Batman: Under the Red Hood is the newest animated film by DC. It's good to see that they're jumping on the bandwagon that Marvel started a few years back by releasing movies direct to DVD/Blu-ray. Whereas Marvel can releases up to two or three live-action movies a year for their franchises, DC is much slower, often averaging one a year if any at all. These animated films act to supplement the demand to see our favorite characters in action. I haven't seen that many of the animated films myself, but when this came up on Netflix it immediately caught my attention. So I waited patiently for its release and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
Plot: The story is a combination of two Batman storylines: "Death in the Family," where the second Robin Jason Todd gets killed by the Joker, and "Under the Hood," where we are introduced to the the villain/anti-hero Red Hood. I dont' want to give too much away for those who aren't familiar with the characters or story, but it's pretty standard comic fare and what we've come to expect from a Batman film.
Cast: The cast, dear god the cast. This is what sold it for me.
Bruce Greenwood as Batman/Bruce Wayne: He's definitely trying to sound like Kevin Conroy, but he doesn't quite hit it. Instead, Greenwood brings a very confident and persuasive vocal performance that doesn't completely impress, but doesn't bother either.
Jensen Ackles as Red Hood: Also does a pretty solid job.
John Di Maggio as Joker: Bender? In my Batman movies? It's more likely than you think. Di Maggio's Joker is definitely his own, but if I had to draw comparisons, the personality is a lot more like Mark Hamill's Arkham Asylum Joker, but tougher. And yes, he is funny, but it just made me miss Hamill's voice that much more.
Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing: Is there anything this man can't do? He works off the character really well.
Jason Isaacs as Ra's al Ghul: So, apparently it's pronounced "Raysh" and not "Rahs." That aside, Jason Isaacs is one of my favorite actors, so this was a pleasant surprise.
Wade Williams as Black Mask: I've never read any comics with Black Mask, but I knew of his existence. Needless to say, if this is my first real introduction to him, I'll take it. The way Williams plays the psychotic gangster is actually better than Di Maggio's Joker, and was often hysterical.
The cast is rounded out by several other familiar faces in cameos, including Alfred, The Riddler, Talia al Ghul, and a character called Amazo who I had never heard of before.
Extras: So the story is fun, the cast is excellent, and the animation is fairly decent, often calling back to the Batman Animated Series in its portrayal of design and architecture. But let me tell you an even better reason to buy/rent/'Flix this film: the special features. Normally I don't pay attention to these kinds of things, but as I ejected the disc I noticed it plainly on the cover:
A Jonah Hex animated short.
Aw hell yeah.
This is far better animated then the Batman film, and despite being only 12 minutes long, is better than the Jonah Hex movie by a long shot. The cast is just as ridiculous as the Batman film; Thomas Jane as an awesome Hex, Linda Hamilton as a small town "Madame," and Michelle Trachtenburg in a small role as a bar girl.
On top of that, there are two featurettes about the first two Robins, a preview for the upcoming Superman/Batman: Apocalypse film (with Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy reprising their roles as the heroes, as well as Summer Glau as Supergirl and Ed Asner as Granny Goodness), and producer Bruce Timm's four favorite episodes from the Batman Animated Series which includes "Mad Love."
So if you're a fan of Batman, I recommend checking this out; you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 4.5/5
P.S. And yes, this movie did make me want to play both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Red Dead Redemption.
