Whatever arguments fans want to engage in about Warner Bros.' track record with live-action superhero adaptations (I'd argue it's a great track record, others obviously argue it's mixed), there's no denying DC has produced the finest animated superhero films for the last 15+ years. And then Alfred gets into the game too, and things get REALLY out of hand regarding playing fast and lose with Batman's most precious rules for crime-fighting.
For a film centered on Batman's insistence that Damian not kill, and the difficulty Damian has accepting that rule, it is bizarre that Batman's assessment that he's not sure the Talon are really "alive" (they are, though) leads him to take actions that will no doubt shock a lot of Batman fans. My biggest complaint requires a bit of "spoilerish" hinting, but I'll keep it to a minimum, and if you want to avoid it then just skip ahead to the next paragraph. Overall, I think Son of Batman looked better and got more out of the animation, including its sense of scale of surroundings, but for the action sequences Batman vs Robin comes out ahead. Normally, the fighting in animated movies isn't realistic enough to be relied upon as the solid foundation on which to build the rest of the proceedings, but it sure works here. There was clear attention to detail in this regard, and that matters because this is such an action-driven film. That said, the fight scenes are remarkably well-choreographed, and the climactic battle has some especially impressive close-up scenes of Batman in hand-to-hand combat that are among the best yet in these DC animated releases.
And none of that really rings true, because it happens too quickly and these films have done too good of a job establishing Damian's character and sense of duty - there needed to be more, then, in his temptation to the "dark side." It's kept vague and the real meat of the Court's plot points revolve around a Talon assassin attempting to woo Damian away from Batman. The historical implications for Gotham and for Batman himself are significant, but the Court doesn't seem to really be doing much or even planning much that we can really discern. The plot about the Court of Owls feels sudden and rushed, though, and lacks the epic scope it suggests is coming. So, taken on its own merit, it's a good animated film that's at its best when Damian is interacting with Bruce and Dick around the house, and when he's sneaking off to fight crime on his own in order to test his will power when it comes to obeying his father's prohibition on killing. And of course, Batman's brand always sells well. Damian has been a popular character among fans, particularly younger readers. That combination of factors helped it climb into the top-four best selling animated DVDs/Blu-rays out of DC's last ten animated releases. It also had some terrific interaction between Damian and Dick Grayson (aka Nightwing). There was a more epic scope to that film, and I loved the animation in the opening sequence with the League of Shadows. I enjoyed Son of Batman a lot, and apparently so did most fans. It became the eighth-best-selling DC animated DVD/Blu-ray release. Son of Batman sold about $6 million domestically on DVD and Blu-ray, and perhaps $10 million worldwide. Basically a follow-up to last year's Son of Batman, this latest outing for the caped crusader and his trained-assassin spawn further explores the conflict and tension between Batman's worldview and his son Damian's violent, deadly behavior, and their struggle to develop a relationship.
The screening was packed, and I didn't see an empty seat in the Arena by the time the movie started. I'm attending WonderCon all weekend and will be reporting on some key events, and opening day on Friday brought the premiere of the latest Warner Bros.-DC Comics animated superhero film Batman vs Robin, which releases later this month on DVD and Blu-ray. Decked out in their best cosplay and lining up for hours to attend panels on all manner of genre entertainment and gaming, you'll find the largest crowds at the Arena where film screenings and some of the biggest panels take place. This weekend, WonderCon invades Anaheim, bringing tens of thousands of comic book, sci-fi, fantasy, and all-around geek culture fans to the Convention Center in Orange County, California.