At long last, James Gunn has revealed a significant portion of DC STUDIO’s 8-10 year plan, for their interconnected film, television, animation, and gaming DC Cinematic Universe. They’re calling this first chapter, Gods and Monsters (sick title!). Gunn was quick to point out that while these are the Chapter One projects they’re ready to announce, these projects don’t include every planned Chapter One release. So expect more projects to be announced in the months and years to come.
This is some very exciting stuff. I love this slate of projects and I think they’re the perfect mixture of characters, films, and television series to give The MCU a run for their money. Check out James Gunn’s full announcement about DC Studios: Chapter 1 – Gods and Monsters, right here…
Very, very cool, right? Here’s the full slate of movies and TV shows announced for Chapter One:
This is an absolutely killer line up! There’s a lot here to be really excited about! Below, I’ve listed the top 4 projects that I’m most looking forward to…
As a die hard Green Lantern fan, it was impossible for me not to thrilled about Lanterns, starring Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Gunn described the series as an HBO prestige drama in the vein of True Detective, with Jordan and Stewart acting space cops on “Precinct Earth” (Along with a few other notable lanterns popping up here and there). The story centers on Jordan and Stewart as they uncover a horrifying mystery connecting to the larger DCU. This project has massive potential.
For a long time, one of the things I’ve most wanted to see in a Batman movie is the introduction of the “Bat-Family”. Characters like Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Red Hood, etc. Other orphans and vigilante’s Batman has taken under his wing and joined in his fights to protect Gotham City. So I love that our intro to this new DCEU Batman, will be through the film The Brave and The Bold, which will be heavily influenced by Grant Morrison’s classic Batman run. The story sees Batman training and contending with a whole new type of Robin, the biological son Bruce never knew he had, Damian Wayne. Son of Bruce and Talia Al Ghul, dauighter of R’as Al Ghul. Damian was raised and trained from infancy in his grandfather’s League of Assassins. So Batman has his work cut out for him as he attempts to mold his 10 year old assassin son, into a Robin that adheres to The Dark Knight’s ‘No Killing” code. This is territory that has never been covered in a Batman film before, so this will feel both fresh and fun. This is the beginning of “The Bat-Family” in The DCEU and it’s about time!
The Authority is one of the coolest, most groundbreaking comics I’ve ever read. When then The Authority first hit stands about 20 years ago, it rocked the comic book industry. I’m shocked and thrilled that this is hitting theatres. One of the craziest, most cinematic comics of the last few decades.This is the type of story that’s perfect for those audience members feeling superhero fatigue. THIS is something new, my friends!
A hardcore, Swamp Thing horror movie? Hell yeah. Swamp Thing is one of DC’s best and most unique characters. With classic stories from, creators like Alan Moore, Len Wein, Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, and Neil Gaiman, there are wealth of amazing stories for the film to draw from.
Well, those are the projects that got me the most excited, check out the full list of releases below.
What do you think of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters? What Projects are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
We have some exciting trailers for you to check out this week! First up is the first trailer for part two of DC Animation’s adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween! I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time, The Long Halloween is one of the quintessential Batman stories. After spectacular adaptations of Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, DC Animation dropped the ball a little bit with their adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke. After the aforementioned 3 stories, The Long Halloween is the last of Batman’s most iconic stories for the animation studio to tackle. Let’s hope it ends up closer to Year One and The Dark Knight Returns than The Killing Joke! Take a look:
Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 is available for digital download and Blu-Ray/4K on June 22, with Part 2 arriving July 27 on digital and August 10 on Blu-ray.
Now we move from The DC Universe over to Marvel…
Next up, Marvel has been giving us a few quick looks at the upcoming LOKI series on Disney+
Every time I get another look at this series, the more excited I am. I really like how the trailers are very cool without showing or spoiling too much. I’ve heard that this is fantastic, there have even been rumors that Marvel is already working on a season two. Which shows their confidence in this series. LOKI was one of the first shows to be announced when Marvel revealed that they would be doing programming on Disney+. While I love the character, I didn’t really know what they would do with it, so I wasn’t as hyped as you might think. But once information about the show started to come out and we saw some footage, I think this is going to be total blast! Marvel is 2 for 2 with their Disney+ shows so far after WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and I have a feeling LOKI will make it a hat trick.
