The digital version of Batman Ninja will be released on April 24, with a Blu-ray and DVD combo package available on May 8, 2018. This review is based on the world premiere of Ninja Batman at the 2018 American Comics Expo.
Ninja Batman is an impressive cartoon. This time, as Gorilla Grodd's time-shifting machine spirals out of control in the Arkham Madhouse, some of dc comics' iconic characters have come to feudal-era Japan, and our cloaked knights have to try to find ways to defeat the Joker (voiced by Tony Hale), the Joker Girl (voiced by Tara Strong), and other villains without bat cave support.
The first thing we want to mention about Ninja Batman is its production standard. This movie is simply so beautiful. From the sky and leaves in the background of the picture, to the costumes and facial expressions of the positive and negative characters, they have obviously been carefully polished. Given that the film's characters were designed by Takashi Okazaki (who once created the Afro Samurai series), it is expected that this level will be achieved.
The film's action shots reflect the same high level. Because of their Japanese style, Batman and the Joker have never been able to move like they did in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Such battle choreography has a surreal charm. Of course, bruce Wayne certainly can't move this way in the "real world," but in a comic book movie, anything is possible. It is because of this setting that "Ninja Batman" has become one of the best DC animated films in recent times.
One of Batman's many fascinating qualities is his ability to solve puzzles under pressure. Leo Chu, the screenwriter of Samurai Affie, sets batman a difficult task in the film. This time, he needs to defeat the Joker and the other Arkham prisoners without equipment available. In order to achieve this goal, our Dark Knights need to learn to return to basics in order to get out of trouble. Batman hasn't forgotten these primitive ways of fighting (after all, he's proficient in all genres of martial arts around the world), and he's used them well to save Japan from a group of 21st-century criminals. When Batman actually incarnated as a samurai, it was just cool.
As for the Joker, he also showed a good sword skill in the movie. By the way, did we mention that he had a huge mechanical castle in the movie? Yes, Batman will definitely have a headache for this. Given that the pair of old adversaries have been fighting on different planes for decades, it's exciting to be able to introduce some new elements. Tony Hale, who starred in the TV series Arrested Development, will contribute to the English version of "Batman ninja". This is one of the craziest Joker performers since Mark Hamill returned to Batman: The Animated Series. His chilling laughs are frightening, and it makes the Joker he plays a formidable opponent.
Other Arkham prisoners who joined the time travel included Poison Ivy, Death knell, Penguin Man, Two-Faced, and Gurud the Gorilla. Together with the clowns, they tried to gain enough power to rule the feudal Japanese states and then use them to change the course of history for their own benefit. While the new samurai looks of these villains are also cool, they are more likely to exist as a backdrop for the main line conflict. Batman Ninja is still a movie about Batman and the Joker in general, and Leo Chu's script focuses on the two protagonists. So much so that the role of the Clown Girl in the movie is similar to a follow-up explanation of the plot. Of course, Strong's voice acting is as good as ever.
All of these factors come together to make the final scene of the film breathtaking. I wish I could pause every frame to see all the details. Of course, we won't spoil here, but what I want to say is that with the arrival of the final battle in the movie, the childhood yearning for superheroes in my heart has all been awakened.
Batman Ninja draws on all the strengths of previous Batman franchises and brings them out in a way they've never been seen before. It's a visual feast unlike any other Batman movie. DC handed over one of their most popular characters to a brilliant Japanese animator to recreate. This practice is not only a rewrite of the great original, but also a certain degree of transcendence.