Here I am hoping that DC would consider releasing a villain centric animated movie for every two hero centric movies per year. There seem to be things you can do on screen and a dark sense of fun you get with villains instead of heroes. Edgy but fun, dark but not brooding, intense but not shallow. BATMAN ASSAULT ON ARKHAM was a risky experiment, but an experiment that pays off. For quick comparison, take a look at the animation on SON OF BATMAN done by Japanese anime studio "TheAnswerStudio" and then compare it to the visuals in BATMAN ASSAULT ON ARKHAM. Visually, Moi Animation studios have outdone themselves once again delivering top notch animation that surpasses many of their Japanese anime counterparts. Action is smooth, fluid, with a very high budget quality which combines detailed artwork with dynamic animation. The near nudity, the blood letting, it is insane, threading close to an "R" rating. Like previous DC Animated movies, ASSAULT ON ARKHAM does not shy away from bloody violence or semi-sexual depictions. This movie keeps you guessing and keeps the tension up from start to finish. What looks like a crazy outburst turns out to be a well calculated distraction for example. Throughout the movie, you get a sense that some of the team members have their own agenda and secrets. And they get one hell of a 75 minute showcase. Batman is not the focus here, the Suicide Squad is. Those barely visible eyes staring intensely from within the cowl, the new look of the costume which blends the dark blue streamlined design of Justice League Unlimited with the armoured detailing of New 52, not to mention the return of the classic Batman voice Kevin Conroy. But when he does appear, he exhibits a powerful on screen presence. Alas, for a title named "Batman: Assault on Arkham" the titular Batman plays a supporting, almost cameo, role. Yet in this familiarity comes the opportunity for the characters to truly shine thanks to some magnificent chemistry and voice acting. Their roles in the team are familiar archetypes for classic villain teams: the alpha male leader (Deadshot), the butt monkey backstabber (Captain Boomerang), the dumb muscle (King Shark), the seductress (Killer Frost), the mysterious odd one out (Black Spider), and the psycho (Harley Quinn). Although each villain does not get much development, we do get a "keynotes" look into their personalities, their motivations and their minds as the brisk pace of the movie sprints from action scene to action scene.
The fun begins when we get to see how well these bad guys play off one another in a script that is chock full of dark humour and depth. From the electronic heavy rock soundtrack to the Taratino-esque roll call opening credits sequence, you know you are in for a completely different animated movie.
Playing out like a good ol fashioned heist film in the vein of THE Italian JOB or OCEAN'S ELEVEN, we see six villains assembled by Amanda Waller and sent on a mission impossible deep into the heart of the dreaded Arkham Asylum to retrieve a thumb drive containing sensitive information, that was in the Riddler's possession.
These sociopathic misfits have to put aside their differences to work together, lest they "lose their heads". Morally ambiguous Vigilante Black Spider, seductive ice queen Killer Frost, savage brute King Shark, Australian scoundrel Captain Boomerang, crazy Harley Quinn and the cynical assassin Deadshot. A black ops mission to assassinate the Riddler is foiled by Batman, prompting CIA operative Amanda Waller to assemble "Task Force X", aka The Suicide Squad.
Villains get the spotlight in BATMAN: ASSAULT ON ARKHAM, a loose prequel set before the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum video game.