Son of Batman

So here’s a shocker for everybody: it’s an animated Batman movie I don’t like! Son of Batman

Welcome to the last day of my Batman reviews. Now I know its November 1^st, but I left yesterday alone so that Poe can go off with a bang.

In actuality, this is part 1 of my own finale; part 2 coming later today if my schedule goes right. Part 1 of our program begins with one of the latest animated Batman movies: Son of Batman

Based on a comic book arc Batman and Son from 2006, I actually know little to nothing about the story this movies is based on. Though if its anything like the movie at all, I’m scared I don’t want to.

But the movie itself is a little treat: it is meant to serve as a follow-up to the DC Animated film Justice League: War with several actors (mainly Batman’s) reprising their roles as well as the exact same animation team.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

Our movie opens in a fortress in a mountainous region where the League of Assassins has made base. Ra’s Al Ghul (Giancarlo Esposito) is watching over his ninja army train with his daughter Talia Al Ghul (Morena Baccarin), his son Dusan Al Ghul, and his own grandson by Talia: Damian (Stuart Allan).

Dusan is killed almost immediately by a silenced bullet from behind, and soon the entire base is under attack by helicopters and soldiers. Talia heads out with the army to personally fight them off while Ra’s pursues whoever attacked from inside his own base. Talia eventually reaches an “Arrow-Gatling Gun” that pierces the helicopters. Damian picks up a stray handgun and begins helping as well.

Ra’s treads carefully through his fortress and fends off numerous attackers with ease. The soldiers are told to stop by their leader, Slade Wilson. Slade reveals his plan to take over the League from Ra’s. The two begin their battle, Slade demanding why Ra’s tossed him aside despite being the right hand. A series of missiles are launched inside and set off a massive blaze, setting Ra’s alight. In a blind fury of pain, Ra’s falls from several floors and onto the ground. Slade goes to finish off the charred Ra’s. Damian jumps in and takes Ra’s sword to continue the fight. Damian is almost outmatched until a good use of environments holds Slade at bay. A good stab in the eye forces Slade use smoke bombs and escape via helicopter. Slade’s entire army now retreats, leaving the League destroyed.

Damian begins looking for his grandfather, heading down to the Lazarus Pit below with Talia behind him. They come to the pit to see Ra’s inches from the pool, but indefinitely dead. While the Pit can heal any wound and cure old age, it cannot bring back Ra’s body as is. Talia orders Damian to follow her as they begin heading toward their new objective: meet Damian’s father.

We move to Gotham City where Killer Croc (Fred Tatasciore) is robbing a pharmaceutical company. Batman (Jason O’Mara) arrives and notes that Croc looks more animalistic than usual with the addition of a tale. The two begin fighting, Batman’s weapons and attacks doing little to nothing to the Croc. Everything is made worse by Croc’s new tale getting in the way. Batman pins Croc with a forklift in the storage area, but the tale helps Croc once again. Just as Batman gets pinned to a wall and almost chomped on, Talia arrives with a taser and knocks Croc out.

Talia takes Batman to hew personal boat, attempting to flirt with Batman all the while. The two recount their last encounter, implying a very intimate evening. Batman cuts the BS and wants to know what she wants. Talia reveals Ra’s death, and that she needs his help. She pulls back a curtain to reveal Damian: Batman’s son. Batman is of course at disbelief, but Talia assures him. Damian notes Batman is shorter than he thought.

Talia’s boat leaves with Batman and Damian at the docks. Batman first notes that being with him is better than being with the League. The two get in the Batmobile and head over to home base.

We are then taken to the home of Dr. Kirk Langstrom (Xander Berkeley), formerly known as the human-animal hybrid Man-Bat, experimenting. With insistence from his daughter Rebecca (Kari Wahlgren), Langstrom stops his research for the night and heads for dinner. He’s knocked out by one of Slade’s mean in a flash.

To the Batcave, Batman makes arrangements for Damian’s stay at Wayne Manor. Damian makes mocking remarks at the size of the Batcave and the downgraded accommodations he is used to. Alfred takes Damian to his room, explaining what his room consists off. Damian asks for a very complex order for tea. Alfred heads back to the cave, snarking at Damian’s attitude. Batman watches filed footage of Ra’s being revived by the Lazarus Pit, amazed at the man’s final end.

Back to Langstrom’s home, Slade’s men have his family held at gunpoint. Slade threatens to family is Langstrom does not agree to work for him now instead of Ra’s. Slade reveals his new name as Deahtstroke and begins moving Langstrom’s family to a new location.

The next morning, Alfred and Bruce watch as Damian trains his sword techniques on the shrubbery in the gardens. While Alfred notes not to skip the gardner, Bruce is impressed with Damian’s talent with the sword.

At Deathstroke’s new hideout, Langstrom assures via video that his work is almost complete.

At Bruce’s office, Damian breaks in and begins trying to manage to company. Damian insists that the two of them need to pursue one of Deathstroke’s contacts and marks that they can take out Deathstroke “permanently”. The two begin argueing over Ra’s position as either a mad man or a hero.  Damian is tossed into a limo by Bruce and orders him to stay at the mansion.

Talia all the while leads and assault with the remaining members of the League of Assassin’s into Slade’s castle. But as they charge through the halls, a series of explosives kills all but Talia and two members. Those two are quickly killed as Talia begins fighting alone. She is soon knocked out by Deathstroke and taken prisoner in a matter of seconds.

Batman pays a visit to Killer Croc at Arkham Asylum, where the man is shedding his scales and coming down from his drug induced high; chomping at everything at sight. Batman walks over with not fear of Croc’s jaws. While Batman figures out the drugs were from Langstrom, he demands to know the man’s location. When Croc refuses to answer, Batman takes advantage of the man’s loose flesh and tears off his tale. Batman asks again, and we quickly cut to another scene.

Batman heads over to Langstrom’s home and beings investigating, finding one of Deathstroke’s shurikens on a table. He heads down to the lab and finds numerous animals that were experimented one. One of these animals, a gorilla with bat-wings, begins attacking Batman savagely. The fight is dragged to outside, where the gorilla takes a bad fall and dies. A predator drone soon flies in and crashes into the building, destroying everything. After knocking over some water towers, Batman investigates the remains and finds only the shuriken left.

Deathstroke’s right hand, Ubu, is at his hotel room with two prostitutes. As one comments about the window being open, Ubu takes out a gun and begins searching through the room for the intruder. Damian jumps from a window seal above with a sword and begins fighting Ubu. The prostitutes run out as the two continue their fight. Ubu evens the odds y taking out some Wolverine claws and clashing blades. Damian ditches the sword and shows how deadly he can be with out it. The two take their fight outside roof jumping until they land on the streets below, where Ubu is cornered at an intersection. Ubu runs through the traffic as Damian car jumps to the other side. The fight resumes, Damian beating Ubu to a pulp. Damian threatens to kill Ubu and brings down the sword, but is stopped by Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Sean Maher). Damian charges at Nightwing before the screen cuts.

Batman gets a call in the Batmobile from Nigthwing. Nightwing is standing against a pole with numerous cuts explaining the situation and the boy he has tied up is claiming to be Batman’s son. Batman heads toward their direction.

Alfred begins sowing Dick’s wounds as Damian claims superiority over Dick. While Damian lost the fight, he comments that he is the blood son. Damian sees the Robin costume in its case, making fun of it. While Damian says he doesn’t need to costume and is better, Dick reminds Damian that he lost the fight. Batman speaks with Commissioner Gordon to see that Ubu is just barely alive and can’t speak. When Damian gets close, Batman snaps and throws his railed chair. He reprimands Damian that they aren’t killers, and doing so makes him no better than any other criminal he fights.

Batman throws the shuriken he found at Damian for an opinion. Damian marks that it is a League star, but doesn’t know the name Langstrom. Damian wants to help, but Batman refuses because of Damian’s vengeful nature. Batman orders Damian to stay close and stay in line. Dick catches on what Batman is leading up to.

“I’m not gonna like this, am I?”

“…Nope.”

The Bat Signal shines through Gotham’s skies as Batman grapples through the skyscrapers with a new companion. Its revealed that Damian is wearing his own variant of the Robin costume, not taken on as Batman’s right hand. On the GCPD roof, Gordon hands over a paper with a phone sex line on one side, an address to Gotham Colliseum at an abandoned amusement park. Batman has a flashback to his sunny boyhood at this same park that his dad took him to, then a quick cut to the dark and rainy present as he and Robin arrive.

"And now history repeats itself"

Robin charges, but Batman stops and reveals security cameras. They begin sneaking through several chambers into the coliseum. They eventually find Langstrom, but Robin jumps the gun again and alerts all of the guards. Langstrom escapes in the crossfire while Batmand Robin escape via smoke bomb due to the rising numbers. They get out to the coliseum field. Batman hears and odd noise and looks up: the entire roof is covered in Man-Bats. The Man-Bats awake and begin fighting the Duo. Their numbers and skills are too much. Batman grapples out with Robin with Man-Bats behind them, but sets off a Batarang bomb to collapse the roof on them. The two catch Langstrom before he gets too far.

In the Cave, Langstrom reveals that Ra’s wanted him to replicate his formula for his own army. The plan was called “Operation Airstrike”, where “no military could withstand an army of flying, superpowered, ninjas using sonar in the dead of night”. Deathstroke took over the operation, and took the family. In one talk he had with his family, Langstrom’s daughter revaled they were in a castle somewhere with snow and two mountains that look like cat ears. Damian recognizes it as one of Ra’s old bases. Langstrom begins working on an antidote as the duo out to find Deathstroke.