Thanks for reading (and watching)! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
On this episode of The World’s Best Podcast, we’re going over The Best & Worst Movies of 2020! Normally, choosing the best and worst movies at the end of the year, is one of my favorite movie rituals. Unfortunately, this year didn’t have quite as many opportunities to see new films in theaters, due to the obvious mitigating circumstances. I still manage to see quite a few movies nonetheless. It just meant watching a lot more steaming content and movies On Demand. So GODDAMMIT!, I was gonna do my best and worst movies of 2020 list, so help me God! Because if I don’t the virus wins! So here it is! It’s nothing to write home about, but hey they can’t all the gems! Please let me know in the comments what movies you loved, or hated, 2020!
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/42893825 Or subscribe/listen on Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
We are also going to be posting either an article or a podcast about our favorite TV shows of 2020, as well as the projects we’re p most looking forward to in 2021! Those will be up in the very near future, so keep an eye out…
Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
UPDATED: In a move that will have a massive effect on the filmmaking business, Warner Bros/DC have announced that Wonder Woman 1984, will be simultaneously released in theatres and HBO Max on 12/25/20. The movie will be free for anyone with an existing HBO Max subscription, there will be no extra charge like Disney+ did with their release of Mulan earlier this year. This is some damn good new and I’m psyched to finally see WW84!
We will keep you updated as more information becomes available….
Trailers are one of my favorite aspects of the moviegoing experience. Even if the final film turns out to be a complete piece of dog shit, a great trailer can be thrilling and rousing, it can spark your imagination. Of course, as i’ve said in the past, in some ways the art of movie trailers has disappeared for the most part, every once in a while a trailer comes along that blows your socks off. Whenever I find an interesting trailer, I always make a point to post it here on the website to share it with my audience. So I’ve been thinking about making it a little bit more of a formal, weekly column series called “Trailers of The Week”. Sometimes there are trailers that I’d really love to share with you guys, but they don’t necessarily marry their own article here on the website. This way I can let everyone know about all of the interesting trailers I’ve come across each week. Some weeks are going to be better than others, but hopefully will get more fantastic trailers than average ones. So without any further do, I think I have two pretty cool trailers to share with you guys this week.
The first, is the latest trailer for Justice League: The Snyder Cut, premiering on HBO Max early 2021. It contains a lot of footage that we saw in the first trailer, but some interesting moments are expanded, we get a better look at some significant characters, and there is some new and interesting material as well. I have made it no secret that I am extremely excited for this project, I really hope Zack Snyder is able to silence his critics and give us something very unique and interesting for those of you who don’t know at this point the Snyder cut is so long that it’s going to be released as a miniseries on HBO max, I think it’s about five or six hours at this point, I’m not 100% sure. One thing is for sure this is going to be damn interesting superhero project to watch when it finally comes out.
On to our second trailer…
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of the DC Animated Movies that come out three or four times a year. This new film, Batman: Soul of The Dragon, looks particularly interesting. I love the whole retro 70s style and the Bruce Lee, Enter The Dragon “vibe”. Bruce Wayne is one of the best fighters in DC Universe, so it’s very interesting to see a younger Bruce training to become a deadly martial artists. DC Animation have put out their fair share mediocre films, but every now and again they knock one out of the park. Hopefully, Batman: Soul of The Dragon is the former. I love the new aesthetic and unique story. I’m definitely looking forward to give this movie a watch.
Batman: Soul of The Dragon: Available digitally on 1/12/21 and on Blu-Ray on 1/26
Justice League: The Snyder Cut: Premiering on HBO Max sometime in the first half of 2021
Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. We’re on Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
On this week’s episode of The World’s Best Podcast, Big Paul Sr. returns to the show for a sobering reminder of how aging can lead to a steep cognitive decline! More importantly, we cover the big news of the week: Michael Keaton may be returning to play Batman alongside Ezra Miller’s Flash, in the upcoming Flashpoint movie? The man who many people think is still the best to ever wear the cape and the cowl, returning to the role of The Dark Knight is extremely exciting!
