Customer Reviews

Batman: Under the Red Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition)

5 star:		(149)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've liked most of the DC's recent forays into animation on varying levels, but none of them really hit the mark for me. The scripts in those other titles just weren't good enough and brought the entire production down. Many of them had excellent voice actors and animation, but that couldn't save a poor script.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is different.

Managing to cram five different arcs from the comics into a movie just under 90 minutes is impressive. Managing to do that and keep the entire thing remarkably faithful and have it turn out well is on another level.

The movie starts off with the final moments of the comic arc 'Death in the Family' featured in Batman #426-429, where the Joker sadistically kills Jason Todd aka the second Robin. This scene isn't extremely graphic and most of the violence is kept off screen, but as other reviewers have warned please take the PG-13 rating seriously. From there the story jumps forward five years and compresses Batman #635-650, taking bits and pieces from all four story arcs, to form the rest of the movie. Yes, there are changes. Some are large, including writing out Superboy Prime's role (which is a very very good thing). Others are smaller, from leaving out certain characters and subplots to changing how the Red Hood gets a hold of the Joker. None of these truly matter, as the heart of the story has been distilled and streamlined in a very faithful way.

So faithful are they that some of the dialogue is taken straight out of the comics, including the finale. This is how comic adaptations should be done.

For the most part the cast is excellent, though there will be fans that are disgruntled over fan favorites Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill not contributing. They've defined their respective characters for so long that many, including myself, have a hard time accepting new voice actors in their stead. Bruce Greenwood proved a lot of people wrong though, and I could see him voicing Batman from here on out.

John DiMaggio had the biggest shoes to fill though, and didn't quite do it for me. His Joker was a cross between Ledger's movie portrayal and Hamill's animation counterpart, and while not bad by any means, just didn't sound right to me. It didn't help that I kept hearing Bender from Futurama, either. The laugh was almost perfect, but his speaking voice was just...too husky. This is absolutely going to be up to individual preference though. His line delivery is excellent and there's nothing wrong with his performance. I'm just too used to Hamill, I guess.

The rest of the cast is spot on and practically a dream cast. Neil Patrick Harris is great as the light hearted, cracking wise Nightwing. Jensen Ackles is given the difficult task of voicing a character that covers the entire emotional spectrum during the course of the movie, and does it well. Jason Isaacs is by far the best Ra's al Ghul we've had. But my personal favorite has to be Wade Williams as Black Mask. He IS that character for me now.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is easily on par with Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, that other excellent animated film. It very well may end up being better after additional viewings if I can put Hamill as the Joker behind me. I really hope this is a sign of things to come from DC's animation division.

I was prepared to dislike the new DC direct-to-dvd animated film, Batman: Under the Red Hood. I've been annoyed with these animated films for a number of reasons, some admittedly nitpicky and petty, but annoyances just the same. However, after watching a review copy I was quite pleased with the way it worked out! Having read the original story arc in the comics, I wondered how they were going to take such a complex tale, one that draws on various Batman stories going as far back as 1951, and roll it all up into a neat little self-contained package lasting under an hour and 20 minutes (short running time--another gripe of mine). The answer is, quite deftly!

The story has to do with the Batman's greatest failure, the sadistic, violent death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, at the hands of the Joker, who began his career as a masked criminal known as the Red Hood, which is established in short, succinct flashbacks. The story begins five years after the death of Jason Todd and involves a criminal turf war between the Black Mask, an aggressive and entrepreneurial mob boss who wears a black skull mask, and a new masked criminal--a new Red Hood. This new Red Hood is trying to clean up Gotham by controlling the gangs, and his methods are violent, ruthless, and murderous, and thus he comes to the attention of the Batman. A showdown is inevitable, but who's manipulating who, how will the Black Mask react, and what role does the volatile Joker play in the plan?

