Review of Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) by Jason R — 21 Feb 2011

As a stone cold fan of the original Batman Animated Series, it was an interesting idea to plug this adaptation in, as it is sans the actors that made the series great. That said, the new actors do a fantastic job realizing the characters, which was sure to have been much more challenging following the incredible success of The Dark Knight in 2008, and the resultant standard it set for Batman movies. Neil Patrick Harris' work on Nightwing is especially noteworthy, as his character has both levity and well-timed humor to counterbalance Batman.

Of course, this is an entirely different sort of story than The Dark Knight, delving into one of the classic Batman storylines; the death of the second Robin, Jason Todd. And what's great about the movie as a whole is that it is an animated Batman movie that's not afraid to be a Batman movie, complete with the levels of violence and mayhem that a Batman movie demands; guys are getting killed and being lit on fire, blood is smattering everywhere, the works. And that is what makes it refreshing, strong material.

Batman is strongest when the Joker is involved, and veteran voice actor John DiMaggio(well known for his portrayal of Bender in Futurama) gives a sort of hybrid Ledger/Hammil take on the character. There have been a lot of different Batman films, and few of them have embraced the characters in their true, raw sense. This is one of those, and nevermind it being a great animated film, it's just a great film.