Getting a Flash movie to the big screen has been an enormous struggle for DC and Warner Brothers. The film has already gone through multiple writers/directors and was originally scheduled for release more than two years ago. Barring anymore disasters, The Flash is going to be helmed by Andy Muschietti, who directed the recent hit horror films, IT and IT: Chapter Two. Despite all the drama behind the scenes, one thing has remain constant: The Flash film will be an adaptation of the seminal Flash storyline, Flashpoint.
Left: The Flash will be directed by Andy Muschietti, the filmmaker behind “IT” & “IT: Chapter Two”; Right: Art from Flashpoint, the story said to the focus of the upcoming Flash film.
Written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert, Flashpoint told the story of Barry Allen (The Flash) going back in time to prevent his mothers murder. However, changing this one event has dire and far reaching consequences that Barry never could have foreseen. Barry finds himself in a much darker and dangerous version of the DCU that he knows. Kind of like Back To The Future II. However, one of the most significant and interesting changes is revealed when Barry heads to Wayne Manor to seek out the help of his friend and fellow JL member, Batman. When Barry enters The Batcave, a nearly psychotic Batman attacks him. At which point Barry makes a horrifying discovery, the man underneath the bat cowl is actually Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s father! As a result of Barry‘s manipulation of the timeline, one of the major changes effected the creation of The Dark Knight on that fateful night in Crime Alley, in Gotham City all those years ago when The Wayne’s were attacked by a mugger. Bruce was now the one shot and killed, instead of his parents. So Thomas Wayne became Batman. A much more violent and unhinged Batman. Working together, Barry and Thomas Wayne set out to fix the timeline. That’s the set up.
The Batman (Thomas Wayne) of The Flashpoint timeline
This is just speculation on my part, but like a lot of comic book adaptations of specific stories, I think a lot of liberties will be taken with the source material with this Flashpoint film. A good example is Captain America: Civil War, that story was based on the miniseries Civil War and is vastly different from the source material. So what I think will happen is, maybe instead of an alternate timeline, Barry will enter an alternate universe, like the universe of Tim Burton’s Batman and that’s where he’ll meet and team up with Michael Keaton‘s Dark Knight. Maybe he travels to another alternate universe with Barry, I don’t know how it will work. But you can definitely see how they could fit Michael Keaton’s Batman into a story like this.
I know DC also wants to use Keaton in a role similar to Nick fury in the MCU, one example that’s been rumored suggests Keaton’s Batman showing up in a Batgirl movie. However, I think if DC and Warner Bros. want to do a film about a young Bat-themed hero, they would be crazy not to adapt Batman Beyond. It works perfectly, an older Bruce Wayne played by Keaton, training Terry McGinnis as the next Batman in futuristic Gotham City. It was a phenomenal TV series and it could be a phenomenal film series, as well.
Bottom line is, there a lot of thrilling possibilities with Michael Keaton returning to play Batman and all of them are exciting! We get into in all on this episode so, enjoy!
The Flash or Flashpoint (whatever they end up calling it) is currently set to hit theaters on June 3, 2022
Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/33382238 Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter@PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!
It’s Movie Trailer Tuesday here at World’s Best Media! We have some new trailers and featurettes from 2 very different, but very cool upcoming superhero movies: Marvel’s Black Widow and the new film from DC Animation, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War!
First up, we have the final trailer for Marvel’s Black Widow, opening May 1st. Fans have been clamoring for a Black Widow movie for years and early projections have this film doing big numbers for Marvel.