The story is action-packed, very dark, and should make casual viewers and fans quite happy. Some gripes; Bruce Greenwood and John DiMaggio turn in terrific jobs as the Batman and the Joker, respectively, but I really wish they would have gotten Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill to play the parts. Those two actors are so well associated with the roles and it would have been quite interesting to see how they would have handled such a dark and violent story. Sometimes the violence is kept to a nil when it should be amped up. For example, the death of Jason Todd is fairly unbelievable; the Joker spends a good deal of time beating him with a crowbar, yet afterwards he looks only as though he fell down and scraped himself up a little. The comic book story, A Death In the Family, regulated by the Comics Code Authority no less, showed blood, bruising, swelling, a shredded costume, and made him look more than half dead. The movie fails to convey this, and when they're dealing with a PG-13 rating they could certainly have done better.

Another big problem I have with this film, and the DC direct-to-dvd movies in general, is the short running time. Again, with a PG-13 rating and such dark and complex stories, it's more than obvious that the intended audience is NOT young children and pre-teens, but rather an older, more mature audience. So why the short running times geared towards the short attention spans of young children?! This film runs one hour and 15 minutes. The last film, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, ran only one hour and 13 minutes. Please, DC, PLEASE--know your audience and realize that the vast majority of people purchasing these films are adults who can keep track of sophisticated plots, complex character development, and running times that are closer to those of adult movies--an hour and a half to two hours! If you did that, you could do so much more with these animated films.

Depsite my gripes, I have to give this movie four out of five stars. It was very entertaining, with lots of action and some seriously twisted moments from both the Joker and the Black Mask. Parents, please take note from a fellow parent: just because this is an animated film, that does not mean it is suitable for young children. Please take the PG-13 rating seriously.

Just watched it today, I had to comment about it. People always complain about the voice actors...the cast did great..Batman, Nightwing, RED HOOD..they all sounded great.I'm not going to comment on Joker's voice, instead I will praise his animation...Joker looked GREAT. The movie is much adult oriented this time, ..good. I can't recommend it enough..great moments, shocking and touching at the same time. the final battle, the final scene..the intro music, which is the same played at the end could be used for a live action movie. I want to see more of the guy behind the red hood...

SPOILER ALERT; Remember what Joker does with a pencil in THE DARK KNIGHT?...watch this movie and see what he does..with a glass..and be surprised like I was.....ENJOY IT for what it is, a dark, violent, good BATMAN story.
I would love to see the Killing joke....

The movie itself would get 10 stars, don't get me wrong!

This review is specifically for the two disc special edition ONLY!

The Jonah Hex short is amazing, but I've heard DC is soon releasing all the shorts in a collection with a brand new Captain Marvel one. If Jonah isn't on the single disc for Red Hood, wait until the Showcase collection.

The Dick Grayson as Robin documentary was what made me buy the two disc edition. The documentary wasn't good at all. It does not cover the character of Robin or Nightwing in depth, does not cover the character's appearances in other media (from the 1940s serials to the cartoons of the 1960s through Batman Brave & Bold...not even Batman TAS!).

The two Robin episodes are nice (Robin's Reckoning Parts 1 & 2), but if you have the complete series of Batman TAS you don't need them.

The Robin documentary mostly covers the psychology of the sidekick, and the psychology of comparing Batman to Robin and how they deal with parental loss differently.

I'm telling you, as a fan of DC Documentaries as special features this is a dud. The 18 minute long Supergirl documentary in the Smallville Season 7 boxset was more comprehensive! The 14 minute Plastic Man history with the 1980s animated series DVD set was even more comprehensive! Seriously, Robin deserved a better documentary, not even his time with the Teen Titans in the comics was mentioned!

I don't recommend buying the two disc set if you were only doing so for that Robin documentary!

The raw emotions that you will feel after watching this film make it worth the price tag. Even if you are not a fan of the series this dark and complex story will leave you wanting more. I am not going to spoil the story like some of these reviewers did. Just buy it.

