The Nerd Reviews: Son of Batman

I am happy that Warner Bros has decided to release at least 2 animated features a year, really builds up the library ( unlike a certain marvelous company) and is a great way to introduce newcomers into the DC world. The first film, "Justice League War", was an ok entry into the New 52 and now we have our second foray into this universe with "Son of Batman". Is it any good? Well you'll find out...because I'm like reviewing it...right now...let's go. Also I'm trying a new grading system..ok let's go for real now.

Plot- The film starts off in an undisclosed location where Ra's Al Ghul, along with his daughter Talia Al Ghul and Damian,  is overseeing the training of his ninjas when they come under attack. In the ensuing chaos Ra's is killed by a former associate ( Slade Wilson) and Damian attempts to kill Slade but is unable to. Fearing for her son's safety, Talia takes him to meet his father and Batman ( who is in the middle of solving a rash of break ins) agrees to watch him, but Damian is on a quest for vengenance and that puts him at odds with Batman. If you've read the "Batman and Son" arc by Grant Morrison then a lot of what happens in the film will seem very familiar to you, albeit with a few tweaks such as the replacement of Tim Drake/Robin with Richard Grayson/Nightwing and the whole Damian wanting to avenge Ra's. I found the plot to be serviceable for the most part although the pacing seemed a bit off and I wish they spent more time showing the conflict between Bruce and Damian or Bruce adjusting to having a son; seriously they got into like 3 arguments and then suddenly Damian understands what it means to be a Wayne, but other than that it was fine.

The face of justice..or revenge...juvenge? revenstice?

Characters and Voice Acting- One of the central themes in the new 52 universe is continuity so all the actors who have voiced characters in the new universe before will reprise their roles, which means that Jason O'Mara is Batman once again. In "Justice League: War" I was not a fan of his Batman because it didn't sound menacing and it still doesn't in this film, but it isn't as..jarring as it was for me before. It's not that he's awful but his Batman sounds like an old man and lacks that gravitas that I'm so accustomed to, I know it sounds like I'm ragging on the guy but I'm just being honest. Talia was also pretty off putting to me too, she sounded like a regular person, no hint of mystique or accent to speak of ( same goes for Ra's Al Ghul) and Slade was the least threatening of all, just let Ron Perlman do it...forever. Nightwing makes an appearance ( beating his previous appearance in Under the Red Hood by 3 whole scenes, pretty soon he might just get a starring role) but the star of this attraction is Damian. I liked the voice actor ( Stuart Allan) as I felt he provided Damian with sort of regal aura  and arrogance that makes you wanna punch him in the face but then don't. Make no mistake about it, from the plot to the action ( which I will be getting to next) and acting, Damian is the shining star of the film and carries that weight extremely well for such a small body. Ok I know this doesn't flow with the ending of that last sentence but whatever its my blog, I didn't like the characterization of Deathstroke at all..there I said it.                                                      

Action-  I am happy to report that the fight scenes are better in this film than in "Justice League War", although they don't happen as much as you'd think which is surprising since it involves ninja assassins, Batman and Deathstroke. There are a few major set pieces that are nice to look at but most of the great fights involve Damian ( remember when I said he was the star?) because he has a lightness to him that makes all of his movements look very dramatic and that adds to the flair of the scenes. I will say that I was pretty disappointed in the scenes that showed Batman fighting; you have Damian fighting with such skill that lets you know that he is no amateur but you don't get that same feeling from Batman, sure he's fighting ninjas but he doesn't look like he's fighting ninjas..more like punching unnamed henchmen.

Overall Score:6/10- This is another film that I felt failed to reach it's potential. Damian is obviously a focal point of the movie but his relationship with Bruce should have been too and I just never got the sense that they were related. This could be due to the time limit but the pacing of the movie felt rushed and made the viewer accept a lot of things without questioning it ( like Slade's plan) and just doesn't really flesh out anything. The introduction of Deathstroke seemed like a stunt because he was used in a way that betrays his character and didn't seem to have any of his abilities present. There are positives to the film though, like it's Young Justice-esque animation style, the costume design, the fight scenes with Damian and the humor in the film; it is a nice movie to watch but it's not one I'd see over and over again. I promise one of these day's I'm gonna review an animated film and it's gonna be super fucking awesome but as of yet the new DC films have be lacking.