Batman: Under The Red Hood Review

Simply mind-blowing would be my first description of the film, due to the fact that every aspect of it seems on the verge of blowing your brains out. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, though it doesn't change the fact it's one of the best Batman animated movies I've seen so far, and I wish I could compare it to names like Mask of the Phantasm or Subzero, or rather that I've had both of them so that I could do the comparison.

Under The Red Hood basically sees the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin in the hands, or rather, the crowbar of the ever sadistic Joker, portrayed by John Di Maggio, whose voice was a drastic change from Mark Hamill's high-pitched voice acting of the Joker I've grown accustomed to during my childhood of watching Batman: The Animated Series, and the subsequent resurrection of the Joker's past identity, the Red Hood, the newest crime fighter in the streets of Gotham, representing everything the city's Dark Knight isn't, a Batman who doesn't mind the blood, as the Black Mask put it. At this point, you'd probably have an idea or two who exactly is under the Red Hood.

For all you Supernatural fans out there, Jason Todd was voiced by Jensen Ackles, better known for his role in the aforementioned series as Dean Winchester. Beating up supernatural entities and drug dealers for a living, Ackles managed to portray Jason well, who represents most of the emotional drama, prodding Bruce's immovable position on taking a life with every bit of blood spilled in the streets of Gotham. Joker's continued existence due to Batman's own philosophies since Jason's time in the seeming grave only proved to agitate him more, if not the fact that he kept pointing out that his time as the Red Hood was more flashy maitre'd than Jason's motorcycle fetish. Young people these days...

The music, composed by Christopher Drake, manages to beautifully capture the adrenaline-charged intensity and sepulchral feel of the whole affair, which comes down to a final showdown between mentor and mentee. A few other notable characters are also seen throughout the movie, such as Nightwing (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris), Alfred Pennyworth (Jim Piddock), Amazo and the Black Mask (Wade Williams). Under the Red Hood is a definite must-watch and a must-have in any Batman marathon, if I still haven't made my point across.