Batman: Hush

The most critical blow to any efforts by DC to create their own empire of animated films. Perhaps precisely because it is Batman's greatest adventure, one which completely enchanted me in comic book form, and my heart cannot bear for the two-part source material to be cut down to the usual running time of twenty minutes. Instead of unforgettable artwork, we once again get animation that has remained unchanged for years, making everything look exactly the same as Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay or Justice League, regardless of the storytelling style. And despite having the right contours of the story, it still remains a far cry from the original comic. We are left with a (somewhat sterile) gallery of almost all the villains and the predictably visually appealing visit to Metropolis, but the whole second half falls flat. Just like in the recent Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, the very essence of the source material, including the key identity of the titular character, is undermined, perhaps to save time for explanatory monologues (hence the minimized number of Batman's sidekicks), or maybe to have room for an unnecessarily long action finale due to the length of the film. With regard to the simplification, a specific storyline deviation (the cemetery) lacks any deeper meaning and remains nothing more than – yes, an action-packed interlude. On one hand, I almost admire the bravery of the studio trying to insert references to other films (such as cameos by Damian or Lex), even into pure gold like the original Doctor Silence, but I remain puzzled as to why they voluntarily overturn their basic foundations. (2019.08.04)

I remember the comic book differently. Hush isn’t a bad story. But it has nothing to say. The romantic plot line with Selina works from start to finish, but the presence of tons of villains that appeared in the original just so that the divine Jina Lee could show off her super powers is more than a little annoying. (2020.11.17)

While the original Hush story was published in the classic "Batman" series in issues 608-619 in 2002-2003, its animated adaptation arrived late. However, the transfer to the DC Animated Movie Universe alone is a definite sign of quality, and if nothing else, serves as a pretty good indicator for what to read next. DC animation has done a lot of things well, and unless you are a comic book purist, you can enjoy this film as well. Hush is a show full of all your favorite characters, with Nightwing running around, Poison Ivy being naughty and Harley Quinn running around the Opera House, but this time the Joker is innocent... (2019.10.20)