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Red Hood:
What the hell took you so long?
Batman: Shut up and fight.
You really do have to give Warner Brothers credit for putting together
rather fantastic all star casts for Direct to DVD feature films that
will never get the same treatment as their theatrical properties. For
films that are obviously just there to keep the cash flowing, the Batman
titles have been consistently top notch; especially "Under the Red
Hood," a movie that's slightly flawed, but still very entertaining. I've
never actually read the mini-series from the comic books, but word of
mouth indicates it was all one big build up leading to a massive cop
out, so "Under the Red Hood" compiles all of the best moments and brings
it together for a ninety minute action flick that involves a brand new
quasi-crime boss in the city named the Red Hood. I had about one reason
to see this: Jensen Ackles, the star of the best show on television at
the moment "Supernatural." He voices the title character who also
happens to be a lethal vicious assassin and aspiring mob boss taking
down the syndicate run by the Black Mask. On the other end, Batman and
Nightwing are struggling to figure out who the Red Hood actually is
while also trying to put a stop to the Black Mask.
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As is the norm, the voice work
here is immaculate with Ackles possessing the exact amount
of menacing and loose cannon heroics that make the Red Hood
such a force to be reckoned with. Neil Patrick Harris for
his short screen time is pretty damn good as Nightwing, the
polar opposite to Batman who doesn't mind spouting some one
liners in the midst of imminent death. And if there's anyone
who can take on the mantle of the Batman when Kevin Conroy
steps down, Bruce Greenword is certainly a worthy
replacement. |
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Seemingly posing a slight mimic of
Conroy while also adding his own personal fury to the character,
Batman is about as threatening and complex as ever, especially when
faced with the Red Hood, a figure who seems to know all of the
Batman's moves when in the heat of battle which leaves him to
unravel a mystery of his own that will lead him to tackle his own
personal demons. Judd Winick's writing is pretty sharp here as he
compacts the entire arc of the Red Hood in to a little under ninety
minutes, while also adding his own personal flairs to each
individual in the process. Even though the Red Hood is essentially
just another variation on the Mask of the Phantasm, his character
has enough bravado and speed to warrant immense interest from its
audience. Meanwhile the entire point of having Nightwing in the film
is to act as a juxtaposition for the failure of Bruce on the part of
Jason Todd who is caught, beaten to death, and blown up by the Joker
in the first ten minutes of the film, while Dick Grayson is a fairly
successful crime fighter with the same ideology Bruce possesses in
spite of their overall differences in styles.
When
the Red Hood is unveiled the twist is pretty obvious, but the
confrontation between the mystery man and Batman is pretty damn
incredible as they engage in a Master-Mentor throwdown that leads to a
battle of words featuring these two aging crime fighters arguing over
morality, and the ultimate result of their fight against crime in Gotham.
Are any of these men even making a difference? Does anyone really win
here? Is Batman someone clinging to a belief structure that is long
antiquated? Does the Red Hood have the right idea or is he just headed
down a horrible path? The climax is where the animation department truly
shines where the two characters duke it out along the rooftops leading
to an impassioned exchange of dialogue and clashing frustration
masterfully delivered by Greenwood and Ackles who sound like jaded
father and son clashing over their life's work and the ultimate meaning
of their goals momentarily sounding like a Shakespeare play where
Greenwood and Ackles just go to town with these heartfelt deliveries of
dialogue that are at times mind-blowing to listen to. I had my fears about
"Under the Red Hood," but for its minor flaws, it's a really
entertaining little gem from the DC universe that I'm glad I devoted
time to.
The
problem with these movies is that DC is never willing to go beyond
an eighty minute run time so the writer is tasked with compiling a
massive storyline in to a little under ninety minutes, so the first
twenty minutes of "Under the Red Hood" is utterly disorienting and
confusing at times. Why is Ra's regretting working the Joker? How
did the Joker catch Jason Todd? Where are they in the beginning?
Nevertheless Winick has to speed through the set up to get us to the
actual action making the first half of the film brutally sloppy and
so quickly paced that it's just disorienting at times. I can keep
track of really speedy films, but I just had a difficult time
catching up, especially as someone who stopped reading DC comics ten
years ago. Who is the red hood? Watch the first five minutes and
you'll know it, even if you've never read the comics before. Even
though Winick and co. go to great lengths to keep the Red Hood an
absolute mystery, it becomes insanely obvious who this criminal is
and what his intentions are, which makes is incredibly frustrating
when Bruce Wayne can't figure it out before Nightwing and the
audience even does. For a film so rife with mystery it does a piss
poor job of keeping the audience in suspense many times.
It's
certainly no "Mask of the Phantasm," but if you're looking for an
exciting and clever ninety minute fix of the caped crusader and
Nightwing fighting another mysterious (if predictable) villain in Gotham,
then "Under the Red Hood" will surely do the trick. Especially for fans
of "Supernatural" because... you know... Jensen Ackles is bad ass.
- Well known fact:
Jensen Ackles is a bad ass.
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