognizable as some of industry's best, resulting in an excellent return for the DC Showcase animated shorts line. Given that this line of shorts has been silent for nearly a decade, seeing it roar back to life - and the quality ends up being this high - is remarkable and a relief. The 15-ish minute short is directed and executive produced by Bruce Timm, written by Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson and Tim Sheridan, with character designs led by Kevin Nowland and scored by Dynamic Music Partners. That's an impressive line-up behind the scenes, and in-front? Karl Urban as Sgt. Rock? He turns in a solid performance as the lead, with a collection of game voice talent putting in equally strong turns.
DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock is a gritty, tense story that pulls you in with one expectation - a pulpy, gritty war story with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company - and then takes you into a surprisingly different (but still awesome) direction. No spoilers, but it's a fun change-up that results in a unexpected but still exciting adventure for the famed DC Comics hero. Welcome back, DC Showcase! Recommended!
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