Story story story. This is why Batman is so popular. His world has given us so many great stories. This movie is an example of that. There is mystery, emotion, and fun parkour action. The mystery lies in who is under the red hood and what he is up to. The emotion is in the answer to these questions. Jenson Ackles was a great choice to voice the Red Hood. I can just picture him playing a live action version of this character. The story has depth, as do the characters. The moral and philosophical dilemma of how the monsters of Gotham city should be dealt with is brought up and it's interesting hearing the debate from different perspectives. In my opinion, this movie is second only to The Flashpoint Paradox out of all DC animated movies.

"Batman: Under the Red Hood" is as good as any live-action "Batman" epic. The opening sequence shows the Joker using a crowbar to soften up Jason Todd before he leaves him trapped in a warehouse wired to blow up. Batman arrives too late to rescue Todd, and one of the Caped Crusader's immortal enemies, Ra's al Ghul, who had gone into business with the Joker. "Batman Versus Dracula" director Brandon Vietti has made a first-rate escapade with an enigmatic character, the Red Hood, devastating the Black Mask's crime empire. Batman doesn't seem inclined to want to capture the Red Hood and turn him over to the authorities. The biggest surprise of this animated, 75 minute extravaganza is the revelation about the Red Hood's identity. Not only do we get the zany Joker at his most sadistic, but also Batman teams up with his former partner Dick Grayson who is now Night Wing. The scenes where Batman and the Red Hood partner up to battle a quartet of virtually indestructible combatants is exciting stuff, as is the showdown between Night Wing and Batman against Amazo, a robot that can absorb superhero's powers. The animation looks terrific, and Bruce Greenwood makes a robust Batman. Batman gets to use his Batplane, his batarangs, and his own traditional weapons. Batman is haunted by the death of Jason Todd. It seems, however, that poor Jason isn't defunct. As it turns out, Ra's al Ghul confiscated his corpse and put it into his Lazarus Pit to rejuvenate him. Alfred doesn't look the same. He has hair. The Joker is just as dangerous as he has always been. Vietti doesn't let the pace slacken in this fast-moving actioneer.

I love Batman, and I loved this movie. I did think it is a little too short though, and Joker's voice did take some time to get used to which is more to do with that I felt the voice didn't completely gel with the character design. Minor faults aside, what we do have is one of the better Batman movies (or anything to do with Batman for that matter) in my view, along with Mask of the Phantasm, the original Batman, Return of the Joker and Batman Begins. If we include series too, Batman:The Animated Series is your best bet.

The best asset of Under the Red Hood is the writing. It is just fantastic. Not only is it intelligent and smart but it is very deep and complex and delves into the characters far more effectively than any of the Nolan and Schumacher movies in my opinion. For example, Batman is not only dark, charismatic and brooding as he should be, but the writers brought a certain edge and poignancy to him too. The villains in general are also well developed.

I was also very impressed with the animation. It has a dark, haunting visual style, with smooth backgrounds, well drawn characters and atmospheric colouring, not to mention a beautifully realised Gotham City. The music is great too, very rousing and quite powerful and fits with each scene appropriately. The story is engrossing, with a great idea and well-choreographed sequences. Also the flashbacks actually add to the story in alternative to distracting from it. The voice acting is very well done from pretty much all, Bruce Greenwood does something quite special with Batman while staying true to the character, while Nightwing- wonderfully voiced by Neil Patrick Harris- is fun and witty and his frustration with Batman is done well.

Overall, a very well done animated film. 9/10 Bethany Cox