Batman: Assault on Arkham Review
Guardians of the
Galaxy may have cemented Marvel's domination of comic book films on
the big screen, but on the small screen it's a totally different
matter. Since 2007 DC Universe Animated Original Movies have been wowing audiences with
movie adaptations of some of the most beloved comic book runs as well
as original stories starring some of DC Comics' most iconic
characters. Where Marvel never really seemed to get their act
together in this area, DC kept producing hit after hit.
Then in late 2013
the legendary Bruce Timm, who brought us the revered Batman: The Animated Series, stepped down as DC's animation supervising producer
and things began to take a turn for the worse. Post-Timm animated
features such as Justice League: War, Son of Batman and Flashpoint Paradox all lacked the quality and attention to detail that Timm had
brought to his productions. I was beginning to lose hope, and then I
watched Batman: Assault on Arkham...

Well technically,
it's a super-villain story. Yessir, don't let the name fool you,
Batman; Assault on Arkham, ain't about no caped crusader. It's very
much a suicide squad tale with the 'B word' thrown in the title to
sell more copies. Sure, Batman does appear quite a bit, but the focus
is never really on him. He's more of this foreboding unbeatable obstacle
that the Suicide Squad have to constantly avoid.

To keep them on
mission, each member has been implanted with highly explosive nanites
allowing Whaller to remotely 'terminate' anyone who misbehaves. A
bunch of super-powered criminals forced to work together under threat
of death - what could possibly go wrong?
And believe me,
these characters are villains, as the film constantly reminds us. At
every critical decision point or chance for redemption Deadshot and
the gang prove that they are totally morally bankrupt. So if they are
such terrible people, why should we care if they live or die? Well,
the answer is simple: against the faceless spooky government
organization Amanda Waller represents, you can't help but have some
level of pity for the suicide squad. Especially when they are brought
to life so vividly with solid animation and stellar voice acting.
At this point I
should admit that I'm a voice acting snob, in my opinion it's even
more important than the animation. A good voice actor is the
difference between whether you see an actual character on screen or
just a bunch of moving pictures with a voice over. Fortunately, Batman: Assault on Arkham has assembled an impressive voice cast (and
yes before you ask, Kevin Conroy voices Batman) that brings plenty of
personality to the rag-tag group of villians making up the Suicide Squad.
Notable mentions include Jennifer Hale as Killer Frost, Hynden Walch
as Harley Quinn, C.C.H Pounder as Amanda Waller, and Troy Baker as
the Joker.
Also worth a mention, although unfortunately for the wrong
reasons, is Matthew Gray Gubler who provides possibly the worst
rendition of the Riddler I have ever heard. Gubler's Riddler sounds
irritating, nasally and very, very forced. Seriously, if the Riddler
played a big role in this film he would have killed it for me,
fortunately his role is rather small.
This one gripe
aside, I have nothing but affection for Batman: Assult on Arkham.
What could have been a half-baked attempt to translate the success of
the Arkham series of games into animated movie sales, instead stands
out on its own as a strong and unique addition to the DC animated
film family. This one is a strong recommend from me.
- Christof
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