Batman: Under the Red Hood

Batman: Under the Red Hood
Home video release poster
Directed by Brandon Vietti
Produced by Bruce Timm
Bobbie Page
Written by Judd Winick
Based on Batman: Under the Hood by Judd Winick
Doug Mahnke
Starring
Music by Christopher Drake
Edited by Margaret Hou
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Home Video
Release date
  • July 27, 2010 (2010-07-27)
Running time
 75 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Batman: Under the Red Hood released on July 27, 2010 is an American animated superhero adventure direct-to-video film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and released by Warner Home Video.[1] It is the eighth feature in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series. The writer, Judd Winick, also wrote the "Under the Hood" run in the monthly Batman comic.

The two-disc special edition and Blu-ray also includes an animated short featuring Jonah Hex.[2][3]

Plot

Ra's al Ghul realizes his mistake in allying with the Joker to use him as a distraction while Ra's destroyed Europe's financial districts. In Sarajevo, Bosnia, the Joker brutally assaults Jason Todd, the second Robin, in an abandoned warehouse. Jason is locked in the warehouse with a bomb, which explodes and kills him before Batman arrives.

Five years later in Gotham City, a criminal called Red Hood assembles a meeting of the city's thugs and dealers. He announces a takeover of their drug trade, taking 40 percent of the profit in return for protection from Black Mask and Batman. Batman stops an attempted theft of a shipment belonging to Black Mask, which is the advanced android Amazo. Batman destroys Amazo with the help of Jason's predecessor Nightwing with some plastique (which Nightwing originally doubts) and discovers the thieves are working for Red Hood. He chases Red Hood to Ace Chemicals, where an explosion destroys the facility and almost kills Batman.

Jason Todd as Red Hood (left) and as Robin (center and right)

Batman and Nightwing interrogate the Joker about Red Hood; the Joker denies involvement. Black Mask puts a hit on Red Hood for Amazo's destruction. Batman and Nightwing prevent Red Hood from hijacking Black Mask's next shipment. They chase Red Hood to a train station, where Red Hood escapes after detonating a bomb, which injures Nightwing. Batman and Nightwing realize Red Hood is trained and has knowledge of Batman's tactics and gadgetry. A review of audio footage of the chase reveals Red Hood knows Batman's secret identity. He then recalls Jason performing the same maneuvers as Red Hood and that Jason grew more violent as he aged.

The Fearsome Hand of Four lure out Red Hood by attacking Tyler Bramford, a gang leader under his protection. They nearly overpower him until Batman helps incapacitate three of them and Red Hood kills the fourth, horrifying Batman. Red Hood explains he is doing what Batman will not; killing criminals who are not afraid. Batman offers to help Red Hood but he refuses. A blood sample of Red Hood matches Jason's. After discovering Jason's body is fake, Batman confronts Ra's al Ghul and demands to know the truth. Ra's says he felt responsible for Jason's death and, as a peace offering, he swapped Jason's body for a fake and revived him in the Lazarus Pit. Following his resurrection, Jason was driven insane and escaped by leaping off a cliff, which Ra's and his men believed killed him. After surviving an assassination attempt by Red Hood, Black Mask sets the Joker free, tasking him with killing Red Hood.

The Joker has abducted Black Mask and the crime bosses; Red Hood reveals his real target is the Joker. Batman saves the hostages and Red Hood takes the Joker. Red Hood brutally assaults the Joker in revenge for his own murder and confronts Batman. During the fight, Red Hood removes his helmet, confirming he is Jason. He holds Batman at gunpoint, forgives him for not saving him, and asks why Joker is still alive. Batman says he wants to kill the Joker but will not, fearing he will not stop if he kills once. Jason tosses Batman a gun and gives him an ultimatum—he will execute the Joker unless Batman shoots Jason. Batman refuses and drops the gun, causing Jason to shoot at him. Batman throws a batarang, which mangles Jason's hand. Defeated, Jason sets off a time bomb and Batman subdues the Joker before attempting to save Jason. The bomb explodes; Batman and the Joker survive but Jason is gone.

The Joker is returned to Arkham and Black Mask is arrested for his involvement in the Joker's escape. A flashback shows Jason's first day as Robin, which he declares is the best day of his life.

Cast

Top row (l-r): Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles
Bottom row (l-r): John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris

Crew

Music

Batman: Under The Red Hood – Soundtrack to The Animated Original Movie
Film score by Christopher Drake
Released July 27, 2010 (July 27, 2010)
Length 57:24
Label WaterTower Music

The score for Batman: Under the Red Hood was composed by Christopher Drake,[7] who had previously scored several animated films set in the DC Universe. It was inspired by the soundtracks of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm which features a traditional orchestral score and The Dark Knight which features a computer generated, electronic score.[8] Drake said that since Under the Red Hood has a darker tone than previous DC Universe animated films, he chose not to use the music as epic and melodramatic instead opting for a more intimate, minimal and restrained tone.[8] He added that this is the first DC film he has scored that didn't rely on using a large choir to make the fight scenes sound bigger. Drake scored the film as a reference to modern minimalist electronic scores because the film's director Brandon Vietti felt that Under the Red Hood needed to go in a different, more modern direction to separate it from previous DC animation scores. At that point, Drake introduced more electronic and ambient elements, like synthesized and processed electronic guitar, while retaining orchestral elements.[8]

Batman: Under The Red Hood – Soundtrack to The Animated Original Movie was released by WaterTower Music on July 27, 2010 and features 18 tracks composed for the film.[9]

Reception

Batman: Under the Red Hood received critical acclaim. Demeter's review for The World's Finest stated: "I have to say this really was a damn good film". James Harvey's review on the same website was even more positive, calling it "a mature and faithful take on the Batman lore".[10] IGN gave the movie an 8 out of 10, calling it "An interesting peek inside the psyche of Batman and the fine line between good and evil".[11] Based on 7 reviews collected on Rotten Tomatoes, Batman: Under the Red Hood has an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of a 7.3/10.[12] It was the highest rated direct-to-video Batman film until the release of The Dark Knight Returns. The film grossed $10,249,509 in domestic home video sales.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Batman: Under the Red Hood". Amazon. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ ""Batman: Under the Red Hood" Trailer". Comic Book Resources. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  3. ↑ "Warner Premiere Formally Announces 'Batman: Under the Red Hood' - ComicMix news". Comicmix.com. 2010-04-27. Archived from the original on 29 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Harvey, James (July 9, 2010). "Complete Cast And Crew, Features Details For "Batman: Under The Red Hood"". worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  5. ↑ "The World's Finest - New Cast Details For Upcoming "Batman: Under The Red Hood"". Worldsfinestonline.com. March 11, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  6. ↑ "The World's Finest - New Cast Details For Upcoming "Batman: Under The Red Hood" Animated Feature". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Christopher Drake". IMDb. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Backstage - Christopher Drake Interview (WF Conducted)". The World's Finest. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Batman: Under the Red Hood - Soundtrack to The Animated Original Movie". iTunes. July 27, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Batman: Under the Red Hood Film Review". The World's Finest. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ White, Cindy (July 8, 2010). "Batman: Under the Red Hood Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 21, 2012.


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