Personally, I’m most excited to see Taskmaster make his big screen debut. Taskmaster is a mercenary and assassin who can perfectly mimic the fighting style and ability of any combatant he encounters. It was especially cool to see Taskmaster studying the surveillance videos of Natasha’s big fight with the guards at Hammer Industries during the climax of Iron Man 2 (her first appearance in The MCU). We also see Taskmaster breakout moves mimicking the some of the best hand to hand fighters in The MCU, like Captain America, Black Panther, and Hawkeye. I think this is going to be a blast, but check out the trailer for yourself right here…
DC Animation just released their adaptation of Superman: Red Son, arguably one of the most beloved Superman stories ever told. I loved the film, it was a return to the glory days of fantastic DC Animated Movies. Even though I love the DCAU, lately they have not been on par with the amazing work they’ve done in the past. However, it looks like they may be back on track. While Red Son was excellent, I found myself even more excited by the sneak peek at the next DC Animated film, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
This is the culmination of at least a dozen or more movies that began with Justice League: War, which was about how the Justice League was formed to repel the forces of Darkseid and his invading armies. DCA puts out at least 3 or 4 movies every year and at least 1 or 2 of these films have taken place in this shared DC Animated Universe that started with Justice League: War (The other films released each year tend to be their own standalone stories like Superman: Red Son, Batman Gotham by Gaslight, or The Killing Joke). This new film looks like the DCAU version of Avengers: Endgame. This video was previewed as a feturette on the special features of Superman: Red Son, just give it a watch and you’ll see how cool this movie looks…
If that wasn’t enough, DC Animation also released a trailer for the new film as well which you can watch right here…
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War will be available digitally on iTunes on May 5th and on Blu-Ray/4K on May 19th.
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again!
Another year has come to an end, but before we ring in the New Year, I wanted to leave you all with one more entry in my recommendation series: Paul’s Picks! Let’s dive in…
House of X/Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman
This is by far the best superhero graphic novel of the year, if not the last several years. Jonathan Hickman has delivered one of the most wildly unique superhero comics I’ve read in a long time. Something about the X-Men allows for new creators to come into that world and wildly shake things up. They put their unique brand on the characters and the story, all the while always feeling like an X-Men tale. Chris Claremont did it with Giant Size X-Men #1, Grant Morrison did it with New X-Men, Joss Whedon did it with Astonishing X-Men, and now Jonathan Hickman has done it again with House of X/Powers of X.
The best part is you don’t have to be familiar with recent X-Men comics understand the story, you just need a basic knowledge of who the X-Men are. The hardcover volume I have is a special edition that actually came with a lithograph signed by Jonathan Hickman, which is pretty cool, but don’t expect it to be come with every edition (this was a special order).
Lithograph signed by Jonathan Hickman
Most other editions of this hardcore graphic novel have a different, but still beautiful wrap around cover. If you’ve ever been interested in superhero comics or if you wanted to get back into comic books, this is a must read.
As I’ve talked about on this website many times, I love the DC animated movies that come out every year. One of the better ones in recent memory has been The Death of Superman storyline which was broken into two different films. The first, The Death of Superman focuses on Clark Kent’s growing romantic relationship with Lois Lane and ultimately Superman’s fight to the death with the vicious monster, Doomsday. While Reign of The Supermen is about how the World, The Justice League, Lois Lane, and even Lex Luthor all deal with the loss of Earth’s greatest hero. Now this excellent story can be watched seamlessly as one beautiful animated film: The Death and Return of Superman. Much like their adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, which was split into two separate film releases and then eventually released as one film under The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition, The Death and Return of Superman is best enjoyed as one movie.
My last pick is Quentin Tarantino’s latest film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. I’m a huge Tarantino fan, but to be honest I was disappointed with his most recent directorial effort. Don’t get me wrong, DiCaprio and Pitt are great and there’s a lot to like in this movie, but it just didn’t wow me like Tarantino’s movies usually do. I know I’m in the minority on this one, the film was a huge critical success and most of my friends loved it as well, including World’s Best Media’s own Ryan McDonald. However, just because I wasn’t blown away doesn’t mean I didn’t want to add the film to my Blu-Ray collection. My personal selection was the Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook Blu-Ray/4K edition. I love me some steelbook Blu-rays!
So that’s it for my picks in 2019! Look for me to continue this article series more frequently in the coming year. Have a safe and Happy New Year! See you in 2020!
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, which go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again!