I have to classify this movie as a minor masterpiece. I give most of the credit to the screenwriter. Hollywood's live-action superhero movie producers and writers can learn a lesson here about how to write a screenplay properly when creating comics-based movies. The problems have always been the fact that there is a big audience that knows the stories and a large audience that does not know the stories. The major comics-based movies are all tainted by the supposed need to explain everything and introduce characters to those who know nothing. Likewise, they have to depart from directly adapting the beginning, middle, and ending of previously published stories - no matter how good the original stories may be. These supposed limits have resulted in a long string of mediocre live-action superhero movies.

However, this script deftly and effectively provides all necessary backstory and context so seamlessly and effortlessly that I have to wonder why the big studios never tell the story and make the movies the way it is done here. That this movie is animated is no explanation. With all the advances in live-action, this identical movie could be made with actors, sets, special effects and CGI no problem. The tools of movies are not the problem with movies. It's always been the writing that limits comics-based movies.

All the Batman fans are familiar with the story and know all the spoilers. That problem is dealt with masterfully by the script by weaving it into the tale early on. The 50 years of comic history Hollywood would tediously explain to a new audience is dealt with perfectly using brief, in-context flashbacks, imagery and dialogue that never interrupts the story. The professionalism and polish of the script is in "Casablanca" territory. Every line and scene moves the story, nothing is left out that is needed and nothing is put in that isn't.

The voice acting is good. The actor playing the Joker is the best Joker voice yet. I have no idea how Andrea Romano is able to cast these DC animated movies so well and keep picking the right voices. Not a false note among any of the casting choices. The characters here ring true to form. I think they really got this one right. The Marvel animated producers and creators are put to shame again.

If you have an interest in viewing or purchasing this movie, you're likely a fan of Batman, DC Superheroes, or both. Either way, this blu-ray disc will not disappoint.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is an amazing disc featuring a superb video and audio presentation of one of the best films released to home video by DC to date, and it comes loaded with special features. The following is my take on this release.

THE MOVIE (A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW):

This movie is an adaptation of the comic book story that debuted in Batman comics nearly five years ago. Those familiar with the comic who watch this film will notice some changes to the story (this story omits the Infinite Crisis tie-in device featured in the comics, allowing the film to work as a stand-alone piece). Although I'm a fan of the comic, I personally found the film to be superior to the original comic storyline in every way.

The film opens with Batman attempting to avert an international threat involving two of his deadliest foes, and the opening sequence ends with Batman suffering the worst tragedy of his crime fighting career. After the opening credits roll, the story jumps ahead about five years. The setting is Gotham City, and a mysterious figure calling himself Red Hood is waging war against Gotham's reigning crime lord: Black Mask. Black Mask is noted to be the first criminal in Gotham to take over the crime/drug trade completely. It is no small feat then when Red Hood cripples Black Mask's operations, taking over Black Mask's territories and eliminating anyone who gets in his way. Red Hood's actions eventually place him in Batman's sights, and the resulting chases and battles between the two prove to be some of the most impressive ever depicted on film, animated or otherwise.

The chase scenes through Gotham city rooftops incorporate extensive aerial acrobatics, lightning fast martial arts techniques, death defying use of grappling lines, and bullseye gunslinging by Red Hood. Also keep your eyes open for a very impressive scene where Batman and one of his closest allies employ perfect team work to prevent a falling aircraft from crashing on city streets. I've never seen anything like it before, and I was very impressed. Of course, the film culminates in a showdown between Batman and Red Hood, but between the opening and closing of the film, you'll be treated to one breakneck action sequence after another. Each of those scenes highlight different aspects of Batman's crime fighting skills and his advanced crime fighting technology. You will be treated to extensive shots of the Batcave, and you'll see appearances by the Batmobile and the Batwing. Special mention goes to one of the earliest action scenes where Batman is first reunited with one of his oldest allies. The two employ perfect teamwork in a breathtaking action sequence where they take on and defeat a very powerful enemy. The battle takes them from the ground to the sky in an amazing display of aerial combat, death defying acrobatics, and life-saving grappling gun skills, culminating in Batman's stealthy and perfectly timed use of his utility belt arsenal to defeat the villain.

