Batman: Soul of the Dragon

Just read the other positive reviews, they sum it up well. This was really a surprise homage to all the 70's kung fu and spy flicks. Not something you see in live cinema anymore thats for sure.

Sure it wasn't perfect. But for anyone thats watched enough films from the 70's early eighties.. will dig this enough that its a good once watch. Some DC animated films I've rewatched a few times. But the stories were much more complex than this and they were better films. I've seen them all.. so in comparison from the worst DC animated films to the best this one sits at a solid 6.5 But I'll give it an edge to push back a little against negative reviews. Tho i can understand why a younger generation wouldn't like this one or understand the context as much unless they were a kung fu film fan. Also, No idea why this was rated R.. I've seen so many PG-13 films with tons more blood and violence than this had.. And I think if they did add more to the violent aspect of sword fights and killing by beating to death, it would have shown this was a film meant for the older DC animated film viewers. So far none of the R rated DC animated films have really taken advantage of that yet.. The Killing joke being the best example and the worst example of animation.. This film had the classic 90's animation but spruced up for the quality of animation standards today, same style tho.

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.

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.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon is direct by Sam Liu and written by Jeremy Adams. Batman, Bronze Tiger, Lady Shiva, and Richard Dragon join forces when they come to realize that they share a common acquaintance. The Martial Arts Master that trained them has been missing for a number of years and under mysterious circumstances. When a cursed relic resurfaces, the mystery of their dead master re-opens and Batman and his former classmates must face-off in the ultimate test of their Martial Arts skills to gain control of this dangerous relic. This movie set in the 70s and I love Asian Martial Arts. This movie is more focused on Bruce Wayne than Batman. This feels like a mix of James Bond and Bruce lee's movie. There are a lot of action-packed scenes but a lack of character development and feelings, which is one of the main negative points. Also, the story is very predictable and flat. When comes to Asian movies or dramas they heavily focused on feelings and this movie lacks feelings, live adaptation of Mulan also had the same problem. I do not strongly recommend this movie. If you are a fan of batman and animation it's ok.

Overall, it's a decent movie. It's not DC's best animated movie and definitely isn't their worst, but it's solid for what it is. The plot is simple and straightforward: the heroes try to save the world from an evil cult, nothing more and nothing less. I appreciate the fact that they made it an homage to 70s action movies; mixing in elements from the martial arts, spy, and blaxploitation films of that era; especially given that the main characters in the film came from that same era. But keep in mind, like Assault on Arkham, it's a Batman movie in name only and focuses more on the other lesser known characters, as this movie is basically a "Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter" movie featuring Batman. So if you're looking for yet another Batman movie out of the dozens we already have, you might be disappointed. But if you're looking for a movie that expands on a different corner of the DCU, this might be up your alley.