Batman vs Robin is the sequel animated adventure to Son of Batman, and it feels vastly superior to its predecessor., which in itself was a pretty strong movie Screenwriter J. M. DeMatteis does an incredible job of blending together Grant Morrison's "Batman vs. Robin" and Scott Snyder's "Court of Owls" comic stories into one thrilling adventure.
The story sees Bruce Wayne/Batman (Jason O'Mara) still getting used to the newest addition to his Bat family, his recently discovered son Damian (Stuart Allan). Unlike his other young protégés Damian was raised by The League of Assassins and his more violent tendencies frequently puts him at odd with Batman's philosophy of 'justice, not vengeance.'
The two also clash over Bruce's reservations over not introducing his newly found son to even his girlfriend Samantha (Grey Griffin). The combination of these factors gradually lead to Damian feeling trapped within the walls of Wayne Manor when not out on assignment. Batman and Robin's bond is further tested by the arrival of Talon (Jeremy Sisto), a vigilante willing to go to greater extremes than Batman and wants Robin to be his new partner. As Robin considers the offer, Batman learns that a childhood legend of the clandestine Court of Owls and their assassins - the Talons - may be real and could be hatching a plot to eliminate him.
Directed by veteran DC Comics master Jay Oliva (who has previously been responsible for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 and Part 2, Justice League: War, and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox), he delivers another first rate direct-to-video production. Oliva shows how well he can stage fluid, easy-to-follow, and extremely realistic action scenes even with multiple combatants, and like the comics, the Talons prove an actual threat to Batman. Oliva even works in a newer Bat accessory in a pivotal fan-pleasing scene. As anyone who's familiar with Oliva's prior action/animated classics would expect, Batman vs. Robin is a little on the violent side, earning it's PG-13 badge thanks to a lot of gratuitous blood sprays.
If there's one flaw in Batman vs Robin it's the depiction of Nightwing (Sean Maher), who is constantly made to look inferior to both Damian and the Owls in combat. I find this hard to believe. It's a minor gripe in an otherwise excellent production, and I was pleased to see a nice nod to Morrison's storyline where Nightwing assumes the role of Batman and teams with Damian. DeMatties and Oliva give them a few scenes to play up their relationship.
In short, Batman vs Robin is solid comic-book entertainment, regardless of whether you're an old-school Batman follower, a new fan of the Dark Knight, or just a causal follower of his adventures through the cinematic and celluloid renditions.
Previously
Batman: Under the Red Hood
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Wonder Woman
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part 1
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part 2
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
All-Star Superman
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Justice League: Doom
Batman: Assault on Arkham
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Batman: Year One
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
Justice League: War
Green Lantern: First Flight
Son of Batman
Justice League: The New Frontier
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
Superman: Doomsday
Superman: Unbound
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Batman: Gotham Knight
Superman vs. The Elite
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