Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back again and welcome back to the Road to BVS: a coverage of DC Animated films in the weeks building to Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. If you've seen the first (?) teaser trailer to Batman v Superman, you would've seen Batman looking on at a Robin suit with drawings all over it. I was among the many fans speculating that this was the suit of Jason Todd: the second person to take the mantle of Robin. He is most known for being killed by The Joker and later on being resurrected. Today folks, we take a look at the story of Jason Todd's revival. Let's dive into Batman: Under The Red Hood!
Under The Red Hood is the animated adaptation of the "Under The Hood" storyline written by Judd Winick. A mysterious new vigilante called The Red Hood is running around Gotham, killing criminals and bringing dealers and thugs under his control; and now Batman must delve into his past in order to figure out the identity of this new villain and put a stop to him.
First and foremost: Under The Red Hood has what I think is an all-star cast with Bruce Greenwood as Batman, Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing, and Wade Williams as Black Mask. All of these men deliver very memorable performances but But the two MVPs in this cast belong to John DiMaggio as The Joker and Jensen Ackles of Supernatural fame playing Red Hood.
Before Under the Red Hood, if you told me Dr. Drakken from Kim Possible was going to be The Joker, I'd raise an eyebrow at you. But the man does a tremendous job with the character. It's very different from Mark Hamill, Dimaggio's voice brings out the more dangerous, more violent aspect of the character (which is assisted by a lot of the movie's material). Mr. Jensen Ackles really steals the show with his portrayal of Red Hood. He can bring the snark and the jokes while at the same time be angry and intimidating, and can bring the emotion when needs to.
What makes Under The Red Hood such a special movie is the personal story with Batman. The movie lets us into the mind of the Caped Crusader, into some of his biggest failures, having to come face to face with old demons he thought were gone. Not only that but we see his moral compass, what he stands for, being challenged by the Red Hood and of course the long standing question for all Batman fans as to why he just doesn't kill The Joker.
Under The Red Hood is also a pretty brutal movie, and while there isn't as much blood as most recent DC Animated films have (and not as bloody as some scenarios should be) a lot of the violence and action in this movie (which is absolutely great by the way, you've got a ton of fights, a tag team fight, and a chase scene) is very flinch inducing, and The Joker himself is responsible for a lot of that.
After this and The Dark Knight Returns, people need to learn to give the Joker a plastic cup...
When people say what's the best DC Animated movie: Under The Red Hood comes to the minds of many and for good reason: A stellar voice cast, awesome fight scenes, and an amazingly well crafted story, it leaves an amazing impression on you; and it's why I believe Jason Todd has as huge of a fanbase as he does.
But that does it on this stop to The Road to BVS: Tune in Next Time everyone, as we take a look at Superman vs The Elite. Til Then, I'm The Shaman of Animation.
Take Care...
No comments:
Post a Comment