Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Batman: Hush Blu-ray Movie Review

Now with 40% more Catwoman.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 6, 2019

NOTE: For an additional 15 1080p images, please refer to my separate 4K review.

Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment continue their hit-or-miss series of Batman comic book adaptations with Hush, a re-telling of the immensely well-received 2002-03 twelve-issue arc by Jeph Loeb (story), Jim Lee (pencils), Scott Williams (inks), and Alex Sinclair (colors). The print version is a dense and layered tale with a staggering number of established DC characters -- Batman, of course, but also Superman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, The Riddler, Ra's al Ghul, multiple Robins, Clayface, and more -- as well as one major new one: the title character "Hush", a hyper-intelligent master of disguise who is somehow behind a rash of violent crimes in which the Rogues' Gallery villains seem to be acting out of character. Warner Bros.' new animated movie represents this story's first official leap beyond the printed page*. Is their 82-minute feature worth the nearly two-decade wait?

* This review initially claimed that "Hush" was planned as a full-length animated production in 2007 that was later cancelled, but that information was incorrect. It was, in fact, pitched as a single episode of "The Batman" during the show's later seasons but never went beyond that phase. Apologies for the confusion.

Not really...and that counts double if you were hoping for a faithful adaptation of the original story. Lots of material is different here; not just cut for time or even softened in tone, but just changed outright for no discernible reason. A number of dropped twists, not to mention at least two supporting character swaps, are bad enough. Several cut sub-plots, while disappointing, are all but expected when 12 issues of source material are crammed into just 82 minutes. Catwoman/Selina moves much further into the foreground, which is annoying but not a deal-breaker. It's the complete change of Hush's climax, however, that makes this an entirely different story and not for the better. The strong left turn will keep established fans guessing, and from a certain perspective I admire the creative team's attempt to completely subvert viewer expectations. But all told, it's just too much change for no real reason, made worse because of the identical title and kinda, sorta similar nature of its plot. This basically plays out like some kind of alternate universe production and, overall, it's just not a fair trade. I would expect die-hard fans to react the same way, while those entirely new to the story may be tempted to treat this as something more than a truncated re-write.

From a technical standpoint, Batman: Hush is either right on par or slightly better than many recent DCAU productions...in some areas, at least. The character designs and backgrounds are, for the most part, very good (although substantially different in style from the comic) and Frederik Wiedmann's score, as performed by the Angel City Studio Orchestra, is suitably large in scope. Yet the actual animation, from lip movements to fist-fights, can't measure up to all three of those strengths: it's even stiffer than usual at times, which robs several important scenes of the impact they deserve. Budget and time constraints are likely the culprit, but I'm not alone in wishing that Warner Bros. Animation would be much better off releasing less of these things and taking more time on each one.

But in the here and now, Batman: Hush is half decent adaptation and half disappointment. Nostalgic ties to the original comic give this a strong "your mileage may vary" factor, and I would not be surprised if established fans hated it. Nonetheless, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray package is another outstanding effort, serving up a rock-solid A/V presentation and a decent assortment of extras that, similar to most DC releases, cover both the main feature and other upcoming projects. If you end up liking this very loose adaptation, you'll find Hush to be a fairly well-rounded disc.

Batman: Hush Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Batman: Hush looks very good on Warner Bros.' 1080p transfer; it's easily on par with the studio's more recent animated titles, if not slightly ahead. The film's character designs and backgrounds aren't exactly loaded with fine detail or texture, with strong shadows that tend to overpower but are handled nicely. Colors are vivid and well-saturated with no obvious bleeding, from bold primaries to subtle background variances that keep things visually interesting from start to finish. Black levels often run extremely deep with many scenes displaying a suitable amount of depth despite the fundamentally flatter style of animation used. What's more is that Hush doesn't suffer from many common digital imperfections such as aliasing or edge enhancement and, though some compression artifacts can occasionally be seen and banding is clearly visible on some of the color gradients, this is almost expected for 1080p animation and not all that noticeable in-motion. Overall, this is a very solid effort that only looks more impressive on the separately available 4K edition, but even those limited to Blu-ray will enjoy themselves.

