I think my biggest problem with the DC universe is there is no cohesion. Even the comics famously retcon (short for retroactive continuity) major events and characters. Then the rebooting of what few film franchises there are, and while the animated films are good, they aren’t any part of… well… it’s hard to say. Usually they are animated chapters from longer arcs in the comics.
So where does Son Of Batman fit in? Damian Wayne is the fifth Robin, a kid who suddenly appeared on the scene in the late 80s in various stories that weren’t actually part of the Batman story canon (heck, even the character’s name wasn’t consistent) until 2006 when a famous retcon added him. Now we get an animated offering telling how Bruce Wayne meets his offspring and how the two get to know each other.
Quite a number of changes were made from the original story, creating something that is based upon, but not a true adaptation of the comic storyline. Were these changes necessary? Well, sort of, in order to make Damian’s mother, Talia, more sympathetic. I can understand why these changes were made, but I think I preferred the original characterizations of the comic storyline.
For a “PG-13” movie there’s a lot of violence and bloodshed. A lot of bloodshed. If this weren’t animated Son OF Batman would have garnered an “R” rating. I truly believe this film was mis-rated and it points to a problem with the way films are rated.
Also, at just over an hour, it doesn’t last nearly long enough other than to simply introduce Damian Wayne into the Batman family. We get the supposed death of Ra’s Al-Ghul, and Damian’s grandfather, and a bit about Deathstroke and, at least in this variation, how he fits in with Batman and the League Of Assassins. It’s no secret that Talia, Ra’s’ daughter, sends Damian to Batman for guardianship but the reasons are pretty ordinary in the film. Also appearing in the film are Doctor Langstrom (and if you know that name you’ll know that’s a bit of foreshadowing) and Killer Croc.
I was disappointed with Son Of Batman. The film not only fell short of the mark it was too short to really tell as good of a tale as it wanted to.
Special features include a couple of (too) short featurettes which were artificially split apart – one looking at the character of Damian Wayne and the other at this particular story arc and Ra’ Al-Ghul. A couple of cartoon episodes are also included.