WARNING: SPOILER – if you don’t want to get spoiled, please, I beg you, do not continue reading this so you won’t blame me in the end.
Skip this and read my REVIEW instead.
DIRECTION
This is Brandon Vietti’s first solo project when directing a full length animated film. What can I say? Well, he really nailed this one. I hope he’ll direct more films in the DCU line.
Andrea Romano, again, did a great job on her voice directions specially when choosing the right person/voice to cast.
CASTING
Bruce Greenwood as Batman is an excellent choice. The man sounds like Kevin Conroy. Honest.
Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing is just the right choice. Not so long ago when he dubbed the voice of the Music Meister in Batman the Brave and The Bold and I can say this guy can voice anyone.
Jason Isaacs as Ra’s Al Ghul. His performance doesn’t stand that much but he did a great job voicing this immortal terrorist.
Wade Williams as Black Mask. Now this guy reminds me of a preaching black reverend every time he talks. Like Nightwing, Black Mask added some humor in this film’s dark vibe. But his humorous performance will not be that effective if it wasn't seconded by his assistant Ms. Li voiced by Kelly Hu, who did a great job in adding up the spice.
John Di Maggio as the Joker gave his performance a lot of resemblance to what Heath Ledger did as he portrays the same role in The Dark Knight.
Last but not the least is
Jensen Ackles as the Red Hood. Man! This guy is something! He brought the right blend of drama and humor in his performance. I’m a fan of his Supernatural series and the way he acts on that series played in his role in this film.
ANIMATION
Main animation is made by Answer Studio. Yes, flaws are there. Most noticeable are the way vehicles move when it starts (swings left to right before going) and characters' exaggerated leap, but other than that, animations in this film are superb. I can’t say that the character designs are based from the artwork of Doug Manhke (artist of Under the Hood, the comic book on which the film was adapted) for it’s somewhat unique and stands out from previous character designs. Anyways, it’s something that Mahnke should be proud of.
STORY
To start, it was loaded with adult content and dialogues, Most of the dialogues came from the comic book where it was adapted. It's as if the comic book itself came to life (Well, not literally).it was so brutal it will remind you of the Batman Beyond movie, Return of the Joker. It does have an adventure, crime, and mystery plot that will also remind you of the first Batman: The Animated Series feature film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. But what makes this film stands out from its said predecessors is its emotional arc that will leave you bothered after watching and its flashbacks, which is not your typical flashback scenes.
On some level, there is a certain proof that this film was influenced by the Christopher Nolan movies. The tone, the way Batman and Joker is treated, Gotham City’s vibe, all was evidence of Chris Nolan’s influence. Which is just right, for this film is dark in nature. You’ll feel it even more every time the musical score kicks in.
However, there are some things that I found awkward while watching this film:
1. Jason Todd’s body when found by Batman after the explosion was way too neat to be a victim of a bomb explosion. I’m expecting a more “A Death in the Family” adaptation, but then, we must understand that this is a PG-13 film.
2. Batman explaining to a thug what an Amazo is. Awkward!
3. One of the thugs knew that Nightwing is the original Robin. Until now, I’m still wondering why he knew that.
4. When Bruce checked Jason’s corpse, Alfred was easily convinced that it was Jason’s remain inside the coffin knowing that 5 years had passed since the incident and the would be corpse should already be in rot. Heck, if I didn’t know Alfred that well, I might as well suspect him to be involved in the whole “Red Hood mystery”.
Except for those scenes above, anything else is brilliant.
Below are some of my favorites:
1.The team-up of the original dynamic duo, Batman and Dick Grayson now known as the hero, Nightwing.
2.Batman carefully studies the audio of their (Batman and Nightwing) recorded video chasing the Red Hood.
3.The heroes visiting the Joker at Arkham.
4.Scenes of Black Mask talking to his thugs. Don’t mind his famous good look he’s so known for; observe what he wears every time he’ll make it on a scene.
5.All the flashback scenes.
6.Joker showing Black Mask his “resume” when asked if he can bring the Red Hood down.
7.Red Hood getting his “revenge” on the Joker.
8.The final confrontation between Batman and Red Hood, and
9.The ending. Honestly, this film’s ending is far better than its comic book counterpart.
After watching this film, I was amazed on how it turned out. Some origins are revisited; some familiar characters made a brief appearance (Commissioner Gordon, Ubu, Riddler) and one are just mentioned (Barbara Gordon). When I first heard that this will be adapted into film, I got excited and at the same time confused. Excited, because the story on which it was adapted is one of my favorite Batman story. Confused, because I’m wondering how this arc would fit in a full length film. Because you see, Under the Hood had tangent of supporting characters through the course of its story. But then in the film, most supporting cast (in the comics) that I’m referring to was eliminated and to my surprise it turned out great. It didn’t hurt the main story at all.This film is a testament of the genius that is Judd Winick. He really put a lot of heart in this film which is showed in its outcome.
For me this is the best Batman and DCU Animated Film so far.
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