I first heard about this about a month ago and was shocked to hear it was released so soon. It was one of those on-my-radar things and then someone told me it was out today. Being an adaptation of one of the most powerful Batman storylines, I was more than hyped. For those who don't know the events surrounding this story are among Batman's darkest. It starts where the A Death in the Famliy series ended, with the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. The issue itself was a really big deal in the comic book world. Most readers really didn't like Jason Todd, so the writers made a brilliant move and let the readers decide if he lived or died. He was voted to die by the smallest margin and was consequently blown up by The Joker. It's possibly Batman's most popular storyline and they adapted it as an animated film. If only one thing it was going to be dark as hell.
And it delivered. Was such a great adaption of a really dark storyline. It explored the dysfuntctional relationships Batman has with the various Robins and really let us into the mind of Bruce Wayne like nothing ever has. Batman films usually circle around the death of his parents, but Robin's death arguably made a bigger impact. This one is actually Batman's fault. He didn't act in time and an innocent boy died. This was also one of the best incarnations of The Joker I have ever seen. That includes Heath's. At first I was bummed Mark Hamill wasn't voicing, but his rather wacky shrilly voice wouldn't have fit. This Joker killed Robin. He beat him with a pipe and then blew him up.
He was ruthless and more sociopathic than I've ever seen him. Hamill's trademark high-pitched voice wouldn't have worked as well. Don't worry though, the cackle is spot on. The final showdown between Todd, Joker, and Batman really showcased was a crazy bastard he is. It was a genuine moment where he wanted them all to die. Including himself. It took that last Joker scene from The Dark Knight and improved upon it. I wish he would have been in it more. He was truly a crazy fuck in this movie.
That leads to my one beef with the movie; the underdevelopment of A Death in the Family. I know this was Batman: Under the Red Hood, but I really wanted to see more of Robin's death. The immediate impact that had on Batman is something that needs to be shown on film. It was alluded to when The Joker remarked on how Batman put him in a body cast for 6 months. I wanted to see that. To watch Batman lose his fucking mind and get as close to crossing the line as possible. When a major character dies it's always incredibly powerful to see how those closest to him react. We didn't get to see that here. The immediate effect of that loss wasn't there. Having this as a two-part series of animated films would have been amazing. Using Robin's death as the climax of the first, then picking up with Batman going apeshit on everybody for the second one. It would have completed Jason Todd's character arc better and shown an insanely brutal side to Batman. I also would have liked to see them ratchet up the brutality. Robin gets beaten to within an inch of his life before he dies, but in this it's only shown in shadows and with minimal blood. We should see Joker with the crowbar, beating the living hell out of Jason Todd. That iconic image on the cover of A Death in the Family, with a broken, bloodied, lifeless Robin in the arms of Batman should be there. I'm only being critical on these points because I really think it could have made this rival live action films in quality. And not just Batman films.
Nearly everything was done perfectly in this. The animation was excellent. All the chase sequences somehow never felt the same, whether on foot or on vehicles. Each character had a signature way of moving that really felt unique and genuine. Nightwing moved like Nightwing. You could tell he was an acrobat. Batman was more smooth and precise with his fighting moves. Todd was just reckless and obviously talented. Nightwing may be the unsung hero of this movie. The way the character portrayed was so spot on to what Dick Grayson is like in the comics. He was a snappy, sarcastic, ally to Batman. They worked really well off one another. And not just in the fight scenes. There was an underlying feeling of familiarity and seamlessness to their interactions. It was more like between brother and brother than father and son. The dynamic between Batman and Jason Todd was brilliant as well. Having those two conflicting viewpoints coming from the same place made for one hell of a final scene. There were tons of little things too that were amazing. Stuff like the Hulk/Superman nods, the very very cool Joker origin sequence, all showed that this was very much in sync with the comics. I really can't say enough about how well this was executed. Easily the best animated film I've ever seen.
Bottom line: Delving into the mythos and psychology of Batman like never before, Batman: Under the Red Hood adapts one of the darkest stories ever and captures the power of the comic like very few have.
Overall score: 9.5 out of 10
0 comments:
Post a Comment