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Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris, John DiMaggio, Jason Isaacs ... see more see more... , Wade Williams , Alexander Martella , John Di Maggio , Vincent Martella

A diabolical villain who seems to know Batman's every move sets out to clean up the streets of Gotham for good and destroy the caped crime-fighter in the process. Every night, Batman protects the citi... read more read more...zens of Gotham from the shadows. But lately another vigilante has been prowling the streets, and his merciless methods are more frightening than reassuring. Now, as the Red Hood commences to exterminating the scum of the city with extreme prejudice, the Joker resurfaces to taunt his old nemesis by digging up some skeletons that were best left buried. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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78% want to see it

5,246 ratings

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100% liked it

7 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 16 min.

Directed by: Brandon Vietti

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DVD Release Date: July 27, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (1,106)

  • kenstachnik
    September 22, 2011
    kenstachnik
    A damn fine animation. To call this a cartoon would be to undercut the pain and emotion it makes you fell. Hands down the best animated Batman film and third best Batman movie (maybe 2nd?).
  • fb535316333
    August 1, 2011
    fb535316333
    The most overrated superhero-animated-film of our time revered by people with low expectations.

    My biggest concern was the ridiculously poor lighting direction. What Timm's style succeeded in the original Batman:TAS was it's bold use of black shadows to create atmosphere and emo... read moretional tone reminiscent of the inking methods used in Batverse comics today.

    Sure the stylization/detail is an improvement but the lighting just never does justice to the darker tones of this film that it deserves. Which makes little sense, considering even a bunch of random Japanese studios who worked on Batman Gotham Knight seemed to get it right.

    Then there's the unrefined dialogue! Watching Bruce explain what an AMAZO is to a street thug was absolutely silly, then there's Jason's poor attempt at one-liners; "good night for a jog", who laughs at that? Why would he say that? Dear writers, less is more or get better writers.

    Finally the poor portrayal of Blackmask and arguably Nightwing. Why were they both reduced to Two dimensional idiots? One's a raging moron and one's a complete clown.

    Oh yea voice acting, obviously I'm a Conroy fan but Greenwood managed pretty well, so did the rest of the cast in their respective roles. Except for DiMaggio's Joker. It's not half as good as Hamill's with his trademark laugh and pitch changes or Ledgers with his creepy quirks and use of growls. Just an incredibly bland, forgetful performance.

    Batman: UTRH succeeds in the sense where DC is finally showing that's it's not afraid to recreate dark/sophisticated storylines that it's comics have been exploring for decades, echoes of the original Batman:TAS. Unfortunately it just falls short in every other aspect.
  • FrizzDrop
    May 30, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Having grown up with Batman: The Animated Series, and of course that awful Batman and Robin flick from the 90's, I wasn't sure what was in store. Happily, I report that this straight to video animated accessory to the Batman comic books is one of the most adult spectacular of ani... read moremated superstardom I have ever seen. This ain't yours or your parent's Batman. This is closer to The Dark Knight than campy Adam West classics of the 60's. You've got gratuitous violence, drugs, and even a single and yet dramatic swear word. Oh yes, and there's more folks! On top of the awesomeness that is Batman, the film actually stays true to the comics ranging all the way back the fifties, and the more recent Under the Hood edition from 2005. The voice acting was well cast and essentially served a great purpose. Don't be freaked by the gruff voiced Joker, because though you can only hear the tried and true voice in that ridiculous clown laugh of his, his murder sprees become more believable when a low tone is hanging over the events like a black cloud of death. So many oohs and aahs, I only have high praise for this DC art form.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    April 10, 2011
    MidnightMadwoman
    I derive great pleasure whenever I see a film whose villain has great motivation for the horror and calamity they wreak. The Red Hood in this film is one such character, which makes him a fascinating personage. In fact, I was intrigued at thier choice of the Red Hood as the villa... read morein, since he is not really a specific character like the Joker. Red Hood refers to the moniker, mask and identity that any criminal in Gotham could assume for the sake of anonymity. There is so much you can do with such a versatile template upon which to build your villain, and they use him to great avail.

    I was a little bit sorry to see that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammill weren't brought back for this film: I mean, in the minds of most die-hard Batman fans, they are the quintessential actors for Batman and the Joker. Everyone else is absolutely wonderful in this though, especially Jensen Ackles and Neil Patrick Harris as Red Hood and Nightwing, respectively. Ackles' voice is absolutely terrific, and he's got a really scary quality that he can turn on when he wants to. I found it especially menacing when Red Hood speaks quietly ("You're going to be as quiet as possible..."). Another thing that I really love about this movie is how faithful it is not just to the tone of the Batman comics (that is, very dark - shockingly so for a children's film) but to the mythos as well. They take a few liberties here when assigning identities to Red Hood, but they make it work spectacularly. It's been a long time since I saw an explosive action ending as jaw-droppingly ingenious and wickedly delicious as this one. I was on the edge of my seat. What killed me about it is that the writers GOT EVERY CHARACTER EXACTLY RIGHT. Everyone rings true. The icing on the cake was the role that the Joker was given in the climax. He's not the main villain, and he makes very clear his profound amusement at being a pawn in the game. Oh man. I'm going to buy this movie.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    March 14, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Hard to forget that night, huh? In a way, Batman, this was the site of your first great failure. Maybe your greatest, but certainly not your last, right? Ah, memories."