While the film's story is pretty straightforward (mostly serving as the thread tying together the awesome action scenes), the plot is solid, featuring a few interesting twists along the way. These plot turns reveal how cunning and ruthless the Red Hood is, as well as how the Red Hood is connected to Batman's past. Red Hood is a worthy adversary for Batman, and his strategies lead Batman into a situation where the only way out may be to cross a line he has vowed to never cross.

Being that this is an animated film, the performances rise and fall on the strength of the dialogue and the talent of the voice actors. In that respect, neither of the two disappoint. The dialogue sounds mostly natural for a story of this nature, and the voice acting is very strong. While long time fans of Bruce Timm's Animated Batman consider Kevin Conroy to be the definitive Batman voice (myself included), Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike from JJ Abrams' Star Trek) does an impressive job as the Dark Knight Detective. His style is different from Conroy's, a bit softer and more gravelly, but a fitting voice for Batman. Greenwood is joined by Jensen Ackles (best known as Dean Winchester from Supernatural) who does excellent voice work as the Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris as a good humored but highly skilled ally of Batman, John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) and Jason Isaacs as two of Batman's oldest foes, Wade Williams as a frothing and violent Black Mask, and, Kelly Hu as the trusted assistant of Black Mask.

As for the animation, the style is similar to Bruce Timm's previous animated work, but with a smoother, more realistic look to the characters. The animation quality runs somewhere between the more recent Bruce Timm Justice League animated series and a really great anime. This isn't quite Disney caliber animation (which features generous frames of animation per second that give the appearance of life-like fluidity of movement), but for direct to video, it is truly great work. I'd say it's on par with good Japanese Anime such as Naruto.

All in all, I was so impressed with this film that after it ended, I watched it once more just to digest the awesome action scenes. I've let the movie run while doing other things, but I always stop what I'm doing to admire the action scenes; they're more inventive and impressive than anything I've ever seen.

Conclusion: this film is very highly recommended.


Now for the BLU-RAY REVIEW:

PICTURE QUALITY: Picture quality is a flawless 1080P. Although most of the scenes in this film take place at night or in otherwise dark settings (the movie is about Batman, after all), the image never falters. Characters are animated with amazing clarity, while backgrounds pop with near three-dimensionality. Colors are sharp and vibrant without bleeding, as evidenced by night time scenes involving explosions and electrical/energy weapons. There is also no artifacting or aliasing that I could see. Perfect video here.

AUDIO QUALITY: Audio is very crisp and balanced. Flying batarangs, gunfire, explosions, dialogue and everything in between comes across solidly and clearly. I did not have to constantly adjust the volume up and down to hear dialogue and to avoid overly loud jumps in volume levels when gunfire and explosions rolled around.

SPECIAL FEATURES (SPOILER ALERT: TWO OF THE FEATURETTES MAY BE SPOILERS TO THE PLOT OF THE FILM, SO BE FOREWARNED)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM: The best special feature is a short film starring Jonah Hex (he is a gunslinging cowboy character set in the wild west time period of the DC Universe; his most notable physical characteristic being horrific burns/scars on one side of his face). Thomas Jane does great voice work as Hex, and his fine effort is complemented by that of other well known actors, including Michelle Trachtenberg, Linda Hamilton, Jason Marsden and Michael Rooker. This short ten minute film sees Hex tracking a a wanted criminal to a saloon/hotel where some of the clients check in and don't check out. When Hex comes up against the murdering criminals who run the joint, you'll see him employe fast thinking and even faster shooting to stay alive. The ending sees the villains getting what they deserve, and I for one, was very pleased with the film. I've seen a review saying this film was in standard def, but it looked hi-def to me, so you will have to decide for yourself when you see it.

FEATURETTES: The first one features Dick Grayson, the first Robin; the second features the second Robin, Jason Todd; the third is called "Robin's Requiem" - a feature about the comic story from the late 1980s called "A Death In the Family" which involves a death in Batman's family; and the fourth is a sneak peek at the upcoming Batman/Superman Animated Movie featuring Supergirl's reintroduction to the DC Universe called "Apocalypse." These features are in hi-def.

