Batman: Death in the Family

Batman: Under the Red Hood, one of DC's most successful animated films, finally got something added to that continuity of animation. The trailers were really good, and showcased the variety of stories in this movie very well. The big issue is that the marketing didn't show as much that renting the film means not getting the interactive version. You can find all scenarios if you buy the film digitally, but you need a Blu-Ray for the full experience. Since this is more a collection of shorts, I will review each one separately. (I have done reviews on Adam Strange and Death on those pages, but I'll shorten it here.)

Batman: Death in the Family scenarios

Red Hood Reloaded: This scenario is essentially Under the Red Hood but shortened and narrated. Although it brings some interesting perspective, it can't replace the original. 4/10

Jason Todd's Rebellion: This one is the shortest, and it has some very interesting ideas presented. It's unfortunately too short and abrupt to say it was even complete. It at least doesn't drag like Red Hood Reloaded. 5/10

Red Robin's Revenge: This short was entertaining. It had some solid action scenes, the voice acting was fine, but the ending was a little convenient. 7/10

Red Hood's Reckoning: This short was well-written, intense, and satisfying. It is a little more violent to push that R rating, but it was good. 7/10

DC Showcase shorts:

DC Showcase is an area of DC that makes shorts of obscure characters likely not to get a feature film, to introduce to audiences these new characters.

Sgt. Rock: An entertaining War short with supernatural-horror elements and good action. 7/10

Adam Strange: Overly violent, dull short with unlikeable characters and it doesn't give audiences a good idea of who Adam Strange is. 3/10

The Phantom Stranger: Scooby-Doo meets the occult, tone-wise. There is even a VW Mystery Machine car. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't interesting. 5/10

Death: Adapted from Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Death is a beautiful, bittersweet end to this mediocre animated film. 9/10

This is a new low for DC. I never thought they would have treated their loyal fans with such disrespect. Batman: Death in the Family is a shameless and LAZY repackaging of clips from Batman: Under the Red Hood, this time narrated by Bruce Wayne. It's unbelievable. I'm glad I only rented it - but still upset that I wasted five dollars on this shameless cash grab by DC. SHAME ON THEM.

Digital version doesn't have interactive features. I want my fifteen bucks back.

I bought this movie the instant it was available, and after the first ten minutes I knew I wasted my money. This movie was so disappointing in that it was nothing but a recap of "Under the Red Hood" and very little else. If you're going to make a Death in the Family movie, make the movie and not some half-assed attempt at it. I really wish I could get my money back. I only gave it five stars because the animation was good and I like the voice actors. Storywise, this was a complete and utter failure.

I want my money back, DC! You tricked me!

Batman is one of those comic characters who is not afraid to delve into darker, more mature storylines. A Death In The Family is one of them, and it is infamous because readers actually got to decide the ending, which involved whether or not Jason Todd, who was the holder of the Robin mantle at the time, lived or died. and has gotten its fair share of attention and backlash for the final result. This movie is an adaptation of the story as well as a follow up to 2010's Batman: Under The Red Hood (as the cast from that film reprise their roles in this one).

Keeping with the interactive aspect of the comic, the movie is done to the point where it allows you to make choices that change the story. Before the film starts, the movie gives instructions on how to make choices (but thankfully, it can be skipped for those who watch it again or don't want instructions). The movie for the most part, has new footage mixed in with what looks like scenes taken from Under The Red Hood. Immediatly, this can be seen as bad, as the UTRH scenes are sadly just copy-and-pasted into the film, without any additions to take advantage of the R rating this film got. Basically, when you get to the point where you choose Robin's fate, you get three choices (that is, if you're watching the Blu-Ray. The digital copy does not have the interactive part). If you choose the Robin Dies route, all you get is a repeat of that film (only with Bruce Wayne/Batman narrating). Also, there is not much interactivity in this movie. Two of the paths do not allow you to choose to change the story, while one has most of the interactivity, which sadly hinders this more.

Because of these problems, the movie is too short (the longest being a half-hour), making this an underwhelming film. The only good thing about this is John DiMaggio does a good job voicing The Joker, but this interactive film is a lackluster and a waste of $18 I bought it for at Wal-Mart. Avoid this and look for something better, like Batman: Under The Red Hood (which is way better in its original form).