UNWORTHY HEIR by Mo Shaunette
Above: father and son in the latest animated Batman adventure
The DC Universe Animated Original
Movies have (for me, at least) been a steady source of entertainment, bringing
beloved stories and quality animation to the small screen for years. Entries like “Batman: Year One” and
“Superman vs. the Elite” are outstanding features, in some cases better
than their higher-profile live-action counterparts. Sadly, the latest entry into the DCUAOM (weird
acronym), “Son of Batman,” doesn’t live up to the legacy set by its
predecessors.
Based on the recent “Batman and Son”
comics by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, “Son of Batman,” if nothing else,
lives up to its title. The hook? That the Caped Crusader (voiced here by Jason
O’Mara) learns that he fathered an illegitimate son, Damian, with his
on-again/off-again girlfriend/enemy Talia al-Ghul (Morena Baccarin). But when a coup erupts within the notorious
League of Assassins, Damian is forced to go into hiding with Daddy while Mommy
sorts things out with the League’s new man in charge, Deathstroke (Thomas
Gibson).
To be frank, this is where the film’s
faults begin. In the comics, Deathstoke
was never affiliated with the League of Assassins; he was U.S.
soldier-turned-mercenary. So why use
him? There’s a million other assassins
that could have acted as the villain. But I digress….
Beyond that, the meat of this story is
Bruce Wayne’s relationship with his son, particularly in regards to how Damian
has been raised to think like an assassin rather than a normal ten-year-old
(and how he condones violence and murder because that’s what his teachers have
raised him to believe in). And this is
one of the major failing points of the movie. It’s not a fault of the voice acting (Stuart
Allen does a fine job in the role of Damian), but rather of the writing.
See, there are two main facets to
Damian. The first is on the surface:
that he is an aristocratic, spoiled brat who impulsively condescends to his
elders. The second is the fact that
Damian secretly has the same insecurities that any ten-year-old has: he wants
friends, he wants to have fun, and more than anything, he wants to make his dad
proud. Yet while “Son of Batman” gets
the first facet down perfectly, the second feels underdeveloped, so much so
that by the time Damian completes his character arc, it feels woefully
unfinished.
That said, the film’s presentation of
its villain is even worse. Deathstroke
may have wormed his way into being an A-List adversary in the DC Comics (which
is likely the only reason he was included in this flick), but “Son of Batman”
makes him seem bland and underwritten. Instead
of the quiet (and not-so-quiet) rage that Manu Bennett gave the character in
the television series “Arrow” or the subtle but genuine menace of Ron Perlman’s
Deathstroke in the animated “Teen Titans,” Thomas Gibson’s version in the new
film feels like a high school bully—like Biff Tannen is doing his best
impression of a Bond villain. His
dialogue is awkward and forced and Mr. Gibson fails to infuse the character
with any personality.
Thankfully, the rest of the cast and
characters are, at the very least, serviceable. Jason O’Mara manages to make Caped Crusader
his own (without imitating the once-and-future animated Batman, Kevin Conroy);
Morena Baccarin makes an okay Talia when she’s given anything to do besides
exposit; Giancarlo Esposito is a great Ra’s al-Ghul (for the ten minutes of
screen time the character has); and Sean Maher and David McCallum make lasting
impressions as Bat-allies Nightwing and Alfred (though that may be because
their purpose is to insult the titular son of Batman when he needs it).
Alas, none of these talents are enough
to save the movie. Much as it pains me
to say it, “Son of Batman” may be a bit too comic-booky. I’m more than willing to suspend my disbelief
for the sake of story, but there’s limits. Yes, I’ll buy that the League of Assassins has
an army of man-bats, that guys with swords can beat guys with guns, and even
that Talia has to show off her cleavage all the time for some reason. But some of the film’s fight scenes are just
too much. Case in point—a battle between
Damian and a bodyguard built like "Predator"-era Schwarzenegger that
bafflingly looks like someone shooting rubber bands at a brick wall to knock it
down.
Thus, “Son of Batman” is one of the
lesser entries into the DC Animated line-up. And even if it does have some solid action to
go with its mostly good animation, it mishandles the introduction of one
popular character and botches the representation of another. If you’re a diehard Bat-fan or someone looking
for a window into Grant Morrison’s now-famous run on the character, I recommend
you check it out. But otherwise, I
suggest you read the comics proper or watch one of the other great Batman
stories DC has put to film.
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