It’s time for another Elseworlds story from the world of the Bat with the new animated movie Batman Soul of the Dragon as we head back to the 1970s with martial arts and a great voice cast.
This new animation from producer Bruce Timm takes the Dark Knight back to the 1970s for a supernatural-laden martial arts extravaganza in Batman: Soul Of The Dragon, the next entry in the popular series of the DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the feature-length animated film will be released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital January 12, 2021, and on Blu-ray & DVD on February 15, 2021.
This new movie is set in the midst of the swinging 1970s, this Elseworlds adventure finds Bruce Wayne training under a master sensei. It is here that Bruce, along with other elite students, is forged in the fire of the martial arts discipline. The lifelong bonds they form will be put to the test when a deadly menace arises from their past. It will take the combined efforts of Batman, world-renowned martial artists Richard Dragon, Ben Turner and Lady Shiva, and their mentor O-Sensei to battle the monsters of this world and beyond!
The ensemble cast features a core group of actors playing martial arts students-turned-heroes in David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Iron Chef America, Hawaii Five-0) as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu (Arrow, X2: X-Men United) as Lady Shiva and Michael Jai White (Spawn, reprising his role from Arrow) as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger. Their mentor O-Sensei is voiced by James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China, Blade Runner). Josh Keaton (Voltron: Legendary Defender; Green Lantern: The Animated Series) is featured as Jeffrey Burr, and additional voices are provided by veteran voiceover actors Grey Griffin, Chris Cox, Erica Luttrell, Robin Atkin Downes, Patrick Seitz, Jamie Chung and Eric Bauza.
Sam Liu (Reign of the Supermen, Batman: The Killing Joke) is Producer and Director of Batman: Soul Of The Dragon, utilizing a script by Jeremy Adams (Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge). Producers are Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: Red Son) and Sam Register are Executive Producers. Michael Uslan is Executive Producer.
As many of you know I am a big fan of the DC Animated Movies and when I heard that there was another Elseworlds movie being released I couldn’t wait to check it out, not only does the film have that real 70s vibe to it, but along with Bruce Wayne/Batman the film also features some of the other characters that have been pulled into the production to make it something special including Richard Dragon, O-Sensei, Bronze Tiger and Lady Shiva.
Batman Soul of the Dragon took me a little getting used to compared to the other movies, but it still has the great animation that we have gotten used to over the years from the DC Animated Movies series, this time the animators have really gone to town animating the martial arts in the movies to bring it to life and although the animation is very well done, for me it was the voice cast that really held the movie together for me.
The cast for the production are well chosen and work very well, although I did find myself drifting out of the storyline a tad at parts, Batman Soul of the Dragon is another enjoyable animated movie, but I would like to see us move away from the Elseworlds and head back to the Btaman of Gotham that I grew up with.
The Blu-ray has some great features and I have to say that it looks good and the use of the 5.1 sound works perfectly and not just for the sound effects but the 70s style uses all the surround speakers for that full audio immersive sensation.
The film is dedicated to legendary DC writer Dennis O’Neil, who co-created the characters Richard Dragon, O-Sensei, Bronze Tiger and Lady Shiva. O’Neil passed away on June 11, 2020.
Batman: Soul Of The Dragon Special Features
DVD:
- A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection, Justice Society: World War II.
Blu-Ray:
- A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection, Justice Society: World War II.
- From the DC Vault: 2 Bonus Cartoons
Batman Soul of the Dragon is out 15 February on Blu-ray and DVD.
Back to the 70s
Movie title: Batman Soul of the Dragon
Movie description: In the 1970s, a missing teacher of martial arts is the subject of a quest by his devoted and brilliant but distant students, who include Batman.
Date published: February 15, 2021
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 23min
Director(s): Sam Liu
Actor(s): David Giuntoli, Mark Dacascos, Kelly Hu
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Summary
Batman Soul of the Dragon is an interesting take on another Elseworlds story.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
