Review
Batman: Assault on Arkham
Batman: Assault on Arkham is one-shot movie set in the Arkham universe of the current video game series and stars an iteration of the government strike team known formally as Task Force X and informally as the Suicide Squad. Supervillains are forced to work together and complete impossible missions in exchange for having sentences commuted or face execution from nano-bombs implanted on the back of their necks. A squad is put together under the directive to retrieve stolen data from the Riddler, who is imprisoned at Arkham Asylum. To complicate matters, the Joker is freed and Batman is occupied with finding his dirty bomb before it decimates Gotham City. Just another day in the big city.
Batman: Assault on Arkham is an original story that takes place between the video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham Origins, about two years before the former. The movie begins in the middle of a conversation between the Riddler and Amanda Waller. The Riddler tries her patience with riddles and she soon annoys him by using Google to answer his taunt. It was merely a stalling tactic and Riddler is surrounded by Waller's black ops team. The team is suddenly opposed by Batman, who wants to interrogate Riddler about his possible connection to the Joker's dirty bomb. Undaunted by the setback, Waller greenlights the formation of Task Force X. Louise Lincoln aka Killer Frost, Nanaue aka King Shark, Eric Needham aka Black Spider, George Harkness aka Captain Boomerang, Anatoli Knyazevis aka KGBeast, Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn and Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot are rounded up. They awaken together in a white room with a bandage on their necks. Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and Harley Quinn recognize Waller's M.O. and realize there's another Task Force X mission to participate in. The others are new to the experience and aren't interested, until KGBeast's head is blown off. The team is sent to Gotham to infiltrate Arkham Asylum to find the Riddler's confiscated cane and look for a jump drive hidden in it that contains downloaded information on rosters of the Suicide Squad. After Harley gets herself arrested in a staged break-in attempt, the others use fake credentials to get into Arkham. Deadshot narrowly implants a device to legitimize their credentials while Harley has "words" with her ex, the Joker. As Waller assumed, the team goes off script and initiates a yellow alert and takes the main communications hub. Their attempt to play yesterday's security footage has the reverse effect and tips Batman off to something amiss at the asylum. Right as they find Riddler's cane, Batman arrives and battles them. Killer Frost goes on her own to achieve the true objective, assassinate the Riddler but he reveals Waller's true reasons: he knows how to diffuse the nano-bombs. The team turns on Waller and head to the medical center to electrocute the bombs into submission but Batman and Joker rear their heads, complicating the mission even more. To make matters even worse, the Joker activates his dirty bomb and releases all prisoners in Arkham. Batman does what he does and turns the bomb off in the nick of time, members of the Suicide Squad are KIA, MIA or captured, the Joker is missing, the Riddler is missing and Waller remains behind the shield of the U.S. government. Or does she?
Much like the previous entry in the DC Universe line, Son of Batman, Batman is the title character in this film but the Suicide Squad are the true stars. The prospect of a villain-driven story is intriguing enough as it is but the break out characters arguably enough are Deadshot and Harley Quinn. Deadshot is a discharged Army marksman turned assassin for hire who just wants to be with his daughter but isn't going to turn down a mission that strikes the fancy of his inherent death wish. As a core member and leader of the Suicide Squad, Deadshot's varying relationships and interactions with Waller, Harley, Boomerang, Batman, and Joker paints him as a heroic anti-hero, if such a thing could exist. Waller and Batman both have a sort of mutual respect, Boomerang is a rival who knows what buttons to push, Harley is the wild card/love interest that rocks his world, and Joker is interestingly enough his binary opposite. The Joker is used to killing people afraid to die but Deadshot does not possess that self-preservation. Neal McDonough was the perfect casting for this Deadshot - cool and collected - with a little bit of bad just lurking under the surface.
Harley Quinn proved to fit the mold of her wild card status. In an almost perverse manner, it seemed like Waller recognized the need for the team to have someone incredibly unpredictable and probably detrimental. Harley's conflicting loyalties to the squad, Deadshot, and the Joker was the x-factor of the story. While her extensive knowledge of the asylum proved invaluable, Harley's magnetic and explosive attraction to the Joker was her undoing. As someone who has only seen her with the Joker, I found it refreshing to see her play the field with Deadshot and distance herself from the classic henchwoman trope her earlier incarnations excelled but were bound by. The love triangle was a good sub-plot to have, but it seemed like she weakened as the movie progressed and she reunited with the Joker. I was disappointed she wasn't portrayed as a more physical threat to even Batman but his handling of her in the property room and the finale left more to be desired. Only Captain Boomerang's constant whippings from Deadshot and Batman were more pathetic.
The Riddler is another welcome sight to the movie line. Ever the arrogant intellectual frustrated with his unappreciated genius, Riddler is the surprising anchor for the main cast. Believed to be the threat, he becomes their savior. Their annoying savior. Amanda Waller continues to prove to be one of the most dangerous forces in the DC Universe. Ever imposing and not someone to be trifled with, Waller fits very well in the vein of this PG-13 line. You don't mess with "The Wall." King Shark and Killer Frost was the unexpected power couple in this movie. It was fun seeing this brother-sister dynamic at play as little as it was, hopefully it might get some writers thinking. Found Black Spider to be rather forgettable, punctuated by the hilarity of Joker's Denzel line. Captain Boomerang was essentially the comic relief of this movie. Literally a fish out of water, it was amusing seeing him getting dropped over and over. With a movie set in Gotham, it was awesome to see cameos of more of Batman's Rogue's Gallery and King Shark's assessment in the property room was gold.
Batman and Joker are barely in this movie but when they appear - their presence supercharges the scene. The music, the tension, the action; it all heightens. Kevin Conroy and Troy Baker reprise their respective roles from the video games and don't disappoint. However, considering who they are and their roles in the games, the stakes of life and death don't come into play. They exist and do exactly what we expect them to do, even the Joker.
The movie is not a perfect home run but it is one of best for the Tucker era. Amanda Waller's subterfuge and misdirection seems moot at first glace but we are dealing with an employee of the U.S. government. During some viewings, I wondered why she had to make up the data theft angle if only to ground Deadshot into the mission to protect his daughter from recrimination. On the other hand, I wondered why Waller didn't just assign the squad to simply kill Riddler. And while it is a boon that the story is written so those unfamiliar with the games and its massive continuity can jump in and love the movie unencumbered. But on the same foot, those familiar with the games may be disappointed that the story doesn't reveal or add much to the overall continuity... yet? Those grumbling about Deathstroke's absence, director Jay Oliva has gone on the record saying he's escaped Waller's clutches already and operated under the thought this was the ninth Suicide Squad mission. Likewise, familiar or unfamiliar with the games, it felt really predictable whose lives were at stake - the rookies - and would be preserved.
Players of the Arkham series of video games may get a sense of deja vu as the movie progresses. The stairwell in the Iceberg Lounge was a playable area in Arkham City or the sewer access in Arkham where King Shark enters from originated from a Killer Croc encounter. Batman's gadgets derive from the games, like the scanners. Even the fight choreography seems to match what you see in the games. The coloring also appears to be conscious effort to match the subdued look of the games, minimalizing most of the colors that pop. It seems like Arkham is even set up like levels of a video game. This is most felt when the squad and Riddler are under siege by the S.C.U. on the ledge to the medical center. The nods and references vary but aren't just from the video games. When Harley sifts through the crate of confiscated Joker gear - there's a wealth of material from Batman: The Animated Series to The Dark Knight.
Jon Suzuki was the lead Character Designer on this movie. In the grand scope of the DC Universe line, it is good to have a break from Phil Bourassa's designs, a staple from the past four movies. For this movie alone, Suzuki has done an interesting job of adapting the 3D CG designs to a 2D look. The character designs, backgrounds, coloring, lighting, and animation all lend itself to the gritty identity of the Arkham games. In terms of the voice cast, it was fun to hear some familiar voices from past animated series and movies like Kevin Conroy, CCH Pounder, Neal McDonough, Hynden Walch, Jennifer Hale, and John DiMaggio to name a few. While not a negative, it was interesting to hear Baker as he came off as a Mark Hammil's Joker and even DiMaggio sounded like he was impersonating Ted Levine a la Silence of the Lambs. The movie's directors Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding deliver a one-two punch combo that electrifies and creates an ever moving story with little pause, almost as if a love letter to those great 80s action movies... maybe even the love child of the Diehard, The A-Team and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
The movie's Blu-ray bonus features were point focusing on Arkham Asylum and Harley Quinn. The commentary track is a welcome sight. Mike Carlin, Heath Corson, and James Tucker do an excellent job at dissecting scenes and pointing out changes or references while fighting the urge to slink back and watch the movie themselves. The feature "Joker's Queen" is a great primer on the history of Harley Quinn, a creation of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series. After exploring her animated origins, the feature shifts to exploring the character herself and her impact on DC Comics then her evolution going into the New 52 initiative. The "Arkham Analyzed" explores the sordid history of Arkham Asylum, the primary location in this movie. Standing at a little under 30 minutes, the feature gets superfluous at times then takes a shift from hammering the gothic horror aspects of the asylum to its pivotal role in the Arkham video game series. At times I wondered if a primer on the Arkham series of games would have been more appropriate. Likewise, no feature about the Suicide Squad? Really? The DC Comics Vault offers a better selection of episodes from four different animated series - Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice, Batman: The Brave & The Bold, and The Batman. JLU "Task Force X" displays the first animated appearance of the Suicide Squad and also stars Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Young Justice "Infiltrator" features Black Spider, probably the weakest connection to the movie. The last two spotlight the relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn. The sneak peak previews the next movie Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, a return to the animated New 52 continuity and a direct sequel to Justice League: War. The Aquaman origin aspect is enough have me hyped for this movie as it's a story I've been chomping at the bit to see highlighted on screen for decades. The wealth of finished footage in this preview has elevated by excitement even more.
Batman: Assault on Arkham is the high velocity shot to the arm the DC Universe line needed. A villain-centric heist movie is also unique and fun to watch, a complete 180 from the standard fare of A-B-C-plot stories we've become accustomed to. The cast of mostly villains are so entertaining, you question yourself cheering for a bunch of killers and nutjobs. The fast paced narrative, intrigue, action, choreography, and intersecting plots mix for a fantastic roller coaster ride. The gritty look and feel of the designs and animation, the superb voice cast, and the more modern soundtrack also contribute to the experience. Batman: Assault on Arkham is a definitely recommended buy. It's a mission impossible turned free-falling romp fest that will leave you aiming for more.
Rating
Main Feature: 4 out of 5
Special Features: 4 out of 5
Average Rating: 4 out of 5