FURTHER BONUS FEATURES: Included on this blu-ray disc are four original episodes of the Bruce Timm Batman Animated Series hand picked by creator Bruce Timm. The episodes are: "Robin's Reckoning" Parts 1 & 2 (featuring the origin of Robin as told in the Batman Animated Series); "The Laughing Fish" (Joker is the main villain, with his scheme being to use his chemical gas to create fish that share his Joker's smile - the story is actually more entertaining than it sounds, plus Joker is voiced by the definitive Joker voice actor, Mark Hamill); and "Mad Love" (a Joker story featuring Harley Quinn, Joker's main squeeze, who hopes to get rid of Batman permanently so that she can be the focus of Joker's attention). These episodes are in standard def.

DIGITAL COPY:

You also get a free digital copy of Batman: Under the Red Hood. But don't get too excited. It is exclusive to Windows Media Player, so all you itunes/ipod/iphone users out there are out of luck.

FINAL WORD:

If you are a fan of Superherores, Batman or the Bruce Timm animated DC Universe, you owe it to yourself to either buy or rent a copy today. The film is by far the best direct to home video feature ever produced to date. With great voice acting, solid animation and a story that is equally dark and exciting, fans of Batman and superheroes in general will not be disappointed. Very highly recommended!

Okey, this is going to be a loooong explanation, based on this movie & the graphic novel it's based on.

This was way better than Dark Knight, even better than Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker & Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Gave me the warm-fuzzies. Thank gawd the movie was done by the same guy who wrote the comics.

Even though it deviates a lot from the story, & it's skimmed down, missing lots of characters, & adds distantly connected comic stories by other authors from different times, Winick managed to beautifly reimagine this story in a way that probably made more sence than the the comics.

Okey, like the opening part takes place after "A Death in the Family," which happened in the 80s. There should have been a woman there, one claiming to be Jason's mom who lured him into the Joker's trap. I guess they didn't want to introduce a character who would never appear again.

In the comics, Batman never guessed who Red Hood was, he had to see him take off the mask, & even then he didn't believe it was really Jason. But this is taking from 3 different yet connected stories written many many years apart from eachother.

This movie didn't exactly follow the comics; Black Mask never broke Joker out of Arkham; he was already out & moping about in the abandoned ammusement park he used to use as a hideout, & Black Mask never hired him. Black Mask's personal assistant was a man. Jason DID die, & his resurection has something to do with Superman. One of Ra's Al Ghul's men spots Jason & reports him to Ra's & they take him in to discover the mistery of his ressurection. Againt her father's wishes, Talia Al Ghul pushes Jason into the Lazerus pit, restoring his memories of who he was & how he died, then she helped him escape (her father was pretty pissed). Also, Ra's never hired Joker in the begining, Joker was overseas of his own accord.

The universe in which Joker was the Red Hood was supposed to be destroyed in "Absolute Crisis on Infinate Earths," so Winick oopsed on his continuity; everything that happened in the gold, silver, & bronze aged comics was retconed, but he used it for a plot device. The Joker's origin as the Red Hood was also unofficially retconed in "Batman: Lovers & Madmen," the latest & longest Joker origin story. The Joker can also break out of & back into Arkham at his own liesure.

The ending also deviates from the comics. Jason threatens to shoot the Joker, Batman tosses a batterang at Jason, accidently piercing his neck. Joker sets of a bomb he set up. Batman does not grab Jason because he thinks he's dead, doubly so after the bomb went off, but all 3 of them escape (though it isn't shown). In the end, it was the Joker who got the last laugh. If you're wondering how the Joker set up a bomb, well, he's intop poisons & pyrotechnics & he's capable of Houdini stunts, like untying & tretying himself & getting out of handcuffs.

