Review: Batman vs. Robin

With Batman and Robin’s relationship left strained after a mission gone awry, Robin begins distancing himself from his father and mentor. He agrees to a dubious partnership with the assassin known as Talon, while Bruce Wayne is invited to join the ranks of the elusive (and filthy rich) Court of Owls. Batman and Robin must repair their relationship in order to survive the nefarious schemes of Talon and the Court of Owls.

Batman vs. Robin is a 2015 animated film starring Jason O’Mara, Stuart Allan, Jeremy Sisto, Sean Maher and David McCallum.

Based very loosely off of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s critically-acclaimed “Night of the Owls” storyline, Batman vs. Robin sees its titular characters facing off against one another while the wicked Court of Owls plots to unleash their powerful assassins on Gotham City. Where Snyder and Capullo’s arc concentrated on Batman and established a new set of mythologies surrounding Gotham’s past, this film shifts its perspective to focus on the unraveling relationship between father and son. This departure from its source text wasn’t as effective as it could have been as it offers little character development and stumbles with its portrayal of the film’s antagonists.

The film opens with Robin going off solo on a mission to recover missing children from a psychotic villain known as Dollmaker. Batman is furious at Robin for his perceived recklessness and is bothered by his unwillingness to work as a team. While Batman vs. Robin wants its viewers to see Robin as an impetuous boy rebelling against his father, it comes across more as a young boy seeking his independence from an authoritarian that is denying him freedom. There’s a clear sense of the “my way or the highway” mentality with Batman, which is ultimately skewered later on by Alfred who recognizes such stifling will only drive Robin further away from his mentor. In this respect, Batman more or less drives Robin right into the proverbial arms of Talon. Let’s get one thing straight, Damian Wayne is often the most intolerable of the Robins in the comics and his bloodlust and rebelliousness is often quite irritating. However, the version we see in the DC Animated Movie Universe seems less reactive and like he’s genuinely trying to be a good hero. This makes it all the more infuriating to see Batman refuse to give him the benefit of the doubt in any given situation.

As far as villainous organizations are concerned, the Court of Owls is one of the most intriguing comic book creations in a good long while. They were envisioned as an ancient cabal of aristocrats who have been pulling the strings in Gotham City for centuries. There was even a creepy nursery rhyme invented to describe them. The Court of Owls thus became a shadowy organization that operated in the very veins of Gotham City, giving further depth to DC Comics’ most famous locale. Sadly, Batman vs. Robin gives them a very cursory portrayal. We don’t get the same scope as we do in the comics and they feel like secondary characters in a storyline that’s so heavily focused on Robin. That’s not to say that they’re not great villains. The reveal of the identity of the leader of the Court of Owls is a nifty twist and the final battle against the Talons pushes all of the film’s heroes to their limits. The assassins are an incredible threat and deal some rather stomach-turning damage to Nightwing. The film even allows itself to portray Batman as fallible and beatable, something fans often deny.

Like its predecessor Son of Batman, Batman vs. Robin excels with its action sequences and is overall an entertaining film. We’re once again invited into an adventure through which Robin is our eyes and ears. We relate to him and follow him as he’s doubted and cast out by a restrictive father who disapproves of his past. The film has its shortcomings (why do these Batman animated films always feature so few female characters?) and it really hinders its chance to be considered a homerun. It’s clearly inferior to its source text and it feels more like an episode of a TV show than an actual film, but there’s no denying that viewers will feel invested in these characters and that the action is totally engrossing.

RATING: B-