The DC Animated movies sure have made a name for themselves. They have offered not only top notch animation, but some of the best stories of DC Comics. Looking forward to the next film is a bit of an understatement. After the mediocre JLA War, I was beginning to worry that the plague known as the New 52 had made its way to the animation department. That was when the trailer dropped for Son of Batman. Well, the movie is out today, but between Wondercon and an early review unit, I had to talk about this film. How does it stack up to the other DC Animated Movies? How about the other animated Batman films?
Story
Without going too much into spoil territory, if you couldn’t guess by the title alone, the film deals with the Son of Batman, Damian Wayne. Who’s Damian Wayne? Not entirely certain if these are spoilers as they are listed on the back of the box of the movie:
So everyone’s favorite villain Ra’s Al Ghul is back. You might remember him from Batman Begins. Anyways, he has a daughter by the name of Talia who had her way with a certain Caped Crusader. Well, one thing led to another, and bingo, we got ourselves Damian Wayne.
Ra’s has this whole League of Shadow business, and there just so happens to be an uprising. Guess who’s on the top of the kill list? It’s Talia and Damian. In order to protect her son, she goes back to her beloved Batman. Now, Batman is not only charged with protecting his son, it just so happens that this son of his is a trained assassin.
This is roughly based on the Batman & Robin series by Grant Morrison. But as you can figure, there is a lot more comic story than there is film time. While I didn’t get to read his run, I did however get to read the New 52’s Batman & Robin by Peter Tomasi and amazing artwork by Patrick Gleason. The film does a very excellent job of conveying the relationship between both Father and Son. Watching Batman take Damian under his wing is a very touching story. Also watching Nightwing and Damian together is always entertaining.
Animation
I was so relived to see the animation in the usual DC Animation quality. As mentioned above with JLA Wars I beginning to get concerned. While there have been gems in the New 52, generally it’s been a bit lackluster. Son of Batman, however, steps it up in a lot of ways. First of all, this is far from a kids’ movie. There is so much blood spillage in the opening fight scene, it was a little bit of an eye opener. Plus, it doesn’t stop there, as all the fights are pretty epic.
The quality of character designs are also pretty impressive. The only problem I had was with Talia. What seems to be a common trend in the comic book industry is its costume choices with women. While I get it, she’s an assassin and a ninja, her outfit was a little over the top. Well better said a little open topped. Yes the she rocks the catsuit, but can’t seem to zip up all the way… it felt at times a little unnecessary, especially in this Animated Series version.
Sound
The voice acting, like most DC Animated films, is top notch. With Andrea Romano reprising her role for casting, she’s assembled a very solid crew. Returning as Batman is Jason O’ Mara (Batman JLA Wars) who does an excellent job as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Newcomer Stuart Allen plays Damian Wayne, a kid with a lot of gusto, and he pulls off the character. I wasn’t sure what type of actor would be able to help the Damian character. From reading the comics, it seemed the kid is a bit of a punk at times. Stuart Allen is able to make you care for Damian while still delivering those solid one liners. The rest of the cast was excellent, I don’t believe I cringed once during my watching. The sound quality is also great, and really helps immerse yourself into the story.
We actually got a chance to interview the cast and crew of Son of Batman.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/89lHbrgT_Mw[/youtube]
Overall
This is an excellent film, totally worth a watch. While not in my Top 5 DC Animated Movie list, it came pretty close. You’ll be in for a lot of non-stop action, and plenty of banter. Nightwing with Damian is a total treat. Here’s hoping they continue with a sequel, as I would love to see Peter Tomasi’s run on Batman & Robin.