I’ve admittedly never read the graphic novel upon which “Son of Batman” was based on. I highly doubt I’m missing much, since “Son of Batman” is an unpleasant, tedious, and boring affair that offers little in entertainment value. I’m not sure why, but Damian Wayne, the son of Batman, is apparently very popular with Batman fans. But I can’t really figure out what his appeal is. Damian is obnoxious, irritating, and I really wanted to see him perish at the hands of Deathstroke.
Judging by my assessment, once upon a time Talia Al Ghul raped Bruce Wayne while he was under her spell, and he kind of liked it. So that makes it okay…? Years later, from her sprung forth an obnoxious little turd she named Damian. All these years, he’s been trained by Talia’s father Rha’s (and Batman’s villain), to take over the League of Assassins and, I’m assuming, take over the world. Former Assassin and pupil of Rha’s Slade Wilson infiltrate the League, wreaking havoc and murdering Rha’s. Talia retreats to Gotham with Damian in hopes of garnering help from Bruce in finding Deathstroke, and taming Damian. Because, as I mentioned, Damian is obnoxious, irritating, and it takes a lot of discipline from Bruce to rein him in. Damian is an entitled child who finds it impossible to quench his urge for vengeance and intrudes upon Bruce’s life when he finds out he’s a potential heir to his fortune.
Despite the great cast which includes Sean Maher, Giancarlo Esposito, and Morena Baccarin, “Son of Batman” is tough to sit through, reveling in its sheer lack of charisma and energy. It takes itself way too seriously, and even manages to suck the fun out of dynamic characters like Nightwing and Deathstroke. Even Batman is something of a lethargic push over, who barely flinches when Damian breaks in to his office, and reveals he broke in to his computer in the Bat Cave. Seriously, Bruce is never alarmed by this. He instead just weathers his petulance, and tries to guide him on a journey of vengeance so obviously a parallel to Bruce’s own life the writers club us over the head with it. “Son of Batman” sets the spotlight on a very boring character, and delivers a loose adaptation that feels oddly slapped together for a cash grab. I’m normally very kind to Batman animated movies, but “Son of Batman” is the worst from the DC library yet.
Among the features there’s “The Fang and the Demon Head: The League of Assassins” a ten minute discussion of the storyline and characters of the “Batman and Son” storyline with writer Grant Morrison, comic book historian Alan Kistler, Son of Batman producer James Tucker and DC Entertainment Animation Creative Director Mike Carlin. “Strange Blood Ties: Damian Wayne” is a fifteen minute exploration of Damian Wayne, including his origins, and motivation for revenge. “Designing the Characters with Phil Bourassa” is a ten minute look at the development process for the costumes of the movie and how Phil Bourassa developed them. “Batman: Assault on Arkham Sneak Peek” is the extended trailer for the upcoming Batman animated movie “Assault on Arkham” with behind the scenes footage. Finally “From the DC Vault” garners almost minutes of Batman oriented DCAU episodes. This includes “Out of the Past” from Batman Beyond, “The Knights of Tomorrow!” and “Sidekicks Assemble!” from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and “Showdown” from Batman: The Animated Series. All episodes are Standard Definition.