I am not a fan of the Batman animated movies that pretend the comic books don't exist so I really loved this one. It started off with a variation of what any comic book fan would recognize as the end of "A Death in the Family" and then gets into the Joker's origin as the Red Hood. It feels exactly like the comic did and was my favorite Batman animated adventure since "Return of the Joker" or "Mask of the Phantasm." Unfortunately, it loses a star because the voices in previous movies, the animated series and especially the "Arkham Asylum" video game were so much better than they were here. If Mark Hamill had been the Joker and Kevin Conroy Batman, I would have given this five stars instead of four.

When I first subscribed to DC Comics 5 years ago, this storyline was already underway. Though knowing the backstory of Jason Todd's death and Joker's identity as the original Red Hood, I was still very confused. I didn't really attach to the story and even now, I don't really get modern comics, my tastes lying back in the Golden and Silver Age (even some tales of the '70s), so when I heard that this was the next film the DCU line, I was a little disappointed. But now that I've seen it, I now consider it my second favorite animated Batman movie.

The first few minutes detail the pivotal events that occurred in the "Death in the Family" storyline of the late '80s. I'll admit I thought the scenes with Joker thrashing Robin with the crowbar would be a lot more brutal, but I was nonetheless shocked with the end result. When I mentioned last time that less is more (heck I even had a discussion about that topic with a customer where I work, which I found eerie), it proves that we don't need to see the Joker strike him every time. Once was enough and after that, most of it was done in shadow or off-screen, which is really all the audience needs to know that this kid is being tortured to within an inch of his life. When the movie flashes forward and Batman has recollections about the times he and Todd worked together, it shows that he was similar to Dick Grayson in his youth but as Jason grew into his teens, he attempted to take the law into his own hands. Batman's reacts with sorrow and regret as he faces his past, and it was a nice touch when was talking about how he'd like nothing better to kill Joker but knows that he could never return from that path.

The animation was crisp and the characters looked great, though on the cover of the DVD and on the menus, the characters reflect how they appeared in the comics but in the actual film, they didn't really have any resemblance. New Frontier and Public Enemies, while being adapted to Bruce Timm's style, still had a passing resemblance to how they appeared in those books. Black Mask however, didn't look as intimidating. Even in The Batman, he looked more of a threat (I don't think they added pupils in that version).

This voice cast is one of the best they've pulled off so far. Since Batman first appeared in New Frontier, we've gone through four different actors, and, Conroy aside, each has been able to make the role their own for that particular movie. Bruce Greenwood is no acception, bringing the pain and anguish that Batman is feeling as he sees his former partner alive really shows in his performance. Jensen Ackles makes Red Hood psychotic but during the scene when he and Batman fight off the guys with the "lightsabers" (were they in the comic?), he has Jason feel nostalgic about the adventures they had before. Neil Patrick Harris brought some levity as Nightwing to an otherwise dark film and it was welcome. None of his sarcastic remarks didn't come off as forced or inappropriate. As for the villains; though Mark Hamill will always remain my favorite, John DiMaggio was funny and lethal as the Joker, one of my favorite scenes being when he and Black Mask are in the prison cell. Though I felt out of place (I was watching this with my family) when I started laughing with all the dead guys lying around. I'm a very morbid person. Jason Isaacs was great as Ra's al Ghul and I almost wish (the key word being almost) that he had done the voice for Batman: TAS. Though he and Batman are enemies, he had no intention of Robin dying and he revived Robin with, I think anyway, good intentions (though even he should've realized that the Lazarus Pit would drive Jason crazy). Wade Williams, while good as Black Mask, seemed over the top. With all the yelling and screaming, I had very hard time of thinking of him as a threat. Again, the interpretation seen in The Batman was done very well, an unknown person with a very large organization, who had a deep gravelly voice supported the mystery behind that skull.

The Jonah Hex short I wasn't too crazy about. All power to those who do like the character though, this is just my opinion but outside of his appearances in Batman and JLU, he didn't come off to me as an impressive character. Also judging by the live action film that was just released, it didn't look all that impressive, for the Wild West, there sure were a lot of explosions (and it had Megan Fox, which also probably didn't help it). It did have some good points though, the animation was great and the voice cast was good.