Batman: Under The Red Hood – Review

Since his inception Batman has always been a bad ass, he has defeated enemy after enemy rarely with any significant losses. That was until 1988 when The Joker brutally murdered Jason Todd a.k.a. Robin (the second Robin that is, for non comic fans Dick Grayson was the first Robin but went on to become Nightwing and most recently Batman after Bruce Wayne was believed dead).

Batman: Under the Red Hood is the newest direct to video release from DC Universe Animation and Warner Premiere. Bruce Greenwood stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman, TV’s Supernatural star Jensen Ackles is Jason Todd/Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris is Dick Grayson/Nightwing and veteran voice actor John DiMaggio (best know to most people as Bender from Futurama) plays The Joker.

First things first this is NOT a child friendly animated movie. From the start you see The Joker brutally beating Robin with a crowbar, then you see lots of blood and killings (sometimes quite gruesomely) throughout the film. This film encompasses parts from 1988’s “Batman: Death in the Family” story and 2005’s “Batman: Under the Hood” As if follows the murder of Jason Todd, Batman’s guilt and Jason’s “resurrection” and the origin of Red Hood. While not a direct retelling of the original stories, like much of the previous DC Universe films it keeps the spirit and basic key points of the original source material. Aside from being very well voice acted, the animation is superb. I can honestly say this is a film that will make fans of the Dark Knight very happy. This is perhaps one of the most popular storylines in Batman’s history, and that alone makes this worth picking up. So feel free to geek out just a bit as I give Batman: Under the Red Hood 5 out of 5 beers. Batman: Under the Red Hood will be released on Tuesday July 27, 2010 on DVD and Blu Ray.