Movies / Animé and Toons

Batman: Under the Red Hood

By Patrick Bérubé
August 3, 2010 - 20:00

There is a new vigilante in Gotham City but unlike the others he does not mind killing the bad guys. When the Red Hood starts taking out thugs on the street and arranges for various crime mobs to kill each other, Batman investigates this new hero/villain only to discover that he may share a lot in common with him. Forced to face his greatest failure, Batman will have to go through bad memories if he is to stop this killing spree.

One of the reasons I don’t read comic books like Batman is that I often feel out of the loop when I do so. With years of story development, it is hard for someone who does not know all the characters to understand clearly what is going on. This fear was also present when I started watching Batman: Under the Red Hood. After viewing it however, I can say that it was unjustified since this movie is quite accessible even for people not familiar with the DC Comics universe. Everything was clearly explained as to who were the characters and the things that were not were facultative to the understanding of the story. Aside for the accessibility, writer Judd Winick does a great job of creating a well-paced story that carries a lot of emotion without sacrificing the action. It is easy when you write a character like Batman to rely on his more simple aspects but Winick does put the characters in unfamiliar ground for our greater pleasure. The only negative point would be that there is a lot of violence. Not too much but more than I expected from a super-hero animated movie. I guess we have to thank Frank Miller for that.

The animation of Batman: Under the Red Hood is quite good and makes me remember Batman: The Animated Series that ran in the 1990s. It is fluid and whenever I see good 2D animation like that I always wonder why some people bother trying to do something that looks cheap in 3D animation. There are also some very cool action sequences that really give this movie a feeling that the characters are indeed super-heroes and not just commoners running around in their pajamas. Furthermore, you can add to the list of well done things the musical score, which helps create a great mood throughout the movie and the voice actors who help the characters to get their own personality.

Batman Under the Red Hood is a great animated movie if not a bit violent. I think readers of the comic book will appreciate this adaptation of various storylines and that new comers will find this movie very accessible and enjoyable.

Rating: 8.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12