Co-director Longstreth once told me that Batman is pretty preposterous because he just doesn’t see how a man in a suit can scare criminals and provide protection. Because while his suit protects him from bullets, if a criminal wanted to shoot him in the face, he’d be down for the count within an instant. Longstreth just isn’t that fond of Batman, and neither am I, and one of his newest films pretty much sums up what he feels about the character. “Batman’s Gonna Get Shot in the Face” is a spoofing of the character Batman, a brutally overrated superhero. Now, Longstreth and Jacob Drake are big fans of the comics as I am, and the character of Batman is thrashed back and forth in one of the funniest online cartoons I’ve ever seen.
Batman here is depicted as just a childish whiny petty nut job that likes to play dress up and can’t quite cut it as a superhero. He makes Robin cry in an attempt to make him work harder, and he starts crying, he imitates Superman as a form of revenge, and Longstreth brilliantly lays out how much of a success Batman’s been with his career. Batgirl’s been crippled, Nightwing’s been hurt very badly again and again, Robin is a pussy, Batman is just a loser who throws “boomerangs,” and the people they manage to save always end up committing suicide. “Batman’s” is in the form of a documentary in which the heroes take pity on Batman and his exploits and discuss their umbrage through interviews. To them he’s as good as a fan boy who follows them around, and to Batman he’s a symbol! A symbol, damn it!
What’s great about this film is that the people behind this know their shit. They know comic lore, they know what they’re talking about, and they include so many references it’s insane. See how many comic and cartoon superheroes you can name in the superhero auditions sequence. I dare you! Drake’s animation is so utterly simple, but so hysterical, and the film is basically one you have to see if you’re a comic fan. The voice work is hysterical all around with some top notch characterization. There’s a kind Superman who wants to admit that Batman sucks but is sparing his feelings, and there’s Wonder Woman who is rather condescending.
To make things worse, there’s Flash who just hates Batman, calling him a motherfucker and jokingly taunting him. Vince Bruno as Batman is memorable, and he holds his own among the talent, and contributes very well to a film dripping with top notch writing, and top notch comedy. If you can’t quite get the hype behind Batman, be sure to watch Drake and Longstreth’s film to inspire you. The “Bullcrank” crew hit a home run yet again. This group knows how to construct comedy, they know how to spoof pop culture, and when they bash someone, they really hit them hard. “Batman’s Gonna Get Shot in the Face” is a hilarious and brilliant spoofing of a pretty overrated character.