Batman: 'Under The Red Hood' Review

Hi Claudie,

I just read your review on the film. Great stuff! And thank you for posting it up on the main site Bob! According to Claudie, this is DC Animation's best work to date. I'm really looking forward to watching it.

Claudie's review:
http://gothamknightsonline.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-batman-under-red-hood.html

WHAT!?!?!?

It's only the 23rd!!!! I have 4 more days to wait !?!?!? ARRRRRGH!!!!

Batman knows Karate wrote:

WHAT!?!?!?

It's only the 23rd!!!! I have 4 more days to wait !?!?!? ARRRRRGH!!!!

Hahaha. Bob told me he was going to get me a screening copy too, but no such luck lol.

-Gary

Watched Batman: Under The Red Hood! Here's my review:

"Far exceeded my expectations! An awesome thrill ride from beginning to end!"

Every single animated feature that DC and Warner Animation have produced has been superbly planned, written and executed, from Superman: Doomsday right until Justice League: Crisis on 2 Earths. And when you thought they couldn't get any better, comes Batman: Under The Red Hood.

Being a Batman film, I made a comparison to the critically acclaimed Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and I can confidently say that Batman: Under The Red Hood reigns supreme as the #1 Batman animated film of all time. It was extremely well-written, thanks to Judd Winick. He took the comic, took out the unnecessary bits and pieces and made sure the core story was left intact for the film. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching a Batman animated feature since Batman: TAS.

Everything was done right, from the script and dialogue to the design and animation style. I also have to give the voice actors their due as well. Bruce Greenwood was fantastic! He nailed it perfectly and in some instances, he sounded very much like Kevin Conroy. The rest of the cast was amazing as well - Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris, John DiMaggio played their parts flawlessly.

Ultimately, Batman: Under The Red Hood was made for Batman fans. Those who are not familiar with the Batman Universe are advised to read Batman: A Death in the Family, The Killing Joke and of course Batman: The Red Hood comic before watching this film. It will give you a clearer picture. If there are any weaknesses in the film, this would be it!

In summary, Batman: Under The Red Hood was brutal, violent, emotional, engaging and arguably the darkest Batman animated feature from DC and Warner Animation to date and I truly enjoyed every minute of the 75 minute-long film. This is what you get when you combine the mastery of Chris Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' and the classic Batman: The Animated Series.

My Rating: 5 out of 5.

I don't have a full on review like you Andrew, but I feel like it was over-hyped for me. I loved the flick, and still hold to my stance that each DCU Animated Feature is the best one yet, until the next one comes out. However, I was just not "wowed" by it like everyone else was. I loved Jensen Ackles, and thought the rest of the voice cast was great, and I liked how they adapted the story for time purposes, but I just felt like it wasn't as great as everyone told me it was, which I think made me feel a little less impressed. Overall, I'd give it a solid 4 for my impression of it, but a 5 for quality of the flick itself (if that makes any sense).

-Gary

I watched "Under the Red Hood" a few weeks ago with my boyfriend, and he has no understanding of the Bat-verse. I'm not a very big fan of animated movies, nor the live-action films of Batman. I constantly feel disappointed or just left unanswered or conflicted (various reasons).

But "Under the Red Hood" certainly fulfilled my appetite for a good Bat animated movie. I was blown away. The art style was snazzy, the few CGI effects and whatnot were tasteful, and the music, oh man. The score for that film was great. I was impressed.

Voice actors were great. I felt like they did it right, only for one exception, the Joker's voice actor. He wasn't the same. Maybe I was spoiled. I feel like his laugh was dry and his voice wasn't fueled by any insanity.

But it did a great job explaining Batman's relationship with Todd, and how it all became to be. And it clearly defined Batman's role as a crime fighter and why he is a superhero.

I would give this movie a 5 out of 5. And would highly recommend it to anyone for a passion of comics, or just the love of animated movies.

This movie had edge, and made me a proud to be a Bat fan.