Are you a fan of the old school martial arts movies? Then this new film from Warner Brothers Animation is right up your alley!
Set in the 1970s (when East Asian martial arts were first breaking into the North American mainstream), the movie starts with Bruce at an impasse as his old friend Richard Dragon comes back into his life and learns about Bruce’s caped and cowled double life. Then, when a cult rises and threatens to end the world, the duo must reunite with the other pupils they had trained with.
The script is written by Jeremy Adams and was directed by Sam Lin. The voice cast is simply AMAZING!! David Giuntoli does a very convincing Batman/Bruce, Michael Jai White again reprises his role as Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger, along with Kelly Hu and James Hong the star power is definitely there for the voices. Adams’ script does not pull any punches with references to classic martial arts cinema, most notably many nods to Bruce Lee’s filmography and a dash of Big Trouble in Little China. Richard Dragon is written to be a cross between Bruce Lee and James Bond, but virtually every main character has their own sense of hip swagger. Batman actually almost gets lost in the mix but David Giuntoli plays the character so well that he manages to hold his own. While the story takes full advantage of its time period, it doesn’t feel dated at all, which is evident right from the film’s opening and includes the groovy soundtrack composed by Joachim Horsley. The movie is rated R for the violence so parents may want to give it a quick watch before they show the kiddos.
Special Features of this film include-
–Batman – Raw Groove (New Featurette) – This feature explores the early ’70s and how they inspired Batman: Soul of the Dragon.
–Producer Jim Krieg’s Far Out Highlights (New Featurette) – It’s an off-the-hook and out-of-sight supercut of one of Producer Jim Krieg’s funniest in-character appearances.
–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.
–Look Back: Superman: Red Son (Featurette) – Kal-El’s rocket fleeing Krypton never reaches Smallville, but instead lands in the Soviet Union, single-handedly shifting the new world order. This is the epic re-imagining of Superman’s origin story.
–Look Back: Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (Featurette) – Set against the backdrop of the turn of the century Gotham, Batman is involved in a hunt for a criminal who has committed the most heinous acts of murder. This is Batman versus Jack the Ripper!
–From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series, “Day of the Samurai”
–From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series, “Night of the Ninja”
From pretty sweet, tightly choreographed action and an epic voice cast performing at the height of their powers, Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a huge love letter to the martial-arts genre that tosses in characters from the DC Universe for a groovy ride! I honestly was not sure if I was going to enjoy this but I really did!! JQ gives this a 9.2 out of 10!
“Batman: Soul of the Dragon” the 41st film in the popular DC Universe Movies series, is available on Digital now, and will be available on 4K Combo Pack & Blu-ray starting January 26, 202 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Many thanks to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for letting us check it out.
Dan Kleiner 
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher