{"id":18779,"date":"2014-08-07T04:19:31","date_gmt":"2014-08-07T08:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=18779"},"modified":"2016-01-23T04:41:54","modified_gmt":"2016-01-23T09:41:54","slug":"batman-assault-on-arkham-2014-blu-raydvddigital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/07\/batman-assault-on-arkham-2014-blu-raydvddigital\/","title":{"rendered":"Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) [Blu-Ray\/DVD\/Digital]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s about time we return to the basics with Batman and \u201cAssault on Arkham\u201d gets down to the nitty gritty. Batman is a bad ass lone wolf not chasing after a snot nosed brat, his villains are vicious thugs, and the Joker is terrifying. \u201cAssault on Arkham\u201d is an admirably rough and tumble action film focusing on the baddies of the Batman universe, and less on the dark knight. There\u2019s just something about the Suicide Squad I\u2019ve always liked. I enjoyed \u201cAssault on Arkham\u201d mainly because of its sleek and simple storytelling and ode to \u201cThe Dirty Dozen.\u201d It also focuses on the demented somewhat perverse nature of Batman\u2019s rogues, all of whom have to work together or die under a clandestine government.<\/p>\n

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After Batman intervenes in a sting operation to stop The Riddler, he sets out to find crucial information he\u2019s convinced the villain knows about the Joker. Meanwhile, outside of Batman\u2019s general area of information, Amanda Waller begins assembling the worst enemies from Batman\u2019s gallery. Stopping them in their tracks and bringing them together, they\u2019re assigned to the Task Force X program, and have to work as a Suicide Squad. Led by the assassin Deadshot, the team of Black Spider, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Killer Frost, and King Shark has to infiltrate the fortress Arkham Asylum. Using their individual talents and powers, they carefully orchestrate a series of incidents that can get them in to the prison and to the Riddler\u2019s cane.<\/p>\n

Along the way the team mixes and squabbles, learning a lot about one another, all the while aiming for their own ulterior motives in the midst of the carnage that ensues when they break in to Arkham. Writer Heath Corson places special emphases on Deadshot\u2019s sub-plot where he decides to take on the role in the team for the sake of seeing his daughter again. His mission becomes difficult when he finds a particular affection for Harley Quinn, who is insistent on getting him in to bed. The animation for \u201cAssault on Arkham\u201d is fantastic, lending an almost anime style that feels appropriate for the carnage that ensues. And despite it PG-13 rating, \u201cAssault on Arkham\u201d is very much an adult animated actioner, doling out moments of gore, and sexual scenarios that show off how truly amoral these characters tend to be.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also great sense of action that compensates for the clear lack of story, giving every villain in the Suicide Squad their own moment to shine, while also giving them their very own nemesis in the form of the Joker. There\u2019s a strong cast present with Neal McDonough, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Conroy, who returns to reprise the role of Batman. Troy Baker is also shockingly great as the clown prince, offering a performance that\u2019s almost identical to Mark Hamil\u2019s. Batman is mainly a supporting character in the film, given his own mission to find a dirty bomb the Joker is hiding, and he becomes a thorn on the side of the Squad, when he quickly realizes what they\u2019re attempting within the belly of Arkham. At barely eighty minutes, \u201cAssault on Arkham\u201d is tight, and exciting, and really offers something more than another monotonous Batman adventure.<\/p>\n

Featured on the Blu-Ray release is a nine minute preview of the upcoming \u201cJustice League: Throne of Atlantis,\u201d touching on the evolution of the movie from the original source material; it also features interviews with cast members for the upcoming animated movie. There\u2019s also the thirteen minute \u201cThe Joker\u2019s Queen: Harley Quinn\u201d which explores the origins of Harley Quinn and how she\u2019s evolved since her introduction in \u201cBatman: The Animated Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the twenty seven minute \u201cArkham Analyzed: The Secrets Behind the Asylum\u201d which explore the ins and outs of the dreaded prison that houses some of the worst criminals in Gotham\u2019s history. There\u2019s \u201cFrom the DC Comics Vault\u201d which features four episodes from past DC Animated series. This includes \u201cJustice League Unlimited\u201d starring Task Force X, an episode of \u201cYoung Justice,\u201d an episode of \u201cBatman The Brave and the Bold,\u201d and finally \u201cThe Batman\u2019 where we meet their version of Harley Quinn. Last but not least there\u2019s an optional commentary with Mike Carlin, writer Heath Corson, and producer James Tucker.<\/p>\n