Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: Damian Wayne is left alone at home while his father, Batman, goes out to help the Justice League on Christmas Eve. But when he ends up discovering a plot in Gotham to steal Christmas, he takes the chance to be a superhero like the Caped Crusader.
Review: Initially released on December 8th last year, I only caught up with Merry Little Batman last week (which was also last year so don't @ me). This holiday-themed DC movie continues the trend of DC animated films each having their own individual tone and style, something I'm very much in favour of as Merry Little Batman's unique blend of frenetic fast-paced energy and light-hearted narrative blends extremely well to deliver a Batman story unlike any other.
Did I ever tell you about the time I beat Egghead?
The voice cast here might just be the strongest or most spot-on for a DC animated movie of this ilk. If you would've told me Luke Wilson would make the perfect Bruce Wayne I would've said, "What are you smoking and where can I get some?" But due to the familial tone of the premise Luke's charm shines through and makes Bruce feels the most "human" I've ever seen on screen. Young actor Yonas Kibreab who's already building quite the filmography with roles in Sweet Tooth and Obi-Wan Kenobi as well as tons of voice work on television, also adds real depth and realism to his portrayal of Damian Wayne (it doesn't hurt he's also an actual kid). The movie being geared towards a much younger audience it made sense for them to make Damian younger as well (he's about eight years old here instead of his normal pre-teen appearances in the comics and movies). And while he maintains his daredevil side, this version of the character has all the traits of a youngster being naïve and quick to act without thinking of the consequences, you know, like an eight-year-old would do!
The great James Cromwell rounds out the main trio as the voice of the ever-loyal Alfred Pennyworth and in another delightfully unexpected but spot-on choice for casting, David Hornsby who most may know from Mythic Quest or as the pervy boss on Good Girls, is cast here as one of the most visually disturbing versions of The Joker ever put to screen!
Hey kids, Uncle Joker here. Who's ready to play a game?
Speaking of visually disturbing, while I am a proponent for utilising various animation styles to add a sense of uniqueness to each DC animated outing, I won't pretend this one was a favourite of mine. It took more than a few minutes for the overall exaggerated and genuinely-creepy-in-places look of this movie to gel with my brain. My gut reaction was, "Holy cowbells Batman, this is some ugly animation!" But once the initial shock wore off and the story's tone, top-notch voice acting and wonderful soundtrack kicked in, I settled down and found myself connecting with Merry Little Batman's emotional rollercoaster and genuinely enjoying the ride.
The only real issue I had with this movie was the runtime felt too long as the third act led to Damian's shenanigans feeling a bit monotonous. That said, once Bat-Dad returns for the final act the pace does pick up again and the finale was laugh-out-loud fun. Think Home Alone meets The Dark Knight and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Merry Little Batman. The art style won't appeal to a lot of Batsy's more serious fans, but keep in mind this is meant to be light-hearted as a DC story geared towards youngsters and you just might find yourself enjoying and even revisiting the film during the yuletide season.
Sommer's Score: 7.5 out of 10
And you can check out more of the Caped Crusader's animated adventures below:
POW! BAMF! BIFF! WHACK! BATMAN: RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS IS A RETRO RIOT
TOP 6 BATMAN ANIMATED SERIES
DARK KNIGHT GOES 1920S LOVECRAFT IN BATMAN: THE DOOM THAT CAME TO GOTHAM
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment