Review of Son of Batman (2014) by Matt L — 21 Apr 2014

Damian Wayne is Robin - yes, as in Batman and Robin. Who, you may ask, is Damian Wayne? To the casual observers out there that pay little attention to Batman comic books, all you really need to know is that even Batman occasionally gets "down." The unnamed love child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul was originally introduced during a 1987 graphic novel, Son of the Demon. Flash forward nearly 10 years and infamous Batman writer, Grant Morrison, decided it was time for Batman to meet his son - in a storyline titled, Batman and Son. And, just like that, Batman had another Robin at his side, which happens to be the subject of the new DC Universe animated original movie, Son of Batman.

Ethan Spaulding directs Son of Batman, which stars the voices of Jason O'Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Stuart Allan as Damian Wayne/Robin. The story begins with an attack on Ra's al Ghul's (and his League of Assassins) palace by one of the league's unruly former members, Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Thomas Gibson). Ultimately, the unforeseen ambush takes the life of Ra's al Ghul, forcing his daughter, Talia (Morena Baccarin), to send Damian to Gotham City to live with his father, Batman - who has absolutely no idea that he has a son.

Eventually, Deathstroke abducts both Talia and Kirk Langstrom (Xander Berkeley), and forces Langstrom to complete a secret project - of which both Batman and Damian take an interest in and begin investigating. While Batman attempts to connect with his son, it's abundantly clear that Damian has no respect for authority and spends his time full of rage - which inevitably pits Damian against the former Robin, Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Sean Mather). Regardless, Batman, Robin, and Nightwing must find a way to work together and put an end to Deathstroke's master plan.

The actual comic book storyline was allotted plenty of time for depth and character development, and if you've been lucky enough to read it, then you'll likely notice how hastily Son of Batman is adapted. Like most cases, reading the source material is usually the best way to enjoy a particular story, because it's abundantly clear that this animated feature doesn't do the comic storyline proper justice. However, that doesn't necessarily take all the fun out of this feature film. In fact, specific moments, like the showdown between Nightwing and Damian, make this feature an absolute treat to watch.

In Son of Batman, Jason O'Mara is back for another stint as the dark knight, reprising his role from DC's most recent animated release, Justice League: War. Since O'Mara has again voiced Batman, one could easily assume that Son of Batman is taking place in DC's New 52 animated universe. Damian has played a pivotal role in the New 52 comic book universe, so it's a no-brainer to finally give him the animated treatment. In this film, his origin story is roughly the same, but like Jason Todd's stint as Robin, Damian is now most famously known for his shocking death in the pages of Batman Inc. It's entirely possible that particular story could also receive the animated treatment in the not so distant future - since comic book fans seemingly love to watch their favorite characters take a dirt nap.

For fans of Robin, it's great to see him in a character-centric film, which is easily comparable to another Robin adventure, Batman: Under the Red Hood. Still, the villain of this particular story is a bit overshadowing - mainly because Deathstroke is not a typical Batman villain. As of late, Deathstroke has been all over the expanded DC universe, playing a pivotal role in the Batman: Arkham Origins video game and on the popular TV show, Arrow. Never the less, Deathstroke plays the role of the villain extremely well in Son of Batman - although his presence and ambitions are nearly identical to that of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

If you ask serious Batman fans, they will tell you that the 1990s cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series will forever hold a special place in their hearts and is still regarded by countless Bat-followers as the greatest superhero cartoon, ever. With that being said, the bloody visuals used within the recent animated comic book features are absolutely needless and completely unnecessary. The storytelling is what sells fans on these movies, not the senseless bloodshed (or the occasional curse words). Yes, there's already plenty of violence, so why does the blood matter? Well, it simply makes these new adventures unfriendly for young kids - and typically, cartoons cater to kids. In fact, The Dark Knight trilogy is probably more suitable for kids than these gruesome animated flicks.

Overall, Son of Batman is a dreaded mixed-bag adventure - largely due to too much happening in a short amount of time. It would have been nice to see this film play out longer and take a greater in-depth approach to the relationship between Bruce and Damian, which clearly felt rushed and at times disingenuous. However, there's a lot to love about this film, also. From start to finish, there's near endless action (and bloodshed), not to mention several well-placed cameos of prominent Batman heroes and villains. At the end of the day, Son of Batman is absolutely worth your time, but again, you should be cautioned before allowing the kids to see this graphic presentation.

GRADE: B-.