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Batman: Under the Red Hood . . . A review by a casual viewer
Thursday our Blu-Ray of B:UtRH arrived, so of course, that was our Thursday night viewing.
First, if you'd like a review of my history with Batman, you can find it here.
Disclaimer: For any random comic fan passers-by who happened upon this review in a Google search or alert or something, please be aware that I am not a comic book fan, nor am I a particular fan of comic book movies. It's not that I dislike them. More like I can take or leave them, and most of the ones I've seen haven't really impressed me. (The exception being Superman: The Movie. Oh, and I enjoyed Ironman.) Which is weird, because I really like action/adventure. But, whatever. Anyway, if you're not a regular to this LJ, and you want to make a comment, this is a public post. Just please keep in mind that this is my internet abode, and that we're starting from two different perspectives to begin with.
To my good friends who are comic fans, and you know who you are, I'd be interested in your impressions of the movie, if you have time to share.
Here, in a nutshell, were the things that went through my mind, the strongest impressions I got, as I was watching the movie.
1. "If this were a live action movie, the pyrotechnics budget would be insane."
2. "This would be really cool in 3D."
3. "Man, I wish I could see this in live action." (I'll get more into this later.)
What I liked about the movie:
1. That it was self contained, and that one only needed a passing knowledge of the Batman characters in order to follow the story. I'd done a bit of research before hand, so I had a general idea of who Jason Todd was and what had happened. But I think I would have been okay if I hadn't done that. I was totally unfamiliar with Black Mask and Ra's al Ghul, but the movie gave me enough to know how they fit into the story. And I particularly liked the line of dialogue that explained Nightwing. "He was Batman's first sidekick." Oh, okay. That's Dick Grayson all grown up. (I knew this going in, but it was a nice, simple bit of exposition for those of us just joining the story.)
2. I loved the voice acting. Everyone was fantastic. Black Mask was particularly fun. Loved Nightwing's one-liners. And of course the whole reason I know about this movie to begin with: Jensen Ackles. I said before that if I didn't know it was Jensen, I wouldn't have known it was Jensen. I might have eventually caught on, especially during his emotional monologue at the end. But for the most part, no. This was neither his "Dean" voice nor his regular speaking voice. It was different, and in a way, refreshing. Let me explain.
At first, I wasn't sure how his voice fit for a villain. Knowing it was Jensen, I was hearing Jensen. Then I realized it was perfect. The other villains in the story are so over-the-top with their speech and vocals (and I do not mean that in a negative sense. Part of the "fun" of these villains is their OTT-ness). But with Jason/Red Hood, he's a total contrast to that. He started out as a troubled hero. He still thinks of himself as a vigilante hero rather than a villain. He's not a heroic crime fighter, but he's not a ruthless killer of innocents. He's a crime lord who believes he's doing things for the right reasons. And his voice reflects that. Having a "normal" voice (not OTT), and snarky, casual delivery places him in that nebulous between-ness where Jason exists.
His "Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me," just about did me in. *gulp* *sniff* That whole final scene. Do I really need to expound? Fantastic.
Then we have that dry sense of humor which is so much fun. (And anyone familiar with Jensen at conventions knows that he does "dry" very, very well. It's part of his natural sense of humor and charm.)
3. It really is ridiculous how much I love seeing Jensen's name at the beginning of a high profile movie.
What I would have liked better (not that I disliked any of it; just what I would have liked better):
1. I've seen this complaint elsewhere, and having now seen the movie, I understand where it's coming from. This might sound counter to my usual take on things but . . . more blood. Not blood for the sake of blood, but for the sake of the storytelling. What I mean is, to see more of the consequences and results of the violence against Jason. Not that I want to actually see the blows land (hearing them was painful enough), but the kid looked to be relatively unscathed considering the beating he took. Maybe that's because I'm used to the makeup and effects on SPN, 'cause those guys have ended up pretty bloody and bruised after some of their cases.
(This, however, becomes a little problematic with my later point of live action.)
2. I would have liked to have seen more of the development in the Jason Todd character, how he went from gung-ho youngster to dark teen. I realize that this movie was produced on a budget. And what they gave us was sufficient and effective for their purposes. I just would have liked, you know, more.
