DC's Newest Animated Feature 'Batman: Assault on Arkham' May Open New Doors

The title of the newest addition to DC's series of animated films is Batman: Assault on Arkham.

Ten minutes in you realize this was simply a ploy by the filmmakers to reel in viewers who otherwise may have been turned off by the title it should have been given.

Suicide Squad: Assault on Arkham.

Yes, this is indeed a film more focused on none other than Task Force X. For those unfamiliar the Suicide Squad was an assembly of villains from the DCU that would go on missions together often set in motion by the government, as is the case in this film.

It is never said outright, but is strongly suggested, that the Arkham video game series is the realm of which this story takes place. It they ever officially make the statement, that would make this the first animated feature to do so. Though his appearances are upstaged by the lead cast, Batman is voiced by none other than Kevin Conroy.

Conroy voiced the Dark Knight throughout most of his animated career. However, he did not voice Batman in the most recent addition to the Arkham video game series Arkham: Origins, which made this appearance that much more sweet.

The quality of this new film will hopefully make up for the disappointing Son Of Batman that was released earlier this year. Being the two newest animated Batman films it's hard not to compare the two. The animation in Assault on Arkham is far superior, looking less like a cheap anime imitation and more like an original piece.

The story, mostly taking place in Arkham Asylum, allows them to readily make use of so many characters that would otherwise have remained unavailable if they were to keep any level of plausibility. The voice cast is, for the most part, phenomenal.

Specifically Troy Baker, who is charged to fill the impossibly big shoes left by Mark Hamill in the role of the Joker. Still, he pulls it off beautifully.

Aside from being the first Arkham series animation, this is also the most adult version of the Batman Universe that we've ever seen on screen. This is the dialogue and images we've only seen in the comics. When Christopher Nolan's Batman films were released he started in motion the creation of the darkest version of The Dark Knight that we have ever seen. Change became apparent in every medium.

This film is the product of that change. Gradually the animation of DC has been getting more graphic. More violent. Assault on Arkham is quite possibly the first Batman feature of any kind directed solely to a mature audience

It would have been nice to see more action sequences, but what we get is exquisite. Besides, with a run time of 1h 15min there's a whole lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time. As successful as the video games have been it's no surprise we got a film based in that rendition of Batman's world, but to do it surrounding the Suicide Squad is a bit bold, hence the Batmanin the title. That being said, if this film does well it could open whole new doors for the DC animated universe.

We might not only see a series of Arkham related films, but a series of animation made for an adult fan base. Is this the film to change DC animation? Judge for yourself.

Batman: Assault on Arkham is out Aug. 12 on DVD and blu ray.

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