Batman: Under the Red Hood – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

It’s been long considered the best incarnation of Batman, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is also by and large, one of the better animated efforts from Bruce Timm and Warner Animation. But fans were singing a different tune when Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was released, yet both offered deep psychological looks at the Bat and his world, proving the the character is a feeding ground for consistently interesting looks at the gray areas in justice and violence, making up for nearly seven decades worth of powerful stories. Two such stories, Death in the Family and Under the Hood offered a different look at the Dark Knight: his relationship with Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, The Boy Wonders – Robin.

The Boy Plunder! laughed Caesar Romero as The Joker in the popular, campy television series from the 1960′s, and many comic book fans would agree. Even Christian Bale has stated that if they try to introduce Robin in the Nolan films, he would tie himself to his front door, a not so subtle statement about his disapproval for the character. This brings us to Batman: Under the Red Hood, which is one of Bruce Timm’s and Warner Animation’s best efforts, on par with Mask of the Phantasm, and maybe even besting that, but it’s also the best Robin story ever told. A combination of the two fore-mentioned stories on the character, Under the Red Hood is happily a by product of the films from Nolan. It’s a deep, dark, violent look at the characters in Gotham, a film that breezes by with high levels of actions, wonderful cameos, and a dark look at consequences of both good and bad decisions.

Under the Red Hood also features a superb score by Christopher Drake, who embedded a deep, moody score to latch itself into our ears throughout the wonderfully animated 75 minute film. The film is dangerous; besides pushing the PG-13 rating further than the WB’s recent efforts, the film also doesn’t shy away from the darker elements of pain and vengeance, and also features a non-Mark Hamill voiced Joker. This time, it’s John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) who mixes Hamill’s great work in with a little Ledger for something entirely new and appreciated. If the film has one flaw, it’s the wasted appearance of Nightwing. He has little to do and disappears throughout most of the film in an unexplained manner. Sadly, his presence could have added an interesting dynamic to Under the Red Hood, if explored.

Nolan’s Batman films changed things and there’s no going back. If that’s the case, then good, because it’s given us a Batman who truly fitted for our age in a post-9/11 America, and Under the Red Hood is a child of all of this. A film with great animation, great direction, a fabulous score, and a story deeper and more nuanced than most of WB’s recent PG-13 superhero offerings in their DTV line, making a near-classic, a must watch…twice, back-to-back.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: WB offers another great animated film in HD, yet it’s not perfect. While colors are bright and eye-catching, there’s some slight ghosting and noise here and there. The DTS track is superb; loud and aggressive, as one should expect. Pretty solid all around here, minus one or two boo-boo’s.

DC Showcase – Jonah Hex: An all-new 12 minute short featuring the voices of Thomas Jane and Linda Hamilton, this is a great short film. Stylish, well-told, gritty, it’s the Jonah Hex we sort of didn’t get in the glossy live-action film. As great as Under the Red Hood is, this short is worth the price of the purchase as well.

Robin: The Story of Dick Grayson: This thorough 25 minute look at the character and the psychology behind him throughout the years, with key DC Comics interviews, is well worth the look.

Robin’s Requiem: The Tale of Jason Todd: The second Robin gets a deep look much like the above documentary, it too, is worth the look, especially since the character is so involved with the film’s story.

Superman/Batman – Apocalypse First Look: Here’s a preview of the next DTV film from DC/WB Animation. It’s told through interviews and rough tests, but if it’s as good as Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, I’ll be happy.

Bonus Batman: The Animated Series Episodes that Producer Bruce Timm selected includes “Robin’s Reckoning, Parts 1 & 2,” “Mad Love,” and “The Laughing Fish, totaling nearly 90 minutes and if you don’t have these on DVD, are a great addition. Also, a slew of Trailers and a Digital Copy round out the extras.

Conclusion: A superb animated effort that’s their best yet on the oft-told character on a solid HD disc.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: