Review
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires
Release Date: September 18, 2025 - Theaters in Mexico, September 19, 2025 - Digital; September 23, 2025 - 4K, Blu-ray, DVD
Over three years ago on June 13, 2022, DC animation fans learned a new Batman movie was coming out and it was going to be through the HBO Max streaming platform called "Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios" ("Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires"). It was touted as an original, Spanish-language story that plucked the iconic DC superhero out of present day Gotham City and reinterpreted him against the backdrop of Aztec Mexico and the enigmatic culture of Mesoamerica. The story centers on a young Aztec boy, Yohualli Coatl, whose father, village leader Toltecatzin, is murdered by Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes. Coatl flees to Tenochtitlan to warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of looming danger but only deaf ears await him. Using the temple of Tzinacan, the bat god, as a lair, Yohualli trains with his mentor and assistant, Acatzin, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spaniard invasion, protect Moctezuma's temple, and avenge his father's death. Since then HBO Max became just Max and back again to HBO Max and this movie was shifted to the traditional release of digital then 4K, Blu-ray and DVD.
What the movie gets right is its characters. None are a case of insert Batman here. Insert Joker there. It felt like a strong effort was made to integrate the DC characters and make it so they could have existed in the final days of the Aztec Empire. Yohualli could have easily been Moctezuma's son living the high life in the capital city but rather he lives in the outlying village that has first contact with the Conquistadors. Just barely an adult and tired of what he perceives to be treated like a child still. Cortes soon shows his true colors, rather face, when he's not immediately told how to get to Tenochtitlan. Jaguar Woman isn't some morally gray cat burglar but rather a Robin Hood figure that defies convention and hunts n the night. Yoka is guided by the gods but his advice backfires and he is banished and undergoes a psychological spiral. Forest Ivy is an avatar of the jungle that appears in Yohualli's visions, guiding him to his destiny. It also felt great care and detail was invested in designing the Aztec Empire. The colors and textures of the various villages and cities. Tenochtitlan pops with life. The various colors, the architecture of it all. Then at night, that's all gone - almost to parallel the sense of vulnerability night has with Aztec customs.
The pacing, however, is all over the place. The movie rushes through it's first ten minutes to establish the Batman origin story tragedy, and then stomps on the brakes and meanders for the next hour into an anticlimactic battle and sequel bait. Cortes is spared his comeuppance thanks to a bullet from a random soldier hitting Batman and abruptly ending the fight only for him to get a mystical resurrection. We already saw this two years ago with Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and that was far better executed. Then another Batman Rogue shows up in the final scene signaling the war is not over just yet instead of telling a full complete origin story. The animation quality is disappointing for a movie that got a good three years to be made. The knowledge of multiple animation studios working on it instead of one is never a good sign. As the movie goes on, characters get rather robotic and stiff like they were imported from a Flash file. The final polish was lacking to say the least.
A secondary issue for this movie is it came out at the wrong time. Ever since the DC Studio entering the James Gun-Peter Safran era, direct-to-video animated movie line has had gray clouds hovering over it and its future is harder to see than trying to understand Forest Ivy's visions. We had years of just Justice League movies then a year of a 2 part adaptation of Watchmen with non-traditional animation, then this year oddly turned into one where we see two Elseworlds Batman stories in a row. The line is once again lacking in variety. There's little word on these titles are piece meal. Heck, these movies aren't even getting something as simple as slipcovers or combo editions anymore. It doesn't feel like there is a clear vision or leadership for the line and it's anything goes while everyone is in their own little fiefdom.
The movie has two special features about aspects of the making-of-the-movie. "The Battle Cry of Aztec Batman" features voice of Batman on the English track Jay Hernandez and his experience on the project; from telling a unique take on Batman and representing a culture he is familiar with. The feature also show clips from a recording session and how Hernandez processes a line and does his take. It is 3 minutes and 45 seconds. "The Batman Mythology and Aztec Inspiration" is the longer of the two at 6 minutes and 25 seconds. Writer Ernie Altbacker and voice actor Jay Hernandez talk about how the Batman mythos would transpire in 1520 in the Aztec Empire. Altbacker credits director Juan Meza-Leon with the Aztec civilization as well as having an expert from the University of New Mexico. He cites several details like Aztecs not fighting at night and the reasoning of who the protagonist goes to for help. Hernandez touches on the civilization, architecture, and knowledge. Altbacker brings up how the Aztec city was designed to be defensible. The feature then shifts to how Cortes was initially inspired by Deathstroke but an idea came up for Jaguar Woman to scratch his face and bring in a Two-Face influence. Altbacker talks about how Jaguar Woman differs from Catwoman as a Robin Hood character, Pedro de Alvarado being inspired by Azrael, Forest Ivy being an avatar of the jungle, Acatzin's look being different than Alfred but still a capable person, and Yoka's psychological breakdown into a Joker character. Altbacker then talks about making sure Yohualli was a once-in-generation figure. Both features give insight into the making of the movie but again like with this year's Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League movie, it still feels like just the tip of the iceberg for this movie's production. A gallery of various production art, more interviews focused on others like the director, composer, the South America cast and crew, or a commentary track with the writer, directors, and some cast would have been a lovely addition to the special features section.
"Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires" is an original, unique story set in 16th century Mesoamerica and reinterpretation of one of DC's big name characters but is hampered by pacing and animation issues and lack of in-depth special features. "Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires" released on digital today, September 19, 2025, and releases on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on September 23. Recommended purchase but perhaps consider waiting until it streams on HBO Max.
Rating
Main Feature: 3 out of 5
Special Features: 2 out of 5
Average Rating: 2.5 out of 5