Superman: Doomsday, an animated movie released in 2007, already told the story of the fight between the two title characters that led to both of their deaths (and, in the comics, their eventual resurrections). The Death of Superman, released a decade later, tells it again -- and better.

(Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a live-action movie from 2016, also used portions of the Doomsday storyline, but let's try to forget that for now.)

Given the complexity of the story -- and the brevity of this 80-minute feature -- the introduction to The Death of Superman is overly long, with sequences regarding an Intergang caper and scientific exploration of the rocket that brought baby Superman to Earth. In Superman: Doomsday, the creature was introduced and eliminated fairly early in the film, spending most of its time on the aftermath. This one, on the other hand, takes its time before introducing Doomsday into the plot.

But, finally, a meteor carrying the unstoppable alien comes crashing to Earth, and the creature immediately begins its merciless slaughter.

This time, Superman doesn't immediately come into play. Members of the Justice League -- including Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter and Cyborg -- face Doomsday first, and they lose, badly. Once Superman arrives on the scene, the fight becomes truly cataclysmic. The stakes are visibly high, and the fight scene is powerfully depicted.

And he dies at the end, as the title assured us he would. Unlike Doomsday, he doesn't immediately return; in fact, Death ends on a cliffhanger, with mid-credit teasers leading into a sequel, The Reign of Supermen, in which several pretenders try to assume Superman's place.

There are other differences between this and Doomsday. For one thing, in the first one, Superman has a sexual relationship with Lois Lane, who doesn't know he was Clark Kent. In this one, Clark Kent has a sexual relationship with Lois Lane, who doesn't know he's Superman. It's a subtle difference, perhaps, but telling -- and emotionally moving, since his revelation to her immediately precedes the battle in which he dies.

As an aside, it's nice to finally see someone address the unethical nature of a news reporter (Kent) writing articles about himself (Superman). That always bothered me.

I have no complaints about the voice acting in either version. In this, Superman and Lois are voiced by real-life couple Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn. Other notables include Jason O'Mara (Batman), Rosario Dawson (Wonder Woman), Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern), Christopher Gorham (Flash), and Jennifer Hale and Paul Eiding (Ma and Pa Kent).

No, I'm sorry, I do have one complaint. Rainn Wilson's Lex Luthor is too whiny and it doesn't play well.

The animation style is somewhat crisper than Doomsday's and the action flowed well, but bodies are oddly proportioned, like their heads don't completely fit.

Overall, though, The Death of Superman is the superior film. The story is told very well, with emotion and style, and it makes me want to watch the sequel soon. I'll get back to you on that.

Oh, by the way, the PG-13 rating is well-earned for violence. Some of the deaths are pretty brutal, so be warned.