| Batman: Under the Red Hood | |
|---|---|
Two-Disc Special Edition DVD cover art |
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| Directed by | Brandon Vietti |
| Produced by | Bruce Timm Bobbi Page Alan Burnett Sam Register Benjamin Melniker Michael Uslan |
| Written by | Judd Winick |
| Based on | Characters by Bob Kane Bill Finger |
| Starring | Bruce Greenwood Jensen Ackles John DiMaggio Neil Patrick Harris Jason Isaacs Wade Williams |
| Music by | Christopher Drake |
| Studio | Warner Bros. Animation Warner Premiere DC Comics |
| Distributed by | Warner Home Video |
| Release date(s) | July 27, 2010 |
| Running time | 75 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6,629,178[1] |
Batman: Under the Red Hood is a 2010 direct-to-video animated superhero film based on the Batman storylines "A Death in the Family" and "Under the Hood". The film is the eighth in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation. It was released on July 27, 2010. The film stars Bruce Greenwood as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jensen Ackles as the Red Hood/Jason Todd, and John DiMaggio as the Joker. The screenplay was written by Judd Winick, who also wrote the "Under the Hood" run in the monthly Batman comic. Bruce Greenwood reprises the voice of Batman in Young Justice.
The two-disc special edition and Blu-ray also includes an animated short featuring Jonah Hex.[2][3]
Contents |
In a warehouse, the Joker brutally beats a captured Robin with a crowbar while Batman races there. Robin, half-dead, is left trapped inside. Although he attempts to escape, a planted explosive destroys the building, taking Jason with it as Batman arrives too late to save him.
Five years later, a masked man known as Red Hood muscles his way into command of the drug trade, assuring protection from Batman and crime lord Black Mask in return.
Elsewhere, Batman intercepts a stolen truck carrying Amazo, an android weapon, and Nightwing arrives to help take it down. The drivers reveal they were under Red Hood’s orders before being assassinated by their boss. Batman gives chase, but after a brief chat at the plant that created the Joker, Red Hood escapes. Afterward, Batman and Nightwing interrogate Joker at Arkham Asylum for information; the clown merely taunts them with Jason’s death and denies involvement.
Angered over his stolen android, Black Mask puts out a hit on Red Hood who promptly hijacks another weapon shipment, with Batman and Nightwing expectedly interrupting. Red Hood eludes them once more, displaying exceptional skills. Batman soon discovers Red Hood knows his secret identity. Bruce also recalls that Jason once used such escape maneuvers, remembering that he became violent and impulsive as he grew older.
On the streets, Red Hood is attacked by the Fearsome Hand of Four, who had been hired by Black Mask as part of his efforts to take down the Red Hood. He stalls them to lure Batman out, and together they incapacitate three while Red Hood murders one. Red Hood insists he is taking criminals out, doing what the Dark Knight is unwilling to do. Batman asked what happened to him, and offers help that is quickly rebuffed. Bruce later uses a blood sample from the battle to confirm that Red Hood is in fact Jason Todd, back from the dead.
Pushed to his breaking point, Black Mask cuts a deal with the Joker: Release from Arkham in exchange for killing Red Hood.
Bruce discovers the body in Jason’s coffin is a fake. Enraged, he visits Ra's al Ghul – the man responsible – for the truth. Ra's reveals that five years previous he commissioned the Joker to distract the Dynamic Duo during a terrorism plot, but the clown went rogue and kidnapped Robin instead. To make amends, Ra's secretly attempted to revive Jason in the Lazarus Pit, which yielded disastrous results: The boy came back wild and fled.
Meanwhile, Joker abducts Black Mask and his associates to burn them alive in a bid for Red Hood’s attention. Red Hood reveals his plan the whole time was to free Joker and arrange a meeting. Batman intervenes, saving the criminals, but Red Hood gets away with a captured Joker in tow.
Red Hood vengefully beats Joker with a crowbar, and stashes him in an abandoned apartment before meeting Batman in Crime Alley. They fight. Jason insists that he’s a better vigilante because of his willingness to control crime and kill. Batman tells him he’ll never be better that way, and expresses his guilt over the accident. Jason forgives him, but is angry that Batman let Joker live. Bruce says that although he’s thought every day about killing Joker, he can’t, because he knows if he starts killing, he’ll never stop. Dissatisfied with the answer, Jason gives Batman an ultimatum by demanding he choose between them: either Jason will shoot the Joker, or Bruce has to shoot Jason to stop him. Batman silently declines participation. Distraught, Jason aims his gun at his former mentor before it is quickly disabled. Red Hood, defeated and purposeless, activates a bomb and slumps to the ground in resignation. Batman knocks the Joker aside to try and save his old friend as the explosive goes off. When the smoke clears, the clown and Bruce survived, but Jason is nowhere to be found.
The Joker is returned to Arkham, Black Mask is back on the streets, and Alfred asks if he should take down Jason’s old Robin costume in the Batcave due to recent events. Bruce refuses, saying nothing has changed. A final memory shows Jason’s first day as Robin, and the young boy declares happily that it’s the best day of his life.
Talia al Ghul also appears in a non-speaking role in the film as well once again alongside her father.
| Batman: Under the Red Hood (Soundtrack from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie) | |
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| Soundtrack album (Digital download) by Christopher Drake | |
| Released | July 27, 2010 |
| Label | WaterTower Music |
"Batman: Under the Red Hood" received critical acclaim. The first review appeared on The World's Finest website which gave the film a generally favorable response, stating, "I have to say this really was a damn good film."[7] The World's Finest website also labeled its advice as "Recommended".[7] IGN gave the movie an 8 out of 10, calling it "An interesting peek inside the psyche of Batman and the fine line between good and evil."[8] Based on seven reviews collected on Rotten Tomatoes, Batman: Under the Red Hood received a rare 'Extremely Fresh' score with an average of a 100% approval rating; it is currently the highest rated direct-to-video Batman film of all time, beating Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero which held the previous title with a 90% approval rating.[9]
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