3. The animation seemed flat. Now, before anyone has a coronary, let me explain. The voice performances were so rich and so textured that I wanted more in the visuals. More detail. More texture. Just . . . more. Now, there could very well be a couple of reasons for this. First, I'm not versed in the style or the genre that this movie was animated in. I realize it's a moving comic book, and that comic books are flat (though I think they're more detailed, aren't they? But I'm told that more detail here would mean bigger budget. Which makes sense; more detail requires more animation, which requires more hours, which requires bigger budget. So I understand that). It's also possible that I'm simply not versed in the visual language of this type of animation; maybe I'm missing the subtleties. Maybe I'm just far more used to the animation of big budget theatrical releases, and this movie, by design, had to keep the budget limited.
But I wanted more, especially in the facial expressions. All through Jason's final speech, I kept thinking, "I want to see this in live action. I want to see the actors performing this." In my mind's eye, I could see Jensen delivering that speech. I wanted to see the facial expressions and the body language that goes with the depth and richness of the vocal deliveries and the emotional tension of that scene. Maybe it's the actor in me, but I wanted to see what I was hearing. And I wasn't getting it to the extent that I was craving, in the animation.
Of course, this is something of a conundrum with the violence perpetrated against Jason at the beginning of the story. I strongly dislike torture for the sake of torture (which is part of why The Joker gives me the creeps--and not in a fun way--and probably why I've not, for the most part, been overly enthused about the modern live action Batman movies I have seen. But that's a completely different topic of discussion). So I think it would pretty much turn my stomach to see that play out in live action.
But I think this could make excellent live action movie fodder. At least, I still have a bit of a craving to see it in live action, with Jensen in the appropriate role.
In conclusion:
When I asked Geo if he thought it was worth the $20 Amazon price, his response was, "Oh, yeah!" He enjoyed it a lot, and I think he's glad to have it in our collection. I think I probably would have been okay with just renting it. But he's going to watch all the extras (and let me know if there are any interviews with the voice actors). So all in all, a good purchase.
One more thing: Geo and I were discussing the voices, and he said he never thought or felt like, "Oh, that's Dean Winchester doing a cartoon." He thought Jensen did a really good job. Geo also said that he's noticed that whenever Jensen gets emotional, he develops a catch in his throat. And ya know? I think that's just Jensen and what he brings to the role.
All in all, I think I'll be watching it again.
First, if you'd like a review of my history with Batman, you can find it here.
Disclaimer: For any random comic fan passers-by who happened upon this review in a Google search or alert or something, please be aware that I am not a comic book fan, nor am I a particular fan of comic book movies. It's not that I dislike them. More like I can take or leave them, and most of the ones I've seen haven't really impressed me. (The exception being Superman: The Movie. Oh, and I enjoyed Ironman.) Which is weird, because I really like action/adventure. But, whatever. Anyway, if you're not a regular to this LJ, and you want to make a comment, this is a public post. Just please keep in mind that this is my internet abode, and that we're starting from two different perspectives to begin with.
To my good friends who are comic fans, and you know who you are, I'd be interested in your impressions of the movie, if you have time to share.
Here, in a nutshell, were the things that went through my mind, the strongest impressions I got, as I was watching the movie.
1. "If this were a live action movie, the pyrotechnics budget would be insane."
2. "This would be really cool in 3D."
3. "Man, I wish I could see this in live action." (I'll get more into this later.)
What I liked about the movie:
1. That it was self contained, and that one only needed a passing knowledge of the Batman characters in order to follow the story. I'd done a bit of research before hand, so I had a general idea of who Jason Todd was and what had happened. But I think I would have been okay if I hadn't done that. I was totally unfamiliar with Black Mask and Ra's al Ghul, but the movie gave me enough to know how they fit into the story. And I particularly liked the line of dialogue that explained Nightwing. "He was Batman's first sidekick." Oh, okay. That's Dick Grayson all grown up. (I knew this going in, but it was a nice, simple bit of exposition for those of us just joining the story.)
2. I loved the voice acting. Everyone was fantastic. Black Mask was particularly fun. Loved Nightwing's one-liners. And of course the whole reason I know about this movie to begin with: Jensen Ackles. I said before that if I didn't know it was Jensen, I wouldn't have known it was Jensen. I might have eventually caught on, especially during his emotional monologue at the end. But for the most part, no. This was neither his "Dean" voice nor his regular speaking voice. It was different, and in a way, refreshing. Let me explain.
