Batman V Robman

It's another animated movie, which is far lighter in tone than the current live action DC movies, despite that it features more murder and near patricide.

Following the New 52 plot, there's a new villain in town, and he's owl based. (I wonder if this was in some way a dig at the Watchmen comic.) He's willing to do what Batman doesn't, and Robin approves. (This version of Robin is Batman's son Damien.) This leads to a clash between Batman and Robin, and the idea of the title, although you always get the feeling that Batman is just toying with Robin when they are fighting and he isn't really trying. Anyway, the villain is connected with the Court of Owls, and they want Bruce Wayne on their side, and they don't like Batman. By swaying Robin away from him, they set up a situation where they can get everything they want. Will Batman be able to get... yes, of course, he's Batman, but what will be sacrificed along the way?

I'm not going to talk about the production, which is the usual DC high standard, because the plot annoyed me so. At no point is the Batman/Robin relationship really in doubt. We know good will out in the end, and Robin just isn't presented as the evil he would need to be to sell this. And what happens in the other side of the plot (and the end talked about below) is just cliched and at no time surprised me with what was going on.

I can't recommend this, I can only hope the comic is worth reading.

One spoiler I want to talk about, but I'll hide it away from the main page: Near the end, the villain of the piece kills the Court of Owls. As in completely wipes them out. This is the elite of Gotham, the high society, gone just like that... that might leave a bit of a power vacuum, but this is never addressed. What? Mass murder of the most important people, and it's barely a footnote? That's stupid, and I hope the comic did it far better.

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