SYNOPSIS:
Sometimes, four legs are better than two. Dan just moved his
wife and son to the woods to take a new job with a supposedly
eco-friendly housing development. But the fur and Dan's temper
is sure to fly when the local critters learn of the bleak plans
for their forest home and stop at nothing to halt construction.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Unlike its slacking live-action film-making division, Warner Bros animation on the other hand has been constantly churning out original direct-to-video titles based on their superhero properties under the close supervision of acclaimed producer/writer Bruce Timm, the man who is credited for building the DC animated universe.
Three features are due for the home video market in the year 2010 alone, the first being "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" followed by "Batman: Under the Red Hood" and "Superman/Batman Apocalypse". This second release of the year once again feature everyone’s favourite tortured hero, the dark knight and it’s a gem to behold.
For a start, it might be a tad confusing if you are a newbie to the whole origins of Batman. Not even if you are equipped with the knowledge of the gothic Burton versions or the embarrassing Schumacher instalments. And yes that includes even the ridiculously good Nolan’s helmed series.
This animated feature opens with Batman’s sidekick, Robin being beaten and killed by Batman’s arch-enemy, the Joker. Robin was once a street urchin picked up by Batman and mentored to be his sidekick replacing the original Robin who has becomes Nightwing. Okay this is the part where things get a bit messy (remember I did say knowledge of the movies ain’t sufficient) but let’s not complicate things further. The caped crusader is haunted by the price he has to pay for losing his sidekick but not for long, he is now facing a new enemy (or friend), the Red Hood, a masked vigilant who will resort to anything to stop crimes even to the extent of cooperating with the drug lords and massacring anyone that comes his way.
Writer Judd Winick’s script is smart and fast-paced and offers practically everything for the fans out there. While it tries to play a little detective, a little twist and turns scattered around, most seasoned viewers would have seen this coming from afar. The complexity of Batman as he struggles with his inner demons and the cleverness of the Joker beneath that campy outlook is greatly dissect by Winicks despite the limited running time of 79 minutes. Though expect characters liked Nightwing and Ra's al Ghul doing mere cameos.
The minimalistic animation style is at its best here and it goes to prove that hand-drawn animation still has plenty of legs to go. The various fight scenes are a marvel to watch considering that they are beautifully choreographed with much vitality and the assortment of weaponry used by Red Hood and Batman will leave fanboys in a tizzy.
The voice cast feature prominent actors such as Bruce Greenwood as Batman, Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing, Jason Issacs as Ra’s al Ghul and Kelly Hu although credits go to John DiMaggio doing his best impersonation of the Joker after fan-favourite Mark Hamill.
"Batman: Under the Red Hood" is a compelling dark animation piece that will please most of the adult fanbase, more engaging than the earlier "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" and definitely a worthy title for keepsake and rewatch until the next instalment of the Dark Knight hit the big screens.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
DISC ONE -
A First Look at Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is a 12 minutes sneak preview of the next DC animated feature which will showcase DC universe newcomer, Summer Glau as Supergirl.
The live-action version Jonah Hex was a flop and it didn’t make to the shores here. However, there’s a new 11 minutes of the scarred bounty hunter included here. DC Showcase – Jonah Hex animated short feature Thomas Jane, Linda Hamilton and Michael Rooker and reeks of much potential than the disaster live-action that stars Josh Brolin and Megan Fox.
Explore 3 Other DC Universe Original Animated Movies are short intros/trailers to other DC animation titles including Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Batman: Gotham Knight, Superman Doomsday, The Lord of the Rings Animated, Jonah Hex Motion Comic and Legends of the Guardians.
DISC TWO -
Robin: The Story of Dick Grayson is an informative 24 minutes feature that is apparently useful for non-comic book fans. It’s a detailed account of how the character of Robin evolved over the decades if you are interested to find out more.
Bruce Timm Presents 2 Bonus Animated Series Episodes: Robin’s Reckoning Part 1 and Part 2 culled from the Batman Animated Series.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The dialogue is crisp and clear and the action sequences feature the occasional heavy bass and surround aural experience from the Dolby Digital 5.1. Visually, the picture is sharp and colours are bright despite occasional intended shades of dark.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
Posted
on 10 October 2010
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