At first, I wasn't sure how his voice fit for a villain. Knowing it was Jensen, I was hearing Jensen. Then I realized it was perfect. The other villains in the story are so over-the-top with their speech and vocals (and I do not mean that in a negative sense. Part of the "fun" of these villains is their OTT-ness). But with Jason/Red Hood, he's a total contrast to that. He started out as a troubled hero. He still thinks of himself as a vigilante hero rather than a villain. He's not a heroic crime fighter, but he's not a ruthless killer of innocents. He's a crime lord who believes he's doing things for the right reasons. And his voice reflects that. Having a "normal" voice (not OTT), and snarky, casual delivery places him in that nebulous between-ness where Jason exists.
His "Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me," just about did me in. *gulp* *sniff* That whole final scene. Do I really need to expound? Fantastic.
Then we have that dry sense of humor which is so much fun. (And anyone familiar with Jensen at conventions knows that he does "dry" very, very well. It's part of his natural sense of humor and charm.)
3. It really is ridiculous how much I love seeing Jensen's name at the beginning of a high profile movie.
What I would have liked better (not that I disliked any of it; just what I would have liked better):
1. I've seen this complaint elsewhere, and having now seen the movie, I understand where it's coming from. This might sound counter to my usual take on things but . . . more blood. Not blood for the sake of blood, but for the sake of the storytelling. What I mean is, to see more of the consequences and results of the violence against Jason. Not that I want to actually see the blows land (hearing them was painful enough), but the kid looked to be relatively unscathed considering the beating he took. Maybe that's because I'm used to the makeup and effects on SPN, 'cause those guys have ended up pretty bloody and bruised after some of their cases.
(This, however, becomes a little problematic with my later point of live action.)
2. I would have liked to have seen more of the development in the Jason Todd character, how he went from gung-ho youngster to dark teen. I realize that this movie was produced on a budget. And what they gave us was sufficient and effective for their purposes. I just would have liked, you know, more.
3. The animation seemed flat. Now, before anyone has a coronary, let me explain. The voice performances were so rich and so textured that I wanted more in the visuals. More detail. More texture. Just . . . more. Now, there could very well be a couple of reasons for this. First, I'm not versed in the style or the genre that this movie was animated in. I realize it's a moving comic book, and that comic books are flat (though I think they're more detailed, aren't they? But I'm told that more detail here would mean bigger budget. Which makes sense; more detail requires more animation, which requires more hours, which requires bigger budget. So I understand that). It's also possible that I'm simply not versed in the visual language of this type of animation; maybe I'm missing the subtleties. Maybe I'm just far more used to the animation of big budget theatrical releases, and this movie, by design, had to keep the budget limited.
But I wanted more, especially in the facial expressions. All through Jason's final speech, I kept thinking, "I want to see this in live action. I want to see the actors performing this." In my mind's eye, I could see Jensen delivering that speech. I wanted to see the facial expressions and the body language that goes with the depth and richness of the vocal deliveries and the emotional tension of that scene. Maybe it's the actor in me, but I wanted to see what I was hearing. And I wasn't getting it to the extent that I was craving, in the animation.
Of course, this is something of a conundrum with the violence perpetrated against Jason at the beginning of the story. I strongly dislike torture for the sake of torture (which is part of why The Joker gives me the creeps--and not in a fun way--and probably why I've not, for the most part, been overly enthused about the modern live action Batman movies I have seen. But that's a completely different topic of discussion). So I think it would pretty much turn my stomach to see that play out in live action.
But I think this could make excellent live action movie fodder. At least, I still have a bit of a craving to see it in live action, with Jensen in the appropriate role.
In conclusion:
When I asked Geo if he thought it was worth the $20 Amazon price, his response was, "Oh, yeah!" He enjoyed it a lot, and I think he's glad to have it in our collection. I think I probably would have been okay with just renting it. But he's going to watch all the extras (and let me know if there are any interviews with the voice actors). So all in all, a good purchase.
One more thing: Geo and I were discussing the voices, and he said he never thought or felt like, "Oh, that's Dean Winchester doing a cartoon." He thought Jensen did a really good job. Geo also said that he's noticed that whenever Jensen gets emotional, he develops a catch in his throat. And ya know? I think that's just Jensen and what he brings to the role.
All in all, I think I'll be watching it again.