Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014, 75 Minutes)

Plot: The Suicide Squad is assembled to break into Arkham and steal a drive the Riddler has in his possession containing evidence of the program at the same time Batman tries to find and destroy a bomb the Joker has hidden at the site.

Source material: This is for once one of these films in a hard continuity, namely that of the Arkham games. sop ket me say this: I’ve never played them. I’ve played a bit of Arkham Asylum but only a tiny bit at that. So this didn’t really phase me in that regard. I know the Suicide Squad from a few comics but like most teams, it constantly rotates with no core. The Arrow eps were good though.

Animation: This was codirected by Jay Oliva, who, with the exception of Justice League: War, hasn’t fizzled yet. He and Ethan Spaulding do a solid job here. It’s a fairly dark movie but the action looks great and characters are wonderfully designed, likely due to the Arkham game designs being used. Damn good looking film.

Script: Oof. Ever been around someone who wants you to know how cool they are? They try to impress with edginess and sex references. They curse too much. That’s what this is. It’s a PG-13 but there’s a lot more sex in it than any previous film and a lot of violence that tried too hard to shock. Plus, this never once felt like a film and more like a tie-in novel I happened to watch. It takes place between two games I never played. I just felt very grated by this film.

Voice acting: It’s fine. Hynden Walch and Troy Baker are transparently trying to copy Arleen Sorkin and Mark Hamill as Harley Quinn and The Joker but they do solid work. Neal McDonough is good as Deadshot. Kevin Conroy and CCH Pounder return from the animated series to kill it as usual.

Final verdict: 2/5. This wasn’t for me. Voice acting and animation were really strong but this annoyed the hell out of me. These movies really shouldn’t have plots thinner than a Justice League episode. This in no way felt like a film. If you’re into the games or hyped for Suicide Squad, I’m allowing for a stream but not for me at all.