They arrive at the mountains, Damian commenting on his familiarity of the area by climbing them at 4 years old. He goes on commenting on how for his entire life, he was being groomed to lead humanity as Ra’s Al Ghul’s heir, something above humans. Batman asks “How can you hope to lead humanity if you’ve never been a part of it?” and notes that while they didn’t have great lives, he had friends to get him through while Damian has had only trainers.

The duo lands at the stronghold and begin searching. Batman first finding Talia’s riddled with blood and signs of torture. He keeps it a secret from Robin. They eventually find Langstrom’s daughter Rebecca and his wife. Rebecca runs to hug Robin, whispering that she had something from Deathstroke to give him without telling Batman. Batman leads to two civies out while Damian watches a video file given to him by Rebecca. Deathstroke gives his location while threatening Talia with further harm.

The next morning in England, Nightwing gives Batman news that Langstrom is making progress making numerous amounts of antidotes for the Man-Bat mutagen. Nightwing also speaks of an abandoned oil rig once used by Ra’s that went active again just as Deathstroke took over that was off the coast of Scotland. Batman puts the pieces together and finds Damian gone with his Robin uniform. Nightwing assures Damian is in no danger: the rig is 50 miles off the coast.

We go to said oil rig where Robin is swimming towards it. Robin begins infiltrating the rig while taking out numerous guards along the way; no kills in the process. Taking an elevator to the lower production facilities behind Deathstroke, Robin finds a Lazarus Pit with Man-Bats sleeping above. Deathstroke comes from the shadows with Talia at gunpoint, revealing that the facility reproduces the waters of the Lazarus Pit. Batman soon arrives and follows Robin’s trail to the lower levels.

Robin takes out a gun, but can’t bring himself to shoot Deathstroke with his mother in danger. Deathstroke begins belittling Damian and his numerous flaws: from his bloodthirsty tendencies, his spoiled demeanor, and how easy it is to take advantage of him. As Deathstroke points his gun at Damian and shoots, Talia jumps in the way and takes the bullet. Deathstroke continues shooting and almost has Damian until Batman arrives and disarms him.

Deathstroke orders his Man-Bats to begin attacking. However, Batman sets off a sonic disruptor to mess with their hearing, sending them into a frenzy to reach the surface. Deathstroke and Batman begin fighting, but Deathstroke is outmatched. Batman heads over to Talia, realizing she doesn’t have much time left. Damian takes up a sword and begins pursuing a running Deathstroke. Batman looks to the pit as he holds Talia’s body.

The Man-Bats clog the elevator shaft and let in a surge of water bursting through, destroying the lower levels. The Man-Bats escape and set off to destroy, but Nightwing arrives in the Batwing with Langstrom using a turret to shoot the antidote syringes into the Bat-Men.

Below, Batman walks into the Pit and places Talia in it, healing her.

Damian searches for Deathstroke, whom begins mocking the boy from the shadows. Ra’s had trained Deathstroke to succeed him and how Talia could’ve been his until Batman arrived in the scene. Damian counters that the two of them came together to create something special: him. Deathstroke comes from the shadows and the begin fighting, almost being evenly matched but dealing great damage to one another. Even with both arms stabbed through, Damian keeps fighting with a broken sword.

Talia wakes up from the Pit alive, completely healed but unconscious. She wakes up, and the couple share a kiss before realizing the entire place was falling apart.

Deathstroke and Damin continue their duel, Damian getting his arm broken in the struggle. Deathstroke makes a bad charge and stabs a tank of acid, which douses him and burns his suit and injures his body. Damian walks over and aims his sword at him. Deathstroke tempts Damian to finish it because it would be what he and Ra’s would do. Damian refuses, remembering he is Batman’s son as well. Deathstroke falls unconscious.

Damian reunites with his parents as Talia leads them to an escape pod. They get out as Deathstroke dies with the entire rig exploding. Nightwing uses a magnet to grab the escape pod when it reaches the surface, taking the family to safety.

The last scene takes place on a shoreline where Talia says she must return to rebuild the League of Assassins, offering Bruce one last chance to join her with their son. Batman refuses, and insists that Damian stays with him while Talia says he wants to stay with his mother. Batman’s response:

“He’s Robin now; he stays with the Batman.”

Damian walks over, Talia asking if he’s ready to go. Damian says if that’s her wish, but Talia looks to Batman once more before back to Damian. She kneels down and insists that Damian learn from Batman and stay with him. Talia leaves on her private boat, saying she will return for him. As she departs, Batman says it’s time to go home.

“I’ll drive.”

“No.”

“I know how!”

“No!”

This movie is…just a mess really. I’ll start with the cast.

