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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Batman: Assault On Arkham is Suicide Squad: Assault On Arkham

Batman is hardly in his own movie, which is really a big heist or ensemble cast film for DC's notorious Suicide Squad, bad guys forced to work for the US Government. If you ever watched the episode Task Force X of Justice League Unlimited you would swear it was the sequel. The Batman video game series of Arkham was merely used as the background. The design of most of film comes from the series, except, strangely enough Harley Quinn's look. Head explosions, sex and why Batman would let bad guys take down cops for a section without stopping them is all folded into a film that WB Animation was too afraid to call Suicide Squad.

-Out now online and Blu-ray

The Squad is made up of: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Black Spider; whose really black,
Captain Boomerang, KG Beast and Killer Frost, because DC has never not used Killer Frost to fill in a hole for a female villain. There are many other female villains out there, but DC barely uses them when things get animated or for games. I have a real ugly fold-out Killer Frost photo from a Girls in Gaming magazine from a PS2 Justice League Heroes. "We have to use a female villain in this new mobile Justice League game, Floyd!, 'Stick that ice lady in there... ug, Killer Frost, that's what we always do Harry!'

Killer Frost is surprisingly hot in this feature and just as deadly, she'll turn your heart to ice or just your head and push you over smashing it. Hit the overdrive button on scenes of violence. The animators most of loved going all anime with the poor guards and staff of Arkham being eaten and popped off.

The Squad is killing the folks over at Arkham to get back secret files that The Riddler stole from Amanda Waller, played again by by C.C.H. Pounder, who did it in the JLU. No one messes with the Wall! She's the b*tch you love to hate. So Riddler was sent back to Arkham upon his recent bust and wouldn't you know it, plans don't don't go well as soon as our villains try and get his hidden hard drive. Breaking into Arkham, now that is crazy.

Why are they doing this? They have bombs in their necks.

For most of the movie we follow our anti-heroes, and they sure as Hell ain't heroes, planning and breaking into the notorius den of all of Batman's worst foes that ends with an all out crazy break-out depicting scenes from the game series in a few minutes. Poison Ivy, where have you been?

Friendship, respect and honor, none of these come from our team. The best part of the film might be how awful they treat each other. Captain Boomerang and Deadshot are odds at whose the better shooter. King Shark tried to eat Killer Frost when the first meet. Black Spider is a vigilante hero with no regrets about killing criminals. Harley is looking for a new man and Deadshot is her target. Barely a team, towards the end of the film it makes almost no sense why they don't work together on a threat that could get them all killed and then you remember their a bunch of villains so petty they would try and screw over each other.

The end of the film has the Suicide Squad members barely making cameos as they dodge an outbreak of scenes from the video game series that needed to be put in or people would ask how it ties to the Arkham series, which people should.

A fight between the Squad's leader and somebodies puddin was a nice way to have a climatic ending battle that had Bats just trying to take down Harley. A final confrontation between villains was a better way then having Batman just saving the day, which he does anyway, cause he's Batman.

Heads blow up, villains get it on and we sort of remember the video game series of Arkham over and hour fifteen. If you wanted a film just remembering Arkham, sorry chap, they lied to you. I myself thought it would be just be about the game when I glossed over the title. Suicide Squad: Assault On Arkham should have been the title because they our team of heartless mercenaries and murderers were the true.. wouldn't say heroes, but stars. Take a seat Batman, Suicide Squad is here to not do a very good job at saving the day.

*There's a part where Batman let cops and staff die right in front of him, his in disguise, but yeah that's kind of an oversight. Deadshot just shoots a guy right in the head.

*Animation screw-up. When Poison Ivy kisses some cops for her mind control only she can do they are already are under her control. Their eyes are green a scene before she kisses them.

Kevin Conroy resumes his rightful voice as Batman. The rest of the voice cast pulls off a discernible taste of different villains from different backgrounds. Jennifer Hale returns as well repriseing her role as Killer Frost.

WB animation I both love you and don't understand you. You're like having a teenage daughter with drug problems. The name of the film, why it's tied to the favored video game series for no reason or just how weak you are against the higher-ups that made you passive-aggressively get back at them by having the film be about the Suicide Sqaud continues to make me think Bruce Timm is barely their anymore(in the head) and you lack any leadership. Good job though!