Review: Son of Batman (Movie)
Quick Summary
Pros: The movie’s storyline is interesting and the characters within it make it fun. The relationships throughout the movie are great to see. The action is exciting and plays out well.
Cons: The movie’s main message is subverted by its conclusion.
Overall: This movie gives an optimistic start to a new era in Batman animated movies. It offers up a wonderful narrative that is one part charming characters and fun interactions and another part intense action and exciting situations. Though the movie’s message stumbles near the end, the majority of the film is still enjoyable to see. Fans looking for a satisfying start to a new series of animated Batman movies should not miss this one.
Quick Review
As the first movie in a new line of animated Batman films, Son of Batman gets things off to a great start. This film centers around a unique moment in Batman’s life and the unique challenge it presents. This creates a narrative where characters are forced to grow and change, while also dealing with some pretty dangerous threats. The balance between fun and emotional character moments and engaging and exciting battles is part of what makes this film enjoyable.
As far as the action and animation goes, Son of Batman seems to take some heavy cues from anime. From the very start to the very end of the film, characters are constantly seen doing a variety of sensational and death-defying stunts. Though many of these push suspension of disbelief, they are so fun to see that it is forgivable. They make the members of the Bat-family feel like superheroes and demonstrate why they are so far and above the average criminal. Plus, all of it works well with the animation style presented here.
As far as the characters go, Son of Batman does a great job in making you care about everyone in the film. Viewers get to see Batman take on a problem outside his traditional wheelhouse, Damian adapt to his new situation, Nightwing provide some much needed assistance, and Alfred provide some much needed humor. Each of the characters shines through in their own way and is able to make the viewer care about what they are going through.
The biggest downside to this movie is that its moral message is executed rather poorly. The entire film focuses on having Damian learn that he has to think before rushing into a fight and to respect Batman’s no-killing rule. However, by the end of the movie, both of these points are subverted.
(spoilers start here)
The end of the movie has Damian, angry over the attack on his mother, rush into a final battle with Deathstroke, immediately ignoring Batman’s warning about thinking before rushing into a fight. Then, their battle concludes with Damian deciding to let Deathstroke live instead of killing him. However, letting him “live” is the same as a death sentence because Damian just leaves him on a base that is about to self-destruct. The tone of the movie seems to imply that Damian learned something over the course of his time with Batman but his actual actions do not reflect this, which negatively impacts a central point of the film.
(spoilers end here)
Continuity
Son of Batman takes place sometime after Justice League: War (Review) but does not make any references to that movie.
The conclusion of this movie leads into the “Nightwing and Robin” animated short (which you should be able to watch right here) and into the Batman vs. Robin (Review) movie.
Our article on references in Son of Batman (found here) gives a full explanation of how this movie fits into the DC Animated Movie Universe.