Son of Batman (DVD) – Movie Review
With the upcoming Batman vs Superman movie, the DC Universe has never been more alive. To quench this thirst we were treated to the DVD edition of ‘Son of Batman’, which might already be a fun pastime before we’re able to see more live action Batman goodness.
The story starts off at the League of Assassins, where as expected, Ra’s al Ghul still reigns supreme. His daughter Talia and his grandson Damien close by his side, are those who will eventually gain control over this band of warriors whose goal it is to take over the world.
Soon after this introduction the party gets crashed by Deathstroke, an ex-protégé of Ra’s al Ghul, who was once promised to be the successor. Ra’s al Ghul gets killed by Deathstroke, which in turn leads to a confrontation with Damien. Damien is lucky and gets away with some bruises, whilst Deathstroke loses his eye and becomes the iconic one eyed villain.
Whilst being hunted Talia decides to visit Bruce Wayne, to inform him of the existence of his son. Bruce swiftly sees the resemblances but also the poor upbringings that make Damien lean towards killing instead of being a warrior of justice. This means it’s time to teach Damien what Batman truly stands for and perhaps it’s time for someone to fill in the role of Robin, now that Dick Grayson has taken up his role as Nightwing.
Soon after it becomes clear that Deathstroke was simply out for the leader position of the League of Assassins. Slowly building up his army, by any means necessary, it is clear he has to be stopped before it is too late. This is where things start to pick up, in this fairly short movie.
Overall the flow of the movie is just fine. Even though the movie is only 70 minutes long, it feels like just the right length for this movie. Whilst sometimes a bit more background story would have been nice, you’ll find yourself enjoying all the action scenes the movie has to offer. With the coming of Damien, the action scenes feel a bit faster than most Batman fights, seeing he was trained as an assassin. Flashy ‘ninja’ skills and quick punches will be a great change from Batman’s usual powerhouse punches and nifty gadgets. All of this being said, the story itself does not feel memorable at any given time but it feels more like a really long episode of an animated series with the same name.
As far as animations go, except for the start of the movie, they are done quite nicely. The start of the movie feels kind of stiff and not that detailed compared to the rest of the movie. Characters seem to be portrayed in a different style than what we’re used to but all in all they still feel ‘right’. You’ll be able to enjoy the similarities between Bruce and Damien, when it comes to appearance, making the story a little bit more authentic.
The reason the animations feel different might be perhaps because Ethan Spaulding directed this short movie. This name might only ring a bell when ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ is mentioned and truth be told the characters and coloring often resemble the latter. Of course it’s not a bad thing and it opens up ways for other versions of interpreting the Batman universie. It’s also very visible that this movie is a lot more violent than most of the other animated Batman installments. A lot more blood is shown and plenty of the villains end up dead.
Voice acting feels right, even though the voice of Batman himself might be a pitch higher than what we’re used to from the recent movies. The supporting cast also feels that they are the way they should be and this does not leave you hanging, hoping for more.
Conclusion
Son of Batman, might not have received the highest score for the franchise but it does not take away that the movie is still very fun to watch. Overall it’s very appealing but it sometimes feels as if it could have been more. The animations are good for the most part and the story is still likeable but both often lack the finishing touches that would have lead the movie to a greater whole and a greater score. For true fans, the movie is still worth picking up.
Son of Batman (DVD) - Movie Review,
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