Review of Batman: Under The Red Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition) By DC Universe
-== What is it? ==-
Batman: Under The Red Hood (B:UTRH) is a direct to DVD action adventure movie from DC Universe that was released in 2010. The director is Brandon Vietti and two notable producers include Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett. Voice talent is provided by several well known actors…Bruce Greenwood (Thirteen Days) plays Batman, Jensen Ackles plays Red Hood, John DiMaggio plays the Joker, and Neil Patrick Harris plays Nightwing.
B:UTRH retells the well known comic stories “A Death In The Family” and “Under The Hood”. The movie starts with flashbacks of Jason Todd’s death per “A Death In The Family”. I really consider this the story of the Batman’s greatest loss. From here B:UTRH moves forward to the current day where the focus is on a new figure known only as the Red Hood. The Red Hood is vying for control of the drug trade in Gotham. This puts the Red Hood into direct conflict with Batman and a local gangster known as the Black Mask.
B:UTRH has a good amount of violence but it is not gory. There is a lot of darkness but very little to no adult themes. There is no nudity. The movie is rated “13+” at RightStuf.com and I think that rating is accurate.
I am reviewing the Two-Disc Special Edition widescreen version of the DVD which I received as a gift. The main movie is 75 minutes long.
-== What I Like ==-
The story in B:UTRH is well done and for the most part sticks to the source stories. This is a good thing as these stories are iconic in many ways. There is one action scene with some hired thugs that feels a bit arbitrary. Based on the name of the movie you can imagine there is a big reveal at the end of the movie and it does not disappoint. The ending of B:UTRH is very strong.
The animation has a nice square jawed feel. Sometimes the shadows in the story seem a bit harsh but overall the animation is above average.
Extras on main B:UTRH disc include sneak peaks for several other movies and a Jonah Hex short. I think the 12 minute Jonah Hex short is EXTRAORDINARY! It was written by western author Joe Landsdale and includes Thomas Lee as Jonah Hex and Linda Hamilton as Madame Lorraine. The story in the Jonah Hex short is just great. It has a brutal ending had me begging for more and I am not even remotely a Jonah Hex fan. The voice acting by Linda Hamilton is particularly good. If I was to rate the short alone I would give it 10 out of 10 paws! π
Extras on the second disc are also pretty nice. There is a feature called Robin: The Story Of Dick Grayson, a piece on Robin’s evolution over the years, and two Batman: The Animated Series episodes that feature Robin. Overall these add a lot of value to the Two-Disc Special Edition.
-== What I Donβt Like ==-
The voice acting in B:UTRH is fine but not perfect. The problems I had with the voice acting are hard to describe. In places it feels emotionally off and in others it comes off a bit stilted. It feels like the voice direction could be improved.
Another big problem with the movie is the Black Mask character. The Black Mask comes across like a bad filler character. It seems like the writer could have picked a Gotham gangster with a bit more back story or one that is a bit more interesting. Also the simply fact that he is called Black Mask is kinda lame. There is the Red Hood and the Black Mask…what about the Green Cowl? π
-== Summary ==-
Overall I thought the Two-Disc Special Edition version of B:UTRH was a fun Batman romp. Don’t expect fantastic animation or perfect voice acting and you won’t be disappointed. Definitely consider purchasing a version that includes the Jonah Hex short. π I give B:UTRH 6 out of 10 paws for the movie alone and 8 out of 10 paws with extras.
B:UTRH is $18.74 at RightStuf at this URL. Amazon has the movie at this
I give it 8 out of 10 paws.