Batman: Hush Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is a clear winner from every angle; it's more immersive than most, especially during the film's second half. Dialogue is cleanly recorded with no defects, drop-outs, or sync issues and is mostly anchored squarely up front with occasional separation between the left, center, and right channels. As expected, surrounds are largely reserved for outdoor ambiance, heavier action scenes, and the excellent score by Frederik Wiedmann. Plenty of well-placed and dynamic panning effects keep things lively from start to finish, while the low end is represented strongly during several key moments. Explosions and gunshots pack an awful lot of punch without sounding overcooked, although they're obviously balanced with smaller home theaters in mind. While an Atmos mix may have put Hush even more over the top, there's really nothing to complain about here -- it's simply a great-sounding track that complements the visuals perfectly (and in some respects, exceeds them).

Optional English (SDH) and multiple sets of foreign subtitles are included during the main feature; they're cleanly rendered with no obvious sync issues.

Batman: Hush Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Warner Bros.' two disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with a Digital Copy code and sweet cover artwork (with matching slipcover) by original Hush artists Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair. The extras are light but entertaining although, like most DCAU releases, they don't all focus on the main feature.

• DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock (14:55) - This new animated short is the first since 2011's Catwoman. Being largely unfamiliar with the title character, I'll avoid any kind of in-depth analysis but overall, this seems more or less on par with recent DCAU movies as far as animation and voice work are concerned.

• Batman: Love in Time of War (16:53) offers a short but sweet overview of the relationship between Batman and Catwoman that's explored ad nauseum during Hush. This borders on overkill given the excessive amount of time devoted to their romance during the actual film, but is still worth a once-over as it also features insight from key DC figures and memorable moments from different Batman incarnations over the years.

• Audio Commentary - This feature-length track includes executive Producer James Tucker, director Justin Copeland, and screenwriter Ernie Altbacker who cover an fairly wide array of topics such as the original story (and its many changes), voice casting, animation, Frederik Wiedmann's score, Batman history, and more.

• Sneak Peek - Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (10:00) offers a short preview of the upcoming October 2019 animated film, a Wonder Woman origin story and prequel to 2014's Justice League: War.

• Sneak Peek - Batman: Assault on Arkham (7:29) - This is a slightly rougher preview than Bloodlines, offering a mixture of finished art, storyboards, and the expected assortment of key crew members.

• From the DC Vault - Batman: The Animated Series, "Catwalk" (21:17) - A later installment of the excellent long-running show (and only one of nine that got an Adventures of Batman & Robin title card), this episode is thankfully sourced from the recent Blu-ray edition of that series and looks great.

  NOTE: Warner Bros.' original press release for this title advertised two bonus episodes of the vintage cartoon show The Batman/Superman Hour ("The Underworld Underground Caper" and "Partners in Peril", both from 1968), but the above episode of Batman: The Animated Series appears in their place.

Batman: Hush Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're a die-hard fan of Jeph Loeb's original Batman: Hush story arc, it's important to know that this animated adaptation changes a lot of it. I can't say that most of these changes offer any kind of improvement: the new "twist" isn't as satisfying, the pace is compromised, and too much attention is devoted to Batman and Catwoman's budding romance...not to mention the film's relatively stiff animation, which is a far cry from Jim Lee's stunning original art. That said, new fans -- or at least those with fewer nostalgic ties to the original story -- may be a bit more forgiving of its sins and objectively, those who enjoyed this loose adaptation of Hush will really appreciate Warner Bros.' excellent Blu-ray package, which serves up a great A/V presentation and a handful of decent bonus features. The 4K package unsurprisingly bumps up the video a few notches, but this Blu-ray should be good enough for most fans.