Like every other Geek in Geekdom worth his Geekredentials, I too got my hands on
Batman: Under the Red Hood
this week. Under the Red Hood is the latest in a long and almost always awesome line-up of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
So how was it? Amazing. One of the best DC Universe animated flicks yet.
But be warned, it isn't for the feint of heart. Under the Red Hood is pretty damn brutal at times. Many times. But that certainly shouldn't surprise anyone even vaguely familiar with the comic book source material it's based on.
This ain't no Brave and the Bold!
I won't get all spoilery; I'll keep my review here general and brief. The voice talent is great, John DiMaggio (currently best known for his work as Aquaman on Batman: The Brave and the Bold) does an excellent Joker. Jensen Ackles does very well as Red Hood, Bruce Greenwood does a Batman that at times even sounds a bit like Kevin Conroy, and fan favorite Neil Patrick Harris steals the show with some great lines as Nightwing.
And if anyone from DC/WB is listening, based on his appearance here, I think a Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing animated feature length film would be pretty sweet! Just saying.
The animation and action are tops (although there were a few too many
20+ foot vertical backwards jumps and other
push physics a little too far, even for a cartoon leaps for my liking,) and the story has some surprising depth and a few great cameos and flashback sequences.
The Jonah Hex Showcase Short before the feature is good too. Not great, but fun. I think the Spectre Showcase Short that appeared before Crisis on Two Earths sort of set the bar a little too high for JH to reach, but it's a nice add and probably seventeen hundred times better than the recent Jonah Hex movie.
I picked Under The Red Hood up at Best Buy, and was able to get the last exclusive copy, which comes with a Red Hood figurine (similar to
Crisis' exclusive Owlman figurine.)
A fun little add-on; I wouldn't have worried about it if I didn't get it, but it cost the same as the 2 disc special edition DVD with or without it, so I'm all over the free toy angle!
The second disc includes a featurette called Robin: The Story of Dick Grayson. I'm pretty sure you can guess what that's about; and two episodes of Batman the animated series. I haven't popped that DVD in yet so I don't know which episodes.
Also included is a "First Look" at the next DC/WB animated offering: Superman/Batman Apocalypse. That one should be fun!
Buy stuff by me at Zazzle!
So how was it? Amazing. One of the best DC Universe animated flicks yet.
A fun little add-on; I wouldn't have worried about it if I didn't get it, but it cost the same as the 2 disc special edition DVD with or without it, so I'm all over the free toy angle!
But I wanted to soon get straight back to him,
Etrigan here, he is a rhyming demon,
But fused to a man by the wizard named Merlin,
He's now summoned forth by the noble J. Blood,
Etrigan is DCUC Wave One's best,
His sculpt and his likeness are simply tres groovy,
The Penguin tends to get very little respect, both in fiction and as a toy. I think that is due to the fact that a Penguin action figure is a bit of an oxymoron. This guy isn't much on "action." This fact leads to The Penguin probably being the easiest to find figure from Wave One. Which is too bad, because people who are passing him up are missing out on a fun and well designed charter member of Batman's rouges gallery.
The sculptors for this DC Universe Classics Penguin got the "homely" portion down without getting too freakish or mutant looking...
...and they also included a nice gimmick umbrella. It's obviously designed as a shield to protect Oswald from errant batarangs...
...and it hides a secret too!
Penguin's umbrella has a little Gatling attachment that can be hidden from view behind the umbrella-shield..
...or exposed for Bat-Target practice!
"Waugh waugh waugh!"
This figure was originally supposed to come with a robotic Penguin, which would have been awesome but was scratched in pre-production. So my Penguin had to adopt a couple atomic-glowing Penguins to spread radiation sickness throughout Gotham...unless Penguin's demands are met!
First up is Harley Quinn - everyone's favorite Femme Fatale. Okay maybe not everyone, but she's been a fan favorite since day one, first leaping onto TV screens in Batman: The Animated Series and later making a seamless transition into the comic book universe.
...and a corked pop-gun that is certain to be more harmful than it would first appear.
Like all DCUC, Harley has tons of articulation. She can hold both of her weapons with ease. My only quibble is that the female figures in the line appear pretty flimsy due to their long and very thin appendages. The girls tend to look a little too skinny, especially next to the buff male figures, but they're surprisingly sturdy and poseable.
"What hammer?"
"POP goes...your head!"
"Who you callin' crazy?!?!"
Her face does have a blue tint, which is not character accurate but is also a minor issue. If you don't like it, you could easily modify it, but I think it adds a little more personality to the figure, and helps her face stand out a bit. Probably in the top two from Wave Two, Harley is a must have for any serious Bat fan!
This is the recently released/currently available at retail DC Universe Classics Batman action figure. Wearing the blue and grey, with capsule belt and gold background batsymbol, this representation of Batman is more in tune with the pre-movie comic book Batman of the seventies and eighties. No black leather/armor clad love here, this is bright blue tights and muscle - all Bruce Wayne all the time!