I love DC’s Animated Movies. I always look forward to what stories they choose to tell in their animated films every year. I’ll even go so far as to say that some of them are among the best superhero movies ever made. There’s one story in particular that fans have wanted to see for years: an adaptation of Superman: Red Son, a miniseries by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson. Red Son is a classic DC “Elseworlds”story. Elseworlds stories are essentially alternate takes on classic DC stories or characters. It’s almost like a “what if?” tale. Like, what if Batman existed in the Victorian era Gotham City and hunted Jack The Ripper? Or what if, years in the future, the original members of the Justice League must come out of retirement to deal with a new generation of violent and destructive “heroes“ that have risen up in their absence? (These are all real Elseworlds stories by the way).
The story of Superman: Red Son is brilliant in its simplicity. What if instead of crashing his spaceship in Smallville, Kansas where he was raised by the Kent’s, little baby Kal-El’s ship landed in Soviet Union era Russia? How would that change the history of the world? Would Superman’s inherent goodness shine through despite being raised in a culture like The Soviet Union, during the height of The Cold War? Red Son takes this premise and runs with it brilliantly. We even get to see different versions of characters like Batman, Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, The Green Lantern Corps, and many more.
Over the past couple of years, the DC Animated Movies have dipped a little in quality compared to some of their truly phenomenal earlier films, like their adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, or Batman: Under The Red Hood. I have noticed a little bit of an uptick in quality over there last few movies, so hopefully Superman: Red Son will be the film that gives us another DC Animated Movie classic. You can watch the trailer right here:
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, which go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love the direct to Blu-Ray and Digital DC Animated Movies. There’ve been some real classics to come out of these projects. Movies like Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns: The Deluxe Edition, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and Batman: Under The Red Hood, just to name a few. While there have been some enjoyable standouts, there hasn’t been a real homerun from these films in a while. Though Batman: Hush may not knock it out of the park, it comes damn near close. Based on the classic Batman run by writer Jeph Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween) with art by the legendary Jim Lee (Justice League, X-Men), Batman: Hush does a great job of adapting this seminal Batman tale while still fitting the movie into the animated continuity (or DCAU) that DC created beginning with Justice League: War. The result is a pretty damn good movie that is less of a mystery and more of a tragic romance. Which may irk some fans, but I’ll get into more of that in a moment.
I’ve heard some people complain about the animation in these films lately. Critics say that copying the general aesthetic of The New 52 and attempting to adhere to a visual continuity, makes each of these movies feel overly similar and blocky. Well, that issue isn’t completely absent from this film, but there are some notable efforts to step up to quality of the animation. Some shots feature fantastic little details that immediately draw your eyes. How someone’s eyes and face move before something dramatic is about to happen, the way a fight move is pulled off, small moments scattered throughout the film that make it feel as if the animators were going the extra mile and it shows.
The real highlight of the movie is the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. It’s so rare to see Batman in a successful and a functioning relationship. I should mention that Selina doesn’t know that Bruce is Batman at the beginning of the story.
It’s only when things begin to get serious that he reveals himself to be Bruce Wayne. In fact, there is a funny scene when he brings her to the Batcave for the first time and she’s enthusiastically greeted by Dick in the Nightwing uniform without his mask and Alfred attempting to serve her tea. When she‘s surprised to realize that Dick and Alfred know that she’s Selina Kyle. She even half jokingly asks “Does everyone know who I am?“ Dick blurts out “No, just us and Damian.” Selena asks “Who’s Damian?”, “Oh he’s Bruce’s son… He’s Robin.” Replies Dick with an awkward look on his face. It’s easy to see how being an intimate part of Bruce’s life isn’t so simple, which is why he and Selena are so perfect for one another. He is drawn to Selina as both Batman and Bruce Wayne and that’s where the key to their success of the relationship lies.
