Video Review: Batman: Under the Red Hood

There's something that you should know about me, and if you're reading this blog, you probably should know this already since we're probably friends. I love Batman. Comics. Graphic Novels. Cartoons. Video Games. Batman is my favorite "super'hero of all time. And The Joker? My favorite villain. I could wax intellectual at length about how these polar opposites are perfect examples, metaphors if you will, of the age old battle of Order vs. Chaos, Society vs. Anarchy, Logic vs. Madness.

In the last 30 years, there has always been some kind of Bat-presence in the media, keeping the Dark Knight Detective alive and well in the consciousness of the people. Whether it was the 80's which birthed The Dark Knight Returns and Year One (both essential Bat-readings by Frank Miller) to Tim Burton's first Batman film in 1989, or the 90's which may have seen the decline of the movie franchise but the rise of Batman in animated form in Fox's Batman: the Animated Series, or even the new millenium which saw the rebirth of the Batman films with Batman Begins, there has always been the Batman in one form or another to varying degrees of success.

And that brings us to now. From the animation studio that brought to life the DCU comes Batman: Under the Red Hood, which adapts Judd Winick's run "Under the Hood" in the Batman comics. How does it stack up to other Batman movies? Read on to find out.

The Plot

The movie begins with a scene taken straight from the famous Batman story "Death in the Family" which featured the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. The Joker beats Jason senseless, as Batman speeds to his rescue. Before Batman can get to the warehouse where the violence is taking place, it explodes in front of his eyes. He sifts through the rubble to find the lifeless body of Jason Todd and he falls to his knees, a raging howl of pain erupting from within him.

Right from the opening sequence, you know you're in for a dark film. This isn't your normal Saturday Morning cartoon. There is violence. There is death. There is murder. As the film continues, we meet the mysterious Red Hood, a newcomer who is performing hostile takeovers of the Black Mask's assorted gangs. He offers mob bosses protection from both Black Mask and the Batman. In return, they agree not to sell drugs at schools. He's a villain with a soft spot for the kiddies.

Of course, this puts him in a crash course with Batman. You see, the Red Hood believes that he and Batman are the same: both vigilantes protecting the city. The difference is that the Red Hood doesn't have a problem wtih killing villains. He is an anti-hero in the strictist sense, someone who is convinced he is doing the right thing, willing to cross any line, as long as it is done for the greater good. Batman, the hero who will bend rules but never break the cardinal one: to murder, stands in the Hood's way. And whenever they meet, there are fireworks.

The Good

1. Complex characters: We have a very flawed Batman in this movie. From his failure to save Jason at the beginning of the film, to his arrogance and obsession through the later part of the movie, we see a Batman who is haunted by his greatest failure and his single-minded tenacity with rectifying that mistake. We see a father wrestling with the burden of losing a son, even to the detriment of his first son, Dick Grayson (Nightwing) who is trying to help but gets shut out. The Red Hood is a great character, a perfect foil not only to Batman but to Nightwing as well, showing how approaches to vigilantism can really differ.

2. Voice Acting: I love Kevin Conry as Batman's voice. He is the bar that others must attempt to reach. After being disappointed by Jeremy Sisto in the Justice Leage: New Frontiers animated movie, I was a bit wary of Bruce Greenwood tackling the role. But Greenwood does the role proud, equalling Kevin Conroy in many ways, and in my opinion, bettering it in others. Greenwood just has a very authorotative and gravelly voice naturally that his Batman has a lot of gravitas just by whispering. Incredible performance. I was also wary of John Di Maggio as The Joker but he done the remarkeable, he created a Joker that was not Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, or Heath Ledger. He gives him almost a drawl when he speaks (not the manic pace I have come to expect) that is really unsettling so that when he cracks into laughter, it's all the more disconcerting. His Joker comes off as mad but very calculated, a very lethal combination. He actually reminds me a bit of Hannibal Lecter, someone who speaks with such a deliberate pace but has complete and utter madness just boiling underneath. Another much deserved shout out goes to Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing. Someone needs to make a Nightwing movie with this guy. Seriously. His voice and intonation is perfect. He reflects Nightwing's more lighthearted outlook with every line he does, a perfect juxtaposition with Greenwood's Batman. You can tell that this guy was once Robin, the flamboyant boy wonder who grew up to be his own man.

3. The animation: The style in the movie recalls the look of the Animated Series, with the deco designs of the buildings and the extensive use of angled shadows. CGI is used sparingly and it really blends into the work. The character designs are really well done, with my favorites being the Batman, the Joker, and the young Jason Todd.

4. PG-13: This is the first of the DCU Animated Movies that I feel really earns the PG-13 rating. This is not really a movie I would recommend for little kids. While there is a lot of action, there is also a lot of drama which might lost kids. They might also be put off by the Joker as he's played much more like a serial killer and not as the cartoony Clown Prince of Crime that he's usually portrated as. There is also a lot of violence in the movie and while most of the murders happen off-screen, the impact is still there.

The Bad

1. Where did Nightwing Go: Bad plotting has Nightwing appear literally out of nowhere and then disappear halfway through the movie. I would have liked them to really delve into the Batman-Nightwing-Red Hood triangle much more. Actually, what would have been really great is a scene with Batman and Nightwing speaking after Batman finds out the truth about the Red Hood. This would have been some great dramatic fodder: the son confronting his father about his father's greatest failure.

2. The Black Mask: He was just played a little too over-the-top. Bruce Timm and company may have been going for a 40's Gangster feel with the guy because he would fit perfectly in something like the original Scarface, but he sticks out when compared to the realistic portrayals of everyone else.

3. Not enough Joker: This is really just a nitpick since I love The Joker. I always want more Joker.

4. Not enough Ra's Al Ghul: Really I just wanted to hear more of Jason Isaacs awesome voice for the Demon's Head.

Overall, I loved Under the Red Hood. It was dark, dramatic, action packed, and exciting. Everything I would expect from a Batman film. I would say it is better than Mask of the Phantasm (i.e. the best Batman animated movie). I would even go so far to say that it can hold its own with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, though may pale a little bit due to the fact that its running time is only 75 minutes. Imagine adding another 20 minutes. You could add even more complexity and the aforementioned Batman/Nightwing scene and you would have a perfect Batman movie. As it is, any self-respecting Batman fan should watch this movie. Just like how Batman Begins erased the bad taste left by Batman and Robin, Under the Red Hood erases the atrocities of the WB's Batman Adventures from the later 90's early 2000's that skewed to a much younger audience. It goes back to the feeling of the original Batman: Animated Series with a sprinkle of Nolan's Bat-films for good measure. How could you go worng?