Releasing Tuesday, August 12, Batman: Assault on Arkham on Bluray, DVD and digital,
Spoilers below
Here is the official synopsis:
When the government teams up a group of supervillains with the code name Suicide Squad and forces them to break into Arkham Asylum to bring back top secret information the Riddler has stolen, Batman soon becomes involved. But things go from bad to worse when one of the Squad (Harley Quinn) frees the Joker, who has the means to not only blow up the asylum, but most of Gotham City as well.
We had the opportunity to see the film and here is your spoiler free review. One of the things we love about the direct to video DC series is that Warner Bros. constantly sets the bar high for their DC releases. Batman: Arkham Assault is no different. They take incredible stories and translate them fantastically to video. This movie has everything a DC fan could want. For fans of the video game series, this movie does it justice.
Let’s start off with Kevin Conroy voicing Batman. Kevin has been voicing Batman/Bruce Wayne for over 20 years from the animated series to the hugely popular Batman Arkham video game series. When you think of Batman you think of Kevin Conroy. I must mention there is a trailer included for Batman: Arkham Knight that looks amazing.
As for characters in Batman: Assault on Arkham, you have:
Batman, Alfred Pennyworth, Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn, Floyd Lawton / Deadshot, Edward Nygma / The Riddler, The Joker and many more.
With a cast of characters this large, will this prevent the ability to tell a full story? While the cast is large, each and everyone have a significant role in this story. To have the introduction of the Suicide Squad makes this perfect. Each of the characters has a moment to shine while contributing to the story. I truly hope we see more of the Suicide Squad in the future releases.
Once again Warner Bros. has assembled an all-star lineup of actors bringing these characters to life. This includes, Kevin Conroy, Martin Jarvis, CCH Pounder, Troy Baker, Hynden Walch, Neal McDonough, Mathew Gray Gubler, Kevin Grevioux and James Patrick Stuart.
One of our particular favorite parts of this movie is seeing how Amanda Waller takes a no nonsense approach to get what she wants. With characters like Deadshot and the Suicide Squad, violence is amped up. The Suicide Squad is a team of criminal misfits who must accomplish their mission or they will be systematically executed. With no room for error and trying to stay in the shadows, time is critical to complete their mission. During all this they need to not bring attention to themselves or else. Due to the level of violence in the movie, parents may want to watch it before allowing younger viewers to watch. This may not be suitable for younger audiences.
We love special features and Batman: Assault on Arkham has plenty. Fans will get an extended preview at Warner Bros./DC next release, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis coming this fall. We also get extended looks at Harley Quinn and how this character came to be and what makes her tick.
The second features deals with Arkham Asylum itself. It’s fascinating to watch how various real asylums play a role into the creation of Arkham Asylum.
Finally from the archives we get four bonus episodes, Includes, “Task Force X” (Justice League Unlimited), “Emperor Joker” (Batman: The Brave and the Bold), “Two of a Kind” (Batman), and “Infiltrator” (Young Justice).
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great addition to your home collection. Be sure to order yours today.
