Monday , March 18 2024
'Batman vs. Robin' pits Batman against a new secret society and his own sidekick.

DVD Review: ‘Batman vs. Robin’

Batman vs. Robin (2015) is the sequel to Son of the Batman (2014), the animated film that introduced Damian Wayne (Stuart Allen), the son of Bruce Wayne (Jason O’Mara) and Talia al Ghul. Damian lives with Bruce and has taken up the Robin costume, but the 10-year-old boy still has issues with his father’s rule on not killing anyone. To make things even more complicated, Bruce is preparing to declare Damian as his ward rather than as his biological son.

Batman vs. RobinDamian falls under the influence of Talon (Jeremy Sisto), a top assassin for the Court of Owls. This secret society of wealthy fighters is bent on taking back Gotham from criminals and Batman with force and even murder. There’s a new angle on the Dark Knight’s history, given that the Court of Owls may have been responsible for the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

The animosity between Bruce and Damian feels a little overdone and repetitive here. Since the opening of the first film, Son of the Batman, it’s clear that Damian Wayne is not like Bruce. More development could have been used on the Court of Owls, too. At the very least, writers could have made the identity of the Grandmaster less obvious.

Batman vs. Robin has some rather intense action sequences, particularly during Batman’s encounters with the quasi-immortal henchmen from the Court of Owls. The final fight at Wayne Manor is not to be missed, complete with a robotic Batsuit and a more active role for butler Alfred Pennyworth (David McCallum). The animation is at a high quality, which cannot be said of the voice acting at times. Overall, Batman vs. Robin is probably not worth buying, but it makes for a great evening rental. As with other recent DC Universe films, parents should heed the PG-13 rating.

[amazon template=iframe image&asin=B00NPHD5KC,B00W3CZKJ4,B00NPHDB42,B00NT6NGT4]

About Pat Cuadros

Pat Cuadros is Pop Culture Editor for Blogcritics Magazine. She frequently covers TV, film and theater. Her portfolio includes interviews with Ndaba Mandela and actors Juliette Binoche, Fran Drescher, Derek Jacobi and Brent Spiner. She's also spoken with notable voice actors Petrea Burchard, Garry Chalk, Peter Cullen and Brian Drummond.

Check Also

Fan EXPO Boston: Kathleen Herles on ‘Dora the Explorer’

"Embrace what you have, embrace your family and love who you are. You're enough."