“Batman vs. Superman an Axel Braun Parody” – Wicked Pictures – Director – Axel Braun – Cast – Kleio Valentien, Carter Cruise, Alison Ryler, Britney Amber, Aiden Ashley, Celeste Star, Ryan Driller, Giovanni Francesco, Brendon Miller, Derrick Pierce.

****1/2 Stars

I have been anticipating the release of this parody for some time having reviewed both the separate Batman and Superman parodies in the past. I was very curious to see how Axel would bring these two together, but at odds with one another. With Driller, Francesco and Miller reprising their original roles, I was intrigued by the rest of the casting. The actors brought in to play the supporting but important roles were, for the most part, spot on. While some of the character appearances were relatively short, they were an important part of the story line and plot. Before I get into the film, I will say that Kleio Valentien as Harley Quinn was simply amazing in every way, nailed the character perfectly and hopefully will be remembered at awards time!

As this latest adventure begins Batman and Superman meet not on friendly terms on a rooftop and then it quickly moves to six weeks prior. Here we see Preside3nt Lex Luthor (Derrick Pierce) explaining that he can no longer rely on Superman to save the country and people so he is bringing Batman (Giovanni Francesco) to do the job. In the meantime Superman (Ryan Driller) in another place with Princess Maxima (Britney Amber) is watching TV reporter Lois Lane (Celeste Star) gives the news of this latest Luthor plot. Maxima pleads with Superman to go back to his people and do what’s right, but not before she thanks him for all he did for her people. The scene switches to Batman coming into an alley where he is met by several skull like masked hoods and quite an action sequence takes place. Francesco’s martial arts training comes in very handy for this well-choreographed action scene. Enter Harley Quinn who has a message for Batman regarding Superman and the Joker but there is only one way for Batman to find out just what that message is. Harley Quinn tells him he’ll have to pay for the information and we all know what kind of payment she wants.

Next we see The Joker (Brendon Miller rummaging through papers in President Luthor’s oval office to find the information he needs. The Joker makes threat to Luthor and also has kidnapped reporter Lois Lane and has her tied up at his place. After The Joker leaves who shows up but Supergirl (Carter Cruise). She wants to help but is also worried about anyone knowing of her affair with Luthor. Now we get The Joker back at his place with Lois Lane when Harley Quinn comes along and then The Joker harasses Lois. Adding to all this is Catwoman (Aiden Starr) who grabs Harley and they get into it with each other before being joined by The Joker who has the tied up Lois Lane to watch them enjoy themselves. When they are done The Joker brings about the demise of Lois Lane. There is a flashback scene with Catwoman and then we see Batman in an area of secret files and materials and he comes across the one thing Superman needs, Kryptonite. He is confronted by Luthor who makes a threat but decides to let Batman have the green bar and let him deal with Superman.

Now that you have the crux of the story and plot I won’t divulge any more so you can enjoy how this drama plays out. All I will say at this point is that Wonder Woman (Alison Tyler) appears and plays an important part in what happens with our two super heroes when they meet up with each other and has a very explosive ending.

Once again Braun taps into the comic book world with another excellent production that he and Mark Logan have put together. The attention to detail, once again, shines everywhere. The costumes are fantastic, the sets are spot on, the music, lighting and audio are well done. The writing and execution of the dialogue is crisp, realistic and believable. There are five sex scenes and all of them are exceptional throughout. They offer up a lot of variety and there is pot boiling sizzle in all of the scenes, two of them threesomes. As for the cast, we have already mentioned Kleio Valentien, Driller and Francesco as Superman and Batman play it very understated and convincing, Miller’s Joker continues to be one of the best ever done and all of the girls executed their roles well. The only disappointment, for me, was Derrick Pierce as Lex Luthor. I like Pierce and the things he has done in his career, but this role just did not have the power, punch and pizazz it should have had. It was more like Luthor lite. (Maybe I got spoiled by the Bryn Pryor take on the role previously). Still, the entire production is another stellar effort from Braun and his crew that will obviously garner a lot of award attention and a lot of fan interest. I very highly recommend getting hold of “Batman vs. Superman An Axel Braun Parody” a 2 disc set from Wicked Pictures

Review by Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN