Batman vs. Robin: OMG This Movie is Decent REVIEW
With a legacy of amazing animated work, it has been strange to see WB/DC Animated studios struggle to release competent films over the last year. The plan was simple. Create a new continuity by releasing two or three animated films a year. The results were anything but inspiring. Justice League War, Son of Batman, Arkham Assault, Throne of Atlantis, all released to tepid receptions and at times were frustrating to watch. Son of Batman was the worst, replacing pacing, character and plot development with over the top action, violence and cheap animation. Now a year and some change later, Batman vs. Robin releases and the original promise of a new animated universe begins to come into focus.
The film begins sometime after Son of Batman. Bruce and Damian do not have the best working or familial relationship. Damian’s headstrong and independent nature does not work well with Batman’s no questions asked patriarchal leadership. Damian is having a hard time seeing the effectiveness of Batman’s strategy. If only out of respect for his father, the young Robin tries his best to abide by the principles of “justice not vengeance.” Bruce cannot see this and his unwillingness to see Damian as anything other than a partner is damaging their fragile relationship. Once a new face, Talon, shows up – whose methods are more in line with Damian’s old teaching — the grandson of the demon is temped more than ever to return to his roots. Batman’s focus is split between trying to connect with his son and investigating an old fraternity that has been secretly influencing Gotham for generations. If he’s not careful, he’ll risk losing both his city and his son.
What follows is an interesting story about identity, the roles people play and what it means to be a father – if you are Batman. Unlike previous releases, Batman vs. Robin has time to tell its story and develop its characters. Bruce questions his role as a father and if he is the right fit to take care of a boy like Damian. Damian questions if he can be the perfect son and Robin that Bruce envisions. Even Talon is unsure of the role he is given to play by the Court of Owls. Some of the twist can be seen coming from afar and Talon’s story is by far the weakest; however, Bruce and Damian’s relationship is compelling and their struggles adds weight to the titular fight giving the film plenty of personal drama to keep audiences invested.
Because of the improved pacing, the film has more time to focus on its themes. Each character has specific roles they struggle to play and the film, at multiple times, examines how easily those roles could change. Does Damian see himself as the perfect Robin, something he envisions Dick Grayson to be? Or does he see himself as a potential Talon, more in line with his Grandfather’s wishes? This was the conflict Son of Batman tried to do but failed at spectacularly or wasn’t mature enough to tell it yet. Batman may be a great detective, but he projects his personal problems on those closest to him. Dick and Alfred take the brunt of Bruce’s frustrations. It’s only once he nearly loses Damian does he realize some problems cannot be fixed with his mask alone. It’s the type of character development that can only come from this type of continuity and leaves fans excited for what’s to come next.
There is plenty of action and the animation of Batman vs. Robin sees great improvement. Jay Oliva has directed his fair share of these features now, but he also picked up a few bad habits, luckily none of those show up here. The fight choreography is some of the best and the camera stays in place long enough for audiences to enjoy it. The violence has been toned down, if only because the Batman family is mostly fighting undead soldiers for the majority of the film. Even the score is a welcome improvement and does not feature radical tonal shifts like that of Assault on Arkham. Gotham City has more personality now. Backgrounds feature more details and do not look like bland CGI set pieces.
The voice work is excellent as well. Jason O‘Mara has really grown into the role of Bruce/Batman and Stuart Allen is great as Damian as well. Jeremy Sisto, given the material, does a fine job as Talon. There are even some nice surprises among the cast like Kevin Conroy as Thomas Wayne and Al Yankovic as the Dollmaker. If there is one shortcoming, much of the excellent work of the cast is held back by a lack of subtleties in the animation. While faces have become more expressive, there is a lack of blinking and other facial actions; an understandably small complaint, but it is the type of thing that separates the truly excellent from the good (see the differences between Legend of Korra Book 3 and Book 2)
Batman vs. Robin is an outlier. After a string of mediocrity, it is strange to see WB/DC animation back to making enjoyable animated films. It’s story may be a little predicable, but great action and character development more than make up for it. One could see this as a promising start, but with a shake up once again at WB animation and the state of this new continuity in question, fans will have to wait and see if this a good sign of things to come.
Batman vs. Robin is available for digital streaming now and will be available on Blu-Ray/DVD April 14th.
