Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons is a well done animated movie and good enough substitution for a live action feature that is unlikely to happen. I did like the story, bridging together the character’s interesting backstory.
Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons: The Movie
(2020)
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment | R – 87 min. – $24.99 | August 4, 2027
Date Published: 08/18/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Mercenary and master assassin Slade Wilson (MICHAEL CHIKLIS) leads two lives: one as the relentless Deathstroke and the other as a dedicated family man. When these worlds collide, forced together by the vicious terror group known as H.I.V.E., it is the killer in Slade who must fight to save his loved ones, as well as what remains of himself. With his soul torn apart and his young son held captive, Deathstroke will have to atone for the sins of his past to fuel the battles of his future. Quick Hit Review: Over the past few years, the Deathstroke character has become a favorite of mine and upon seeing Joe Manganiello done the iconic suit first in the test footage shot by Ben Affleck during the filming of Justice League and then in full motion in the post-credit scene of said film, I was dearly hoping for a Deathstroke feature film, even when the DCEU was in disarray. Sadly, along with plenty other projects, not to mention him being the villain in Affleck’s abandoned Batman movie, this probably will never happen. So, it would seem for fans of the mercenary will have to contend with appearances in the Arrow-verse or animated films, the latest being Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons, a compilation of a web series that streamed on CW Seed, in the same vain as Vixen (subsequent ones will apparently be on HBO Max, the next is Aquaman: King of Atlantis). Although not perfect, I generally enjoyed the film. The voice casting of Michael Chiklis, not unfamiliar with DC having appeared on Gotham, did the role justice as did Sasha Alexander as Adeline Kane, Slade Wilson’s wife. Storywise, I did like, even with a short running time, manage to include many of mythos behind the character, particularly his relationships with his kids. The villain, “The Jackal”, isn’t especially unique but serviceable as is his ultimate goal: world domination, though this time using the telepathic powers Slade’s son possesses. A little ridiculous in some respects, however I still was entertained by it all. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.5/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The only bonus is Deathstroke: One Man Death Machine (13:44) featurette. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| The movie is shown with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. For the most part, the picture looks good, at least for traditional animation. Colors are pretty bright even when considering the film’s darker tone and detail is sharp. The only drawback is there were some instances of banding from time to time. |
AUDIO – 3.0/5 |
| The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is frankly a bit underwhelming. While dialogue comes through with fine clarity, the action-centric scenes I found to be a bit on the softer side, even quiet. Still, I don’t expect a whole lot from a animated film so it’s functional I suppose. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons is a well done animated movie and good enough substitution for a live action feature that is unlikely to happen. I did like the story, bridging together the character’s interesting backstory and being far from a perfect person. |