by Mike Favila, Senior Editor
It’s been a few years since I’ve gotten to read the classic Batman: Hush story from Jim Lee, and I was quite excited to hear that they put this film together. Issues #608 to #619 are some of my favorites, and as an old Image die hard, everything Lee touches is a winner. Now that he’s the big honcho there, I can’t imagine they would do this wrong.
Batman: Hush opens with Bruce at yet another gala, trying to relax. After running into Selina Kyle and yet another old friend named Thomas, he is called away to a hostage demand by Bane. Considering how pedestrian this crime is, you should already suspect something is up.
To be honest, it’s really wonderful to see Batman and Catwoman be so tender with each other. I know the comics were leading this way, but to see it start to blossom here, even if it was temporary, is a sweet intermission from all the brooding and killing Batman is known for. Usually, when a relationship forms in literature, it is the tension of the courtship that is the meat of what makes the pairing so fiery. Often referred to as Moonlighting syndrome (after the Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd romantic sitcom), the relationship just loses steam (and viewers’ interest) when they get together and get settled. The opposite was the case here. Seeing Bats and Cat together WAS the anomaly.
Overall, Batman: Hush‘s plot just moved so fast, hitting so many references at once, it dared you to know all of them. Unlike the usual star studded events, all the tie in characters seemed very natural. Every villain and ally is there for a reason, and the pacing doesn’t suffer for their inclusion. Just like the comics, they manage to rope in everyone into a huge overarching narrative, even if there were crucial changes made. I don’t want to give away too much, because part of what makes this film such a wild ride are the curious surprises dropped here and there. I almost enjoy having forgotten most of the comic, so I that I could enjoy it anew for this viewing.
I don’t want to spoil the ending for Batman: Hush, but needless to say, I definitely didn’t see the change coming from this adaptation. They put a lot of clues for original readers that they were going to go in the same direction, but took a definite right turn for the main antagonist’s identity. Reading the reviews online, you’d think DC’s film division committed heresy. I would say it’s at least something new for the comic reader coming into this work. I’m ok with it.
The voice casting is excellent, and multifaceted. It’s not just everybody dialing it in for a few bucks. Jason O’Mara turns in another great performance for Batman, although there’s only so much you can do to reinterpret him anyway. Although Rainn Wilson (The Office, Six Feet Under) was only in the film for a bit as Lex, he was as biting and annoyed as he could be without overacting. Nightwing, as portrayed by Sean Maher (Firefly), shows his humanity as well, and makes you almost long for a Batman that could expose his human side so well.
The animation is top notch as usual, and sends the story through efficiently, while still pulling you in with flair. The colors fit what you’d expect, while still being easily discernable. If you spend too much time with the Dark Knight, you tend to see a lot of alleys or caves. Batman: Hush doesn’t break that, but it’s still easy to see what’s what, and who is punching who.
As a longtime reader, Batman: Hush hit enough of the original story line to thrill me, and made a number of changes that would be controversial, if I wasn’t more open minded. In this day and age of revamps and flips, I have tried to not be so tethered to the original narratives of yesteryear. I really enjoyed it and am already looking up previous DC Animated Universe titles just because of Batman Hush. Now, if you haven’t read the original comic series, Batman: Hush is still going to be a lot of fun, and a totally unexpected direction. Pick it up immediately!
