Batman: Under The Red Hood Reviewed
Fluid, gripping, and utterly violent, Batman: Under the Red Hood provides a condensed telling of Batman’s greatest failure and the subsequent rise of one of his most tragic villains. Strikingly animated, with gorgeous action sequences and fight scenes that would do Yuen Woo Ping justice, DC’s latest entry into its animated portfolio is a very good example of animated storytelling for the grown-up crowd.
This is also easily the most violent entry in the animated series; one characters death is graphically depicted and the Joker cuts some poor schmo’s throat with a broken drinking glass. Not for kids.
That being said, there’s very little to complain about here. The animation is fluid and moves without a hiccup. We see more of the Batman universe explored here than any other animated outing, and although fan-favorite Nightwing is a welcome addition, it would’ve been nice to see him get a little more screen time. Still, the relationship between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne is represented well here. The dialogue does a good job of depicting their history without getting too much backstory.
The film’s only real flaw is in the voice-casting. It’s not horrible, and Jason Isaacs (of Harry Potter fame) brings an impressive Ras Al-Ghul to life. Neil Patrick Harris also does a pretty good job as Nightwing. Notably absent from the cast is Kevin Conroy, who has lent his voice to Batman for almost twenty years now. Bruce Greenwood is passable at best as the Dark Knight, but often comes off as trying too hard. He often sounds more like a Dirty Harry knock-off than Batman, but his performance isn’t so bad that it takes away from the film. John Di Maggio’s Joker is hit-and-miss; never very funny, never all that scary, either.
The DVD retails for $15 or $20 (the $20 version is a special edition which includes a free preview of Jonah Hex). Either way, this is money well-spent. Batman: Under the Red Hood very much worth the asking price and a great addition to any fan’s collection.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
(c) Avery K. Tingle for Modern Magic Enterprises LTD and Nomadic Productions LLC
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I disagree, out with Kevin Conroy & welcome to Bruce Greenwood and the “smoke” his voice brings to The Dark Knight Detective.
I enjoy Kevin Conroy because he could convincingly play both Bruce Wayne AND Batman, and Bruce Greenwood really felt like he was overacting. Do you dislike Kevin Conroy, or do you just want to see some new blood?
I don't dislike Kevin Conroy at all. I really enjoy the idea of each of the WB Animation features being different and can each stand alone in it's own continuity if you will.
As for the movie in of it self I really enjoyed it. Seeing Nightwing really done well was a thrill (that hasn't happened since a brief futuristic episode of the last cartoon – "The Batman") and the two scenes where Dick and Bruce team up were really done well.
I really enjoyed seeing the vehicle designs based off of the 89 Batman movie (Michael Keaton) and thought that was an interesting way to go design wise.
I wish there had been more scenes featuring Batman and Nightwing; I've always enjoyed how Nightwing manages to be a standalone character, but still looks like Robin when he works with Batman. Probably because their movements are so similar. It seems like MOST of the Batmobiles have been inspired by the 1989 Tim Burton films, save for the most recent ones. My favorite vehicles were used in Jim Lee's "Hush".