Batman Ninja was certainly an interesting idea and the anime was generally great to look at, but inserting Batman and company into that world never quite worked and the finale was a bit too gonzo for my taste.
Batman Ninja
(2018)
Genre(s): Anime, Action
Warner Bros. | PG13 – 85 min. – $19.98 | May 8, 2018
Date Published: 05/03/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.0/5 |
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I do admire DC Animation for often taking chances, thinking outside the box such as going all-out with R-rated movies like The Dark Knight Returns adaptation or the more recent Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay or going the Elseworlds route with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, a film many didn’t like but I kind of dug. Now comes Batman Ninja which certainly received plenty of buzz following the New York Comic Con and indeed the trailers and footage did look amazing. The final product on the other hand? Sadly, really didn’t click for me, though I suspect die-hard anime fans will enjoy while Batman fans may not…
Genius primate, Gorilla Grodd (FRED TATASCIORE) has built a time machine but the Caped Crusader (ROGER CRAIG SMITH) spoils his plans and the device goes off, transporting anyone within range going from Gotham City to feudal Japan. There, Batman discovers two years had passed during which the villains of Gotham have taken territory including The Joker (TONY HALE) and his sidekick Harley Quinn (TARA STRONG) being the more powerful of the bunch which includes Two-Face, The Penguin, Poison Ivy and Deathstroke. Batman does have a few allies, however: Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood and Robin, who have banded together in Batman’s absence — as well as Catwoman (GREY DELISLE) though of course she’s can’t always be trusted — also gathering a loyal posse of ninjas. Now without modern technology, especially after The Joker dismantles Batman’s sweet rides, they must stop the treacherous villains from re-writing history and eventually return to the present.
Honestly, I didn’t care for Batman Ninja. Although the anime and animation itself was actually beautiful, the story just never quite worked and as someone whose not entirely fond of anime outside of mainstream titles like Ghost in the Shell, the style never meshed all that well with Batman and company. Add to that, the dialogue, being translated from the original Japanese to English, felt stilted and frankly, was laughable. I can’t say it’s a misfire from the DC Animated line as I do appreciate the idea behind this and trying something vastly different, sadly the experiment didn’t work. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy and embossed slip cover. Original Japanese Audio allows you to watch the film in the native language as originally was made. East/West Batman (17:33; HD) looks at the uniqueness of this addition to the DC animation featuring interviews with the crew. Batman: Made in Japan (14:03; HD) covers the meshing of storytelling and anime of with the Caped Crusader and company. New York Comic Con Presents Batman Ninja (49:02; HD) is the presentation of the film to the rabid fans of Comic Con. Preview – Teen Titans Go! To the Movies |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Batman Ninja comes to Blu-ray presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). The animation really comes off the screen with great pop, taking advantage of the vivid colors and while there was some minor banding, it is a good looking picture. |
AUDIO – 3.0/5 |
| The movie comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is on the weaker side. Although dialogue came through with nice clarity, the depth is limited during the action scenes, seemingly a bit too quiet to my ears, however the LFE channel does kick on during the finale. |
OVERALL – 2.25/5 |
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Overall, Batman Ninja was certainly an interesting idea and the anime was generally great to look at, but inserting Batman and company into that world never quite worked and the finale was a bit too gonzo for my taste. The Blu-ray released by Warner offers good video, okay audio and a so-so amount of bonus features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.