    While a new foe who uses The Joker's old alias wreaks havoc among Gotham City's organized crime, Batma... read moren finds him disturbingly familiar.

    REVIEW

    Upon my friend's recommendation, I watched this latest DC Batman animated film. I am not really fond of Batman animated films. I have not even seen Batman classics like "Mask of the Phantasm". I do not know why, but they did not really catch my interest because of the heavy and brooding atmosphere in these films. So therefore, this film "Under the Red Hood" is my first animated Batman film.

    In "Under the Red Hood," Batman is his usual brooding, dark self. However, with this film, I got a more intimate look at his conflicted psyche and what makes him tick as a vigilante. This film served as my introduction to the new Robin, Jason Todd. The cameo by Nightwing (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris) was also very good. I saw his motivation in his quest against crime. And the Joker here is an capital arch-villain in the real sense of the word, not the usual easy-to-defeat fool.

    The script is very well-written. The psychology is deep and insightful. The sense of humor is wry and biting (especially the lines of the Joker in the confrontation scenes at the end). The action is relentless (although it can look like Spiderman there at times) and intense (with blood and death). The film takes great advantage of what the animated medium can offer. I should say that because of this, I think it is high time for me to go back and check out all those previous Batman animated movies I have missed.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    January 23, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Great animation and great story. I love the voices and specially the rawness of the story so light yet satisfying.

    Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleani... read moreng up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. Killing is an option. And when the Joker falls in the balance between the two, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.
  • deano
    September 12, 2010
    deano
    The animation is distinctive from the actual series, which while being unsettling to those who grew up on it is still very good. The story draws from great source material. If you don't know the story, don't look it up until afterwards. Fight scenes are fun to watch.
    The opening... read more alone is a thing of beauty and one that stays in your head long after the the film has ended. Yes, it is violent BUT you can't say its a great film then mark it down for being too violent. That makes utterly no sense. The people who watched the original animation series are now adults. The Batman comics are incredibly violent and the films aren't exactly for kids. The flashbacks add a more emotional element otherwise not seen in most Batman production.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    September 11, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    I was really suprised by how good this was. I usually dont watch these straight to dvd cartoon movies, but i heard this was good so i watched it. I thought it was going to be okay but this was actually a great movie. It had a great story, it was really intense, and had awesome fi... read moreghting scenes. I really liked this a lot. B+
  • jlewis07
    September 1, 2010
    jlewis07
    Following in the footsteps of the superb Nolan films, Under the Red Hood is a mature and sophisticated animated film with plenty of exciting moments packed into its slim 75 minute runtime. The voice cast isn't quite as good as The Batman Animated Series (I haven't kept up on who'... read mores been doing these voices, but Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill were almost perfect and reprised their roles in the video game Arkham Asylum last year, which means they are still interested in the franchise and willing to do it), but the cast is decent and does a respectable job filling in. John Di Maggio has the biggest shoes to fill since Hamill's Joker is almost legendary. Di Maggio has the laugh down, although he doesn't have as many quirks as Hamill did with the character. I missed Hamill, but at the same time I wasn't constantly thinking about it. The story is more in line with the comics than the films, with Ra's Al Ghuul being immortal and all the somewhat silly stuff thrown in. I prefer the more realistic approach seeing as Ra's plays an intergral part of the story, as well as his way of staying immortal. Minor complaint though, as this was definitely one of the best Batman stories I've seen so far. It would have been a good live action film too, and that is saying something. Hopefully WB keeps the quality of the animated movies this good. I'd be thrilled.
  • Beefy
    August 7, 2010
    Beefy
    Well made, but no surprises for anyone who read the original story, and probably not many surprises for those who haven't. A certain obviousness kept this from really soaring for me.

View All Batman: Under the Red Hood Reviews

Critic Reviews

Gabe Leibowitz
July 9, 2011
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

An extremely dark, brisk chapter in the Dark Knight's ever-popular screen sagas. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
August 11, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

Definitely not for young kids, but it's smart pulp writing and well put together for a direct-to-DVD animation. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
August 3, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

Drug dealers and brutal beatings in animated Batman movie. Full Review

Jordan Hoffman
July 29, 2010
Jordan Hoffman, UGO

More so than most of the DC Animated films, Red Hood aims for cinematic storytelling. Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.
July 29, 2010
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

It's a really entertaining little gem from the DC universe that I'm glad I devoted time to... Full Review

Peter Canavese
July 21, 2010
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

With its colorful, exciting action and well-defined emotional underpinnings, Batman: Under the Red Hood is the best yet in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. [Blu-ray] Full Review

Michelle Alexandria
July 30, 2010
Michelle Alexandria, Eclipse Magazine

Click to read the article Full Review

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    • Joker: Party pooper. No cake for you.
    • Joker: And then the one with the crowbar.
    • Joker: I'll gonna need some guys, not these guys because well they're kind of dead.
    • Joker: Now THAT was rude, the first boy blunder had some manners.
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  • Batman: Under The Red Hood- complete this quote: Joker- Anyway, be a good boy, finish your homework and be in bed by 9. And hey...  Answer »
  • What was the first film of the Batman series to feature the second Robin, Jason Todd?  Answer »
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