Batman: Soul of the Dragon

This was a mediocre Batman movie. Apart from the fact that Batman is barely in it (there's much more screen time with Bruce and the rest of the team), I didn't really care about the characters and story.

The one positive is that it shows some background on Bruce's martial arts training and elaborates on why he can beat up a lot of bad guys, but other than that it was pretty generic and forgettable.

It seemed like they just wanted to team him up with Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly, so they set it in the 70s. There's a move Richard does in the movie that makes it obvious they modeled him after Bruce Lee (with a bit of James Bond thrown in).

Ultimately I didn't care about the good guys or the villain, or even Batman himself, which is a shame because there have been much more interesting Batman animated movies.

Give this one a pass unless you're a hardcore Batman animated fan and want to watch them all.

It really embraces the style and uses the animation narrative used in the DC animated movies and makes a unique film. But if someone is looking to get a definitive style without compromise they would be disappointed. Anyone who expects a Batman movie will also be disappointed. I love that DC greenlit something like this because this is not even in the same ground as their what-if projects. Funky is the word.

Everything about this movie screams 70's! From the retro-style Warner Brothers animation logo I knew I was in for a treat. This movie is obviously very inspired by Enter the Dragon, 70's era James Bond, and Dennis O'Neil Batman comics.

Bruce Timm's animation style looks amazing as always.

The Kung fu sequences throughout are great, and the movie makes good use of flashbacks.

Also for a movie with Batman in the title, Batman is barely in this movie. This is very much a Bruce Wayne story which is also unique.

Glad the 2021 movie season started on a high note!

As a Batman movie this is a two star experience at best. If you strip off the costume it isn't half bad. They shouldn't misuse the Bat brand this way - especially when the movie could stand by its own right.

Watching this, ask yourself...if it was a different character than Bruce Wayne/Batman, would you even notice? I don't think so. It's like they just decided to make one of the protagonists Batman as an afterthought. The animation is up to par, the voice acting is good, the choreography of the fights scenes is excellent. The cast is, quite frankly, awesome! Especially Michael Jai White. He channels Black Dynamite, all over again. James Hong is, as always, a treasure. Mark Dacascos proves he is wonderful as a voice artist, and still sounds youthful. Kelly Hu ads a 70's self-sufficient women's lib vibe that is perhaps the most bad ass character in the ensemble. The only misstep is David Giuntoli (Grimm) as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Oh, he's good, but not a good fit for Batman. Or maybe it's that the Batman character is not a good fit for this story? Either way, something feels off about it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good animated movie, and a fun diversion in these trying times. But is it really a Batman movie? I don't really think so.