Thursday 23 August 2018

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)


Directed by: Brandon Vietti 
Written by: Judd Winick

There's a mystery afoot in Gotham City, and Batman must go toe-to-toe with a mysterious vigilante, who goes by the name of Red Hood. Subsequently, old wounds reopen and old, once buried memories come into the light.


Batman: Under the Red Hood differs a lot from the previous animated Batman movies I've reviewed. It has a different look, tone and sound. Unlike Mask of the Phantasm or Mystery of the Batwoman, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the animated series. The tone is much darker, and the cast is completely different.

The animation in this movie is beautiful, flows really well and it's even really impressive at times. I like the simple look of the series, but for a movie this style really works well.

Actually finding out about the cast was the point where I almost lost my interest. The cast is still talented, but I just adore Kevin Conroy and especially Mark Hamill. I like John DiMaggio in his other roles, but him as Joker? He did a good job, and so did pretty much everyone, but it just doesn't feel right.

The story of the movie is great, but the structure feels clumsy. The beginning just isn't that capturing, and the fact that it starts with a brutal torturing and death and then skips to five years later, it's just annoying. As the story went on, I managed to really get into it, and eventually I really, really like it. It's just a shame that a movie only lasts 75 minutes, and it just doesn't manage to capture the audience immediately. Also I'm glad the twist comes early because it's just too obvious, so no one has to pretend they don't get what's going on.

I also like about how this movie deals with philosophy and morals behind Batman. There are two views to how he operates, and neither one is wrong. We get why Batman doesn't really kill anyone, but I think everyone has at one point wondered, why the hell doesn't he just kill some of the most dangerous villains, who will just keep breaking out of Arkham Asylum and killing people. These are some aspects of Batman's character I'm never tired of exploring.

This movie is great when it gets great, and has interesting and cool things in it. With some fixing it could be even more amazing, but I'm kind of alright with what we got.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
7 / 10

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