Batman: Under The Red Hood

If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know that on rare occasions I'll post something non-Transformer related. This is one of those times. This weekend I saw (in my opinion) the best Batman film since the The Dark Knight. On July 27th, Warner Bros. Animation in association with DC Comics released Batman: Under The Red Hood on DVD and Blue Ray. It is an animated feature, but don't let that fool you. Like the previously released Batman: Gotham Knight, this is one film that pains me to see in the kids and family section. This is not one for the kiddos so I hope the parents mind the PG-13 rating.

The story combines elements from the Batman story arcs A Death in the Family and Under the Hood. The film opens with the Joker brutally murdering Jason Todd (the second Robin). Five years later, a mysterious new figure going by the name The Red Hood appears in Gotham City. The Red Hood is compared to Batman, however The Red Hood lacks the moral code of the Dark Knight, and he isn't afraid to kill. Batman and Nightwing (the original Robin) are now in pursuit of The Red Hood who seems to have ties to Batman's past. Also, the Joker gets caught in the middle and complicates the situation even more. For those of you who either haven't read the comics or seen the film, I'll leave it at this.

The film is produced by Bruce Timm, but it is not a continuation of the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series. This film is a stand alone story. The animation is amazing and the dark design really fits the characters, setting, and story well. Also, the new voices of Batman and the Joker are stunning. It is so hard to fill the shoes of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, but the new guys do so good of a job, you won't be disappointed. Also, the voice of The Red Hood and all of the other characters in the film are well cast. If you need a film to tide you over until 2011's conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman saga, this is the film to get. Like I said in the beginning, this is NOT a family movie. Please be mindful and don't trust the stores listing it as a family friendly film.