Batman has been running around the DCverse for a long, long time. I used to watch the original TV show as a kid, and I've watched a fair number of the live-action films, as well as some of the feature-length cartoon films, although not nearly as many of the latter. I grew tired of Batman long ago, really, because he - like others such as Captain America - always refused to take the lives of the incredibly dangerous foes he dealt with, causing untold woe, destruction and death as a result. It's a fine line, I realize, and the irony is that I don't like the Punisher. And yet, I've still watched so many since characters like Batman irked me too much.
In this film, I was hoping for something along the lines of a story in which Batman acquired even more of his fighting prowess, something like what happened with the League of Assassins. Apparently, the Japanese creators felt that this was too staid of a topic to cover without some artistic license, and boy did they use a lot of it.
Batman as a Samurai
Gorilla Grodd
In this story, Batman is trying to stop Gorilla Grodd but it backfires. He gets swept into feudal Japan because Grodd had created a time machine that was activated but misfires because of Batman's interference. Be fearful because Grodd isn't alone! 馃檧
The Bad Guy Line-Up
The Joker
Harley Quinn with her oversized hammer (high-tech pistol not shown)
Bane the Sumo
Two Face
The Penguin
Death Stroke
Poison Ivy
There are lots of henchmen, especially The Joker's samurai:
Most of the super villains are relegated to very minor roles, so don't get your hopes up for a full exposure to all of them - they're bit players to the point that there aren't that many images of them. Of them all, Two Face is 2nd-runner-up for face time (get it?). Making it somewhat easier for Batman is the fact that most of the villains are fighting each other to become the Shogun of Japan. Only the Joker, who is always obsessed with his "friend," Batman, has made plans to deal with him.
Go Team!
Before you despair for the intrepid, high-powered, uber-rich, handsome, strong, and super-intelligent Batman, however, he is not alone and this is where the good guys (mostly) differ from the bad guys - UNITY! (馃幒trumpet fanfare馃幒) On his side are:
Catwoman (erstwhile ally)
Red Robin
Red Hood
Nightwing
Robin with Monkichi {the monkey that he can talk to}
I just can't take them seriously AT ALL! I mean, look at that hair!
Alfred
The Ninja Bat Clan (Bat Clan of Hida)
Must I also mention the monkeys馃悞 and bats馃? 馃檮 No way!
His sidekicks are mostly just bit parts, too, with Catwoman being the notable exception.
Grodd is outcast by the others, with the Joker being both the strongest "daimyo" and in possession of the Quake (time) machine. Yet, Grodd's always trying to stay one step ahead of the other super villains and manipulates them all into creating giant robots as part of his ultimate plan. He certainly is smarter than any of those psychopaths. He sure tries to make a monkey of them!
One minor irritant for some is the continual connecting of Grodd with monkeys. Gorillas are apes and monkeys are ...monkeys. Sure, they're all simians, but 馃樀!!
Problems
Batman Is a Chump
Batman is repeatedly fooled by the villains in this movie and doesn't listen to his friends because he's such a know-it-all - and doesn't learn from his mistakes. I won't spoil it for you but, gosh, for a major student of psychology, he's a real dunce (must be a character flaw) and he tops THAT by repeatedly saving the very villains who have just tried to murder him again and again! Seriously? It's SO aggravating that he'll even save the Joker!
Video Game-esque
Not long after the movie started, I began to wonder if we were watching a screen-capture movie of a Batman video game. I'm sure other video game addicts will like it, but I didn't.
Inconsistent Artistic Quality
One portion of the film, in which Red Hood and Batman discover the Joker and Harley working simple farmers, is so poorly drawn that it is a detractor. I guess the main artists got tired and asked the second-stringer artists to do that part for them. It's so bad that it may explain why I couldn't find images of that scene to link to. Mostly, though, the film's art was really well done.
Destroyed Credulity
I realize that cartoons and comics about super beings already defy reality, but there are generally some rules at play that - at least somewhat - help to maintain an air of believability. I can live with the number of bone-shattering, organ liquifying, deadly actions that show up in both cartoons and live action films (I'm looking at you, "Home Alone" series!). But this movie, in completely ignoring how many decades it would've taken to develop those giant robots even with Grodd and the others, utterly breaks that rule. Let's keep in mind that they'd only been in feudal Japan for about 2 years before Batman arrived.
Then, however, it goes a step further and has a physically impossible, giant, armored monkey with glowing eyes made of armored monkeys battling the combined might of 5 robots combined into one!?!馃槶
And then a giant Batman (complete with utility belt and costume that can make human yells) made of those monkeys...plus bats...is formed. It's not like we're talking about super-powered creatures, either, trying to do this! They're just ninja-trained animals.馃憥 I guess cartoon animals are vastly superior to their real-life counterparts. 馃槅
As if that weren't bad enough, it has this giant composite of animals resisting massive fire damage that would've torn through them in a matter of seconds.馃槨 Don't worry, folks - no animals were harmed in the making of this movie!馃槅
These things combined to turn me off to the movie.
Some people might take exception to the way everyone seems to fully embrace the way of life in feudal Japan, from tea ceremonies to elaborate costumes. I initially didn't care for it but, really, it works in favor of the movie because of how it benefits both the criminals and the heroes (fitting in and exploiting what exists is a lot easier than re-ordering society to your preferences).
The only other thing that people might question is why all of the Japanese people seem to perfectly speak and understand English. Take a clue from the fact that a lot of the writing is in Japanese and remember that this was made in Japan and was dubbed into English, and it makes perfect sense - they didn't bother to try to explain why the Japanese were fluent in English at a time when almost none of them spoke English because that would've required a rewrite and editing. It's a cartoon, after all, so it's just not worth the extra effort.
Batman Ninja might teach the value of planning and teamwork but, in the end, those messages are trumped by cleverness, willpower and fighting skills. And, like I said, Batman doesn't really seem to listen much to his friends, plus the heroes are battling technologically superior foes and only have numbers on their side, so the film sometimes kinda downplays the whole "let's do it as a team" message.
That said, my 11 y.o. boy gave it 8/10馃憤. LOL! That just goes to show that I over-analyze stuff! 馃槤
Batman, why didn't you just let him fall? Dolt!
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