If Bruce and Selina are out on a date and The Bat Signal appears in the sky, Bruce doesn’t have to make up some bullshit excuse. She’s more than capable of coming along with him to stop whatever threat he’s facing and it even feels like a natural part of their “date night” that they both seem to get off on. Catwoman may have been staying on the straight and narrow, but she loves this world, she loves being part of a good fight. In fact, I think if she was dating Bruce and he didn’t have the Batman aspect to his life, the relationship wouldn’t work. Selina needs those kind of thrills.The film is mature enough to acknowledge that this relationship wouldn’t have worked if it began when they were younger. Maybe there would’ve been an intense fling, but nothing more. They’ve both matured, changed, and they both want different things than they did years before. It’s at this point in their lives that they’re ready to be together as both Bruce Wayne/Batman and Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
When comparing the graphic novel to the film, it’s important to remember that the Batman: Hush graphic novel is a mystery at it’s heart. Who is Hush? Why are they doing this? Well the movie managed to do a great job with staying relatively faithful to the source material, while still managing to surprising fans of the graphic novel. Love it or hate it. Many of the iconic moments from the comic book are present in the film. Some are even slightly improved upon. However, there is one classic scene from Batman: Hush that was adapted to the film, but (without going into SPOILERS) the scene felt like it needed to be a little bit longer. I was impressed how Hush managed to both surprise those of us who’ve read the comic book, while still being faithful to the source material in a unique way. To say much more would be a SPOILER, but you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it. You may think you know where the story is going, you may think you know the identity of Hush (and maybe you’re right), but things play out just different enough to make things fun, interesting, and surprising.
The final fight between Batman and Hush is particularly well animated, well choreographed, and thrilling. The animation of the fight has a very dynamic quality. Batman employs one of my favorite tactics of his, that we’ve seen in animation and comics many times, but almost never in live-action: He gets in the villains head to gain the upper hand. He plays mind games with his opponents and that’s used here to great effect. Batman use his genius, his ability to manipulate the psychosis of the villain he’s facing, to exploit their fears, insecurities, and weaknesses to give him that extra edge for the win. Batman’s greatest weapon is his intellect.
The combination of the surprising reveal of Hush’s identity, the fantastic animation, and Batman using his intellect to exploit the mental and emotional weaknesses of his opponent, make this for a pretty memorable final battle.
It should be noted that Selina Kyle/Catwoman is a notorious criminal and accomplished superhero in her own right. However, Batman can be such a larger than life figure, that it would be easy to make even the strongest of women look like a damsel in distress in one of his stories. The film does a great job of avoiding problems like this. Selina is her own woman. Her choices are not defined by Bruce’s choices. She doesn’t necessarily need his help to get out of some of the most serious jams she finds herself in throughout the movie. Particularly in the climax of the film, Selina finds herself in a very precarious life and death situation. I’m fairly certain she would’ve been fine, whether Batman showed up or not. The storytellers did a phenomenal job making her an interesting capable character.
At the end of the day this is still a love story between Batman and Catwoman. The sad realization of how, at least in this point in their lives, that love story is also a tragedy. Bruce lets Selina in, in a way we rarely see from this character. There comes a point in the story, when Bruce makes a decision that looks like madness to Selina. In fact, it would look like madness too many of us in the audience. Once the threat has been neutralized and the villain dealt with, Selina has an epiphany. She realizes that no matter how much she loves Bruce, no matter how much she changes for him, no matter how much more she’s willingto change for him, he won’t change himself.
There are things he will not become. There are lines he cannot cross. Because of that Selina will always come in second place to Bruce. She willing to let herself evolve with this relationship, but she realizes that in the end, Bruce is an immovable object she’ll break herself against. It’s profound, it’s sad, and it’s veryBatman.
Batman: Hush is a flawed, but solid Batman mystery/adventure with a fantastic romance story, great fight scenes, some stand out bits of animation, and some surprisingly thought-provoking character and story elements. Some things land better than others and I think the film may have benefited from another 20 minutes or so of storytelling to help flesh out some of it’s more interesting ideas. The climax in particular feels like it comes out of nowhere, when there should’ve been a bit more tension and build up to Batman‘s final confrontation with Hush. Whether you’ve read the original graphic novel or not, this movie will still keep you guessing.
While not the complete return to form I was hoping for from Warner Bros/DC Animation after the strong combination of The Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen, I’d say this is still a MUST WATCH for any Batman fan!
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