Batman vs Robin Review

Dawn of...a really bland animated movie...

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back again with a new review. Today we'll be taking a look at Batman vs Robin: The latest DC Animated film. Let's not waste any time and dive on in.

Synopsis: Batman vs Robin is the sequel/follow up to the previous Batman Animated movie: 'Son of Batman' and it sees Damian Wayne trying to be Robin while keeping his assassin upbringing at bay. While he and Batman on the hunt for the Dollmaker, Damian comes across the mysterious Talon. Talon gives Damian the offer to be his protege and join the Court of Owls, this secret society that has lived for Gotham city for centuries. This, along with other events, lead Damian to be pitted against his father Batman himself.

The Good: 

F**K YOU DAD!!

As per usual with the DC Animated movies, the animation put into Batman vs Robin's fights are awesome to watch. The choreography put into the fights is just poetry in motion and some of the camera angles in a few fights really brings a more dynamic feel to the fights and they're extremely entertaining. Especially the fights between Batman and Robin and the big fight near the climax of the movie.

Another point that I don't think these DC animated films movies get enough credit for is the soundtrack. There were a lot of great atmospheric pieces in the film. Two of the big noteworthy pieces to me were one where Robin is taking on two thugs somewhere close to the middle of the film and the music that's playing during the car chase scene. Kudos to the team that made the soundtrack for the film.

Another entertaining thing that I enjoy is the continued conflict between Batman and Robin that carries over from "Son of Batman". A part of the movie really builds on the trust issues that exist between the dynamic duo and one of the themes of the movie could be the theme of fatherhood and what is means to be a father. Although, I don't think the movie hits that theme hard enough, which I'm going to explain as we head into...

The Bad:

I feel like some of the problems that "Son of Batman" had still exist in Batman vs Robin but they aren't as bad as they were in that movie. For starters, Some of Son of Batman's problems came from Damian and his ability to take on and beat people much older and bigger and more experienced than him. This movie sees him beating Nightwing in a fight, going toe to toe with Batman, and one more scene in the end of the movie that I won't speak of for spoilers sake. I know that Damian came out of the womb to be trained to become the ultimate soldier that kills left and right but the fact of the matter is he's still only ten years old and he's fighting against people much older and experienced than him. It'd be one thing if he outsmarts them a couple of moments or gets a couple of good hits but still loses, but he shouldn't outright be beating these guys.

Another thing that's really more of a nitpick on my behalf is that Nightwing is in the film and just like "Son of Batman" I felt like he didn't really add much to the film outside of just being there quipping a little, and beating up a couple of mooks. Nightwing is one of the coolest characters in the DC Universe. He deserves to have a couple of cool moments and not just be some punching bag. It's why Tim Drake exists.

No One Likes You Tim Drake! Even DC writers don't know what to do with you!! 

Another big issue I have with the film is that it REALLY pushes it with the more "mature and graphic" content; and a lot of the time in the movie it feels like it's there JUST to be graphic and violent. This movie feels like it's the most bloody and violent DC animated movie in a while and it feels a tad excess. For example, there's a scene in the movie where you see little Bruce Wayne shoot an owl with an arrow and then you see owl's blood splashing on the window of Bruce's house. Also, you could play a drinking game with how many times someone in this film gets stabbed and there's blood (Warning: The Shaman of Animation does not approve of drinking games nor can he be held responsible if readers try this drinking game suffer from alcohol poisoning). 

Now to compare this to a previous DC Animated movie: Flashpoint Paradox that also had a lot of violence in it, The reason why Flashpoint's violence didn't feel so unnecessary was because 1: The story was good, and 2: The setting was in a more post-apocalyptic future where two races where in a brutal and violent war with each other and everyone that was caught in the middle of it suffered. Long story short, the violence and graphic imagery in Flashpoint Paradox, as strange as it sounds, felt like it was there for a reason and served purpose to the story whereas Batman vs Robin felt like it was there because: "We gotta push that edge bro! We're PG-13!!"

Speaking of Pushing that edge, I really rolled my eyes with all of the swearing in the movie. I'm getting super nitpicky now, I know. Maybe it's because I'm not used to hearing Batman swear so frequently in anything, an occasional damn or hell sure, but when you hear him say "What the Hell?" Or "Damn" so many times in one movie...I don't know how and why, but it causes Batman to lose his coolness factor.

If I can bring another movie comparison up, in "Justice League: Doom" there is a scene (I can't remember how the exact scene goes down) where Batman calls the rest of the Justice League 'Damn Fools" and it's one of, if not, the only time Batman swears in that movie and because of that, it really felt like a huge mic drop moment. So when I hear Batman say: "Listen here you Sons of Bitches" in Batman vs Robin, I just groan.

And my final complaint in this long list of complaints is that it felt like there was a bit too much going on in the movie. In this movie you have Batman and Robin butting heads, then you have The Court of Owls and their plan to rebuild Gotham City, then you have Talon and his backstory, then you have Damian dealing with whether he wants to be Robin or join the Court of Owl, then you have the Court of Owls wanting to recruit Bruce Wayne, then you have the plot twist of who the court's grandmaster is, then you have the relationship between Talon and the grandmaster and...

See what this movie's done? It made Dean from the Iron Giant go crazy...

Conclusion: While Batman vs Robin isn't a bad movie, especially compared to Throne of Atlantis, it's definitely forgettable. I think the main problem that stems from it is that it feels like the movies' trying to tell multiple stories at once and they all don't necessarily mesh well together. It's because of this reason is why I think the theme I mentioned earlier in the Good section of the review didn't necessarily stick its landing, because it was buried in all of the movie's other stories. If you haven't seen Batman vs Robin, you aren't missing out on much.

Til next time folks, I'm The Shaman of Animation saying: When are we gonna get an animated Teen Titans movie in this new DC Animated Universe?

This movie already shows Starfire exists in this Universe, might as well pull the trigger and give us The Judas Contract or Terror of Trigon animated.

Take Care...