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THE FILM: I was, quite honestly, blown away by this. It's only the third DCAU movie I've seen, but I am quickly becoming impressed. The basic plot is that Amanda Waller needs something from the Riddler, so she assembles Task Force X and has them break into Arkham to retrieve it for her. Batman and the Joker also have key supporting roles that round out a fast-paced, action-packed story. So, as you might be able to tell, despite Batman's name being part of the title, this is more of a Suicide Squad movie. And in that respect, this film succeeds in every way that David Ayer's live-action one failed. Little time is wasted setting up backstories, opting instead for short clips to introduce each squad member AFTER the title card. There was also a lot more internal tension as each squad member is forced to work with each other to complete their mission, something that was also lacking in this year's SUICIDE SQUAD. Put simply, what I saw here in terms of character work was amazing. The film was also really funny at times. Everyone had at least a couple moments to shine in that regard. In particular, King Shark and Captain Boomerang were comic relief. As for the animation, it had an anime-like style that was very beautiful and fluid. I was also surprised at how mature this was. While not terribly explicit (this is PG-13 after all, but kind of pushes the edge), Harley Quinn and Killer Frost (the female Squad members) were quite sexy in a way that I didn't exactly remember from the animated series. However, what really put's this among the best DC animated films I seen (so far) is the economy and efficiency of the storytelling, excellent animation, and brilliant voice work. The problems I have with it are rather minor. There was a particular score cue that reminded me of the worst electro-house, and the voice actor doing Gordon sounded a little too young for how he was drawn. That's it. If you saw SUICIDE SQUAD and didn't like it, give this a try. If you didn't, see this anyway. And if you already have, maybe now's the time to watch it again.
THE EXTRAS: There's a decent assortment of bonus features provided that go deeper into the characters and DC lore. Chief among these (although by no means the best) is an 8-10 minute featurette on Harley Quinn, starting with her origin on BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES and continuing with her different runs in comics. There was also a 5-minute look at (what was the next, at the time) the DCAU film JUSTICE LEAGUE: THRONE OF ATLANTIS, centered around Arthur Curry/Aquaman. Rounding out the features common to all releases were four cartoon episodes from JUSTICE LEAGUE, et al, particularly on featuring Task Force X. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a roughly half-hour documentary on Arkham Asylum. The most interesting part to me was learning where it came from. The name comes from H.P. Lovecraft, while the idea of Arkham Asylum came from a big expose in the 1960's, with itself being introduced in the comics in the 1970's. There was also a general discussion of Arkham as a character, and an existential conflict between dark and light. Pretty cool, if I say so myself. The cherry on top is a feature-length commentary on the main film.
OVERALL: Whatever DC/WB Animation has been doing that makes their films so good, DC and the Snyder-verse should take some notes. BATMAN: ASSAULT ON ARKHAM is a lean, mean storytelling machine that treats the characters and audience with respect, and is certainly one of the best efforts of their direct-to-video animated films. There was also a decent amount of bonus features to round out one's viewing experience. Simply put, this is a must-see for fans of comics and animation.
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Another One of the Greats
This was a great addition to the DC Animated Universe. it was thrilling in all the great ways and with Kevin Conroy helming the cape and cowl again, you know it was going to be epic. Def consider watching it
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2016
- Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014
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Doctor FateReviewed in Germany on October 10, 2016
Klasse Streifen - so muss Batman
- Mr BlondeReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2015
Should Be Called Suicide Squad
