The DC Animated Universe movies are getting better. Green Lantern: First Flight was OK. Superman/Batman Public Enemies and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths were better than I thought they were going to be. Batman Under the Red Hood held my attention through two viewings in the course of a few days, and so far is my personal favorite.
That really surprises me seeing as how much I love the Kenvin Conroy/Mark Hamill animated Batverse that started in my childhood and has continued up through the Arkham Asylum game. Under the Red Hood feels like a self-contained Batman story though, and can get by with a new voice cast.
Speaking of the voice cast, it features Bruce Greenwood as Batman, Jensen Ackles as the Red Hood, John Di Maggio as the Joker, Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing, and Jason Isaacs as Ra’s al Ghul. Bruce Greenwood is solid as Batman, but it took me a while to warm up to Di Maggio’s Joker. After a while it started to warm on me, and definitely felt like a mix of Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger.
The story and action was mature enough without coming across as gratuitous or Hey This is a PG-13 Movie Folks! Some people would say the plot was predictable, but it was still fun to watch and was done well.
The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and the bonus features are up to par with the previous DC animated films, meaning they come with the standard documentaires and bonus episodes. The DC Showcase short this time around is Jonah Hex, which got a big Meh from me, but if you’re a fan of the character you might like it more.
This movie makes me excited about the upcoming Batman: Year One film they’re working on, but it also makes me more optimistic about the entire series. I really enjoyed this one.
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Ken
