Description:
Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. Killing is an option. And when the Joker falls in the balance between the two, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened
Review:
If, like me, you’re a HUGE fan of the 90’s golden age of animated Batman, Batman: the Animated Series, this movie will make you happy.
For those who don’t know – Batman: TAS was renowned for being smart, dark, and downright disturbing at times. In short, it was brilliant. This latest animated feature hearkens back to that era, and almost makes up for the painful story-less-ness of Batman: Gotham Knight. (Seriously, don’t even bother watching that one.)
Adapted by Judd Winick from his own comic book story arc, Under the Red Hood revolves around past events that have come back to haunt Batman. For those of you not familiar with the mythology, the original Robin, Dick Grayson, grew up and assumed the mantle of Nightwing, a full fledged superhero in his own right, and Bruce Wayne trained up various other proteges to be Robin. This story revolves around the tragic circumstances surrounding one of those past Robins, and how the line between vigilante and criminal is a very, very thin one. This is a solid story that does what Batman does best – explore the darkness within.
My enjoyment of this movie hit only one small snag – the voices. Not to take anything away from the performances of Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike, from Star Trek, an actor I always enjoy), who voiced Bruce Wayne and John Di Maggio (who also voices Bender on Futurama), who voiced the Joker. Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) also did fine work as the voice of Red Hood. It’s just to someone like me, someone who grew up on Batman: TAS, there are only two voices which belong to Batman and The Joker – Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil. Mark Hamil (yes, THAT Mark Hamil) is widely acknowledged to be THE voice of the Joker. His maniacal laugh is unparalleled and the work he’s done as the character over the years has indelibly impressed itself on the grey cells of a generation. For all of us, there is only ONE Joker. Though John Di Maggio has a wonderful, rich voice and does a full on tribute to Hamil’s Joker laugh, it’s just not the same. Likewise with Batman – Kevin Conroy owns that role. Anytime he’s not in it, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
Still, this is a movie to enjoy in every other respect. It’s not perfect, but it’s far above and beyond the animated Batman fare we’ve been seeing lately. If you like your Batman action packed, dark, and not afraid to get violent, this one is for you.
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