Do you like Batman? Do you like Batman facing impossible odds? Well, I know I do. Batman: Under The Red Hood is by far one of the best animated films I have seen I quite some time. DC Comics is miles ahead of Marvel in terms of their animated film quality. Not ones to shy away from brutality and blood (and even some saucy language) they have dwarfed Marvel who has more of a “This was okay” or “What the fuck was that?” quality to their animated features.
This film starts off with The Joker reminding you why he is one of the deadliest comic book villains ever created. Don’t forget that this guy is a psychopath. As he laughs and taunts Jason Todd aka Robin 2.0 while beating him nearly to death with a crowbar Batman races to the scene to help. He doesn’t make it and just as Jason Todd gets to the exit he notices all of the explosives The Joker left. Batman finds Jason’s body and buries his “soldier.”
Batman has never lived down the fact that he put a child that he knew deep down was not ready to take on the role of Robin die during a mission and has his costume in the Bat Cave as a reminder. Nightwing aka Robin 1.0 Dick Grayson shows up to help Batman battle Amazo (I’m not making this up) and defeats him after interrogating some thugs. Just as they reveal who they are working for the get shot to death. Batman and Robi--er, Nightwing give chase but they cant catch the guy. He knows all their moves and has just as many tricks up his sleeves as Batman.
The shooter, Red Hood, has been killing the Gotham City’s drug lords and declares that 40% of whatever they make be given to him. After he places a duffel bag full of heads on a table they agree. During this flick flashbacks are shown of Jason Todd being reckless during various battles and Batman chastising him. I mean, how did Batman pick this kid? He first found him stealing the wheels off of the Batmobile in friggin’ Crime Alley.
After some fancy detective work Batman discovers that Red Hood is in fact his former partner Jason Todd back from the dead. Impossible you say? Not if you’re Ras Al Ghul! With his Lazarus Pit he brought back Jason but…broken. Jason believes that the only way to beat the crime in Gotham is not through rehabilitation like Batman believes, but murder.
During all this The Black Mask is freaking out because all of his money and weapons are being taken by Red Hood so he decides to break The Joker out of jail. Bad…bad, bad, bad decision. The Joker kills six of his guards in less than five seconds after eating some potato chips. After some negotiations gone bad Red Hood captures The Joker and beats him with a crowbar just as he did to him years ago.
Jason Todd: Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. But why? Why on God's earth...(smashes closet door open holding Joker)...is he still alive?
Joker: Gotta give the boy points. He came all the way from the dead to make this shindig happen. So who's got a camera? Ooh! Ooh! Get one of me and the kid first. Then you and me, then the three of us. And then the one with the crowbar.
Jason tells Batman, while holding The Joker at gunpoint, that he has to choose between killing him or The Joker. I wont tell you how it ends. But I will leave you with this exchange between Jason Todd aka Robin 2.0 aka Red Hood that gives you a look into Batman’s mind. This scene was so filled with emotion for an animated movie!
Jason Todd: Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupid, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled, the thousands of who have suffered, the friends he's crippled. You know, I thought... I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt. If it had been you that he beat to a bloody pulp, if he had taken you from this world, I would've done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil death-worshiping garbage and sent him off to hell.
Batman: You don't understand. I don't think you'd ever understood.
Jason Todd: What? What, your moral code just won't allow for that? It's too hard to cross that line?
Batman: No. God Almighty, no. It'd be too damned easy. All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others and then end him.
Joker: Aw. So you do think about me.
Batman: But if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place, I'll never come back.
Jason Todd: Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin or Scarecrow or Dent. I'm talking about him. Just him. And doing it because...because he took me away from you.
Batman: I can't. I'm sorry.
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