Now this movie was also voice directed by Andrea Romano. Bruce/Batman was voiced by Jason O’Mara, who reprises his role from Justice League: War. Jason is honestly REALLY good as Batman. He’s not some bland angry voice as Batman, it fluctuates and emotes. Even his Bruce Wayne voice is pretty good separating the Dark Knight and Bruce. Stuart Allan as Damian is annoying, but I suppose that was the idea so I can let it slide. David McCallum as Alfred was hilarious, as to be expected. Thomas Gibson was honestly the worst performance of the movie. His filmography is mostly live action stuff, but this is honestly the worst Slade Wilson I’ve seen on screen. He doesn't sound like a badass assassin, he sounds like a damn crooked 80s businessman.

The animation is still pretty damn good. The best aspect comes near the end at the final battle between Damian and Deathstroke. The designs are pretty cool too, though I would’ve liked some kind of reference to want Croc looked like before the drugs altered his body beyond just the tail. But I do have to question why Ra’s had to do a backflip in the movie to block a bullet.

The absolute worst part of this movie is the story. Like I said, I haven’t read the comic this movie is based on, from I understand I would highly recommend the comic over the movie. In the comic’s story originally had Talia as the villain instead of just a damsel along with Tim Drake being the current Robin and creating one helluva an interesting dynamic between him and Damian. But I knew this story was gonna be bad when Dusan was on screen for literally A SINGLE LINE OF DIALOGUE and got popped in the back.

That was quickly followed up by Talia using the infamous Arrow Gatling Gun to destroy helicopters with the League still using ONLY swords and catapults to fight back. I get it, Ra’s is a traditionalist, but not a goddamn idiot. You wanna exterminate 90% of the human population? You’re gonna need more than swords and bows to do it. The Man-Bats was just silly in all honesty. Hell, the only reason I quoted Langstrom earlier about the Man-Bats was because it’s just the dumbest line in the movie.

 Deathstroke was wasted as a villain. He was turned from a badass assassin who could actually be neutral if the situation called for it was made a whiny old man who’s mad that Ra’s didn’t pick him to succeed him. Dear god its Jason Todd all over again…

And then there's the biggest slap in the face: Batman using the Lazarus Pit to save Talia. Batman is against the Lazarus Pit's existence entirely. Hell, he spends a decent amount of time finding and destroying them. As in our last film, Batman was appalled at someone he considered his own SON being revived by the Pit. It's just a 100% defiance of his character. Now I know what some hardcore fans are thinking: "he's used the Pits before in other instances!". True, he has in two previous stories. First in the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past" and the Arkham City video game. I'm gonna spend a paragraph saying the differences between these instances and the one with Talia. 

In "Out of the Past", Bruce is an aged old man who spent his entire life dedicated to other people with no consideration of his happiness. He has longed gotten old and could no longer fight for Gotham while Talia is young as ever. She offers the chance to be young again, and he is tempted. But when Bruce faces a group of muggers and is unable to save a woman and himself being hit by a truck (Terry McGinnis saving them both) and accepts out of desperation. He gets better at the end obviously. But the point was that Bruce has had YEARS of not being Batman and realizing it was beyond (ba dum tss) the chance to have a happy life. A chance to be Batman again with the woman he loved? Who could say no? Overall, this is a more human reason than him using it on Talia. Plus side of this episode: we get to see two badasses kick some more ass. 

Then there was Arkham City. Batman is well known for his stubbornness and willingness to keep going well beyond the call of duty. In the game, he's poisoned by the Joker and is slowly dying throughout the night. He can't find a cure, and needs to find one SOON before the villain, Hugo Strange as well as the other inmates of Arkham City can go wild. He sips a small amount of the Lazarus Pit's water to heal himself. This can be okay for two reasons: one being that it helped him continue the greatest fight of his entire career before more people died. The second reason: it was merely a means to an end; getting the chance to confront Ra's directly for a blood sample. Long story.

The entire point of all of this: Batman would only use the Pit in the most desperate of situations. If the woman he loved was dying, he would refuse to use it on her and accept that it was her time to die. Not to mention that you can clearly hear her breathe as he held her. Just saying: the amount of time the movie was being whimsical about Batman healing Talia with the Pit, he could've done his own self-aid-buddy care on the spot. Rant over. 

Honestly, I would recommend skipping this movie. You’re not gonna miss anything if you do that. I mean I would recommend if you’re a diehard Batman fan, but otherwise I would just not go through this movie. I would instead say go ahead and check out the story arc in the comic. If you want specifics, it was published in 2006 for Batman issue #655 to issue #658 as a four part issue. Check it out if you can find it.

If not today, I can promise tomorrow I’ll be releasing the final part of my own Batman reviews with a movie taking place at the end of the Dark Knight’s tenure. Be seeing you.