Get ready for a very different kind of Batman story! Batman: Soul of the Dragon has arrived on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital On-Demand, featuring a young Bruce Wayne setting out on a globe-trotting crime-fighting adventure. This latest Elseworlds story has Batman teaming up with Richard Dragon, Ben “Bronze Tiger” Turner, and Lady Shiva to stop a threat from Kobra (not to be confused with G.I. Joe’s COBRA). Can this dynamic…quartet put aside their differences to save the world? 

 

Travel back in time to the 1970s, where we find Richard Dragon (who happens to look a lot like Bruce Lee in this story), pulling off spy-style antics to stop the deadly organization known as Kobra. The cult, lead by millionaire Jeffrey Burr, has a goal of releasing their Snake-God upon the world, which might lead to the end of all life as we know it. With a little help from Bruce Wayne (who is pretty careless with his secret identity in this one), Richard hopes to reunite the other students who served under their master, O-Sensei, from the mysterious Nanda Parbat. Once the team has reassembled, the action kicks up a notch as they scramble to recover the precious sword known as Soul Breaker and stop Burr and his followers from opening a mystical gate. Who will make it out of this one alive? #NoSpoilers.

 

 

Batman: Soul of the Dragon features the vocal talents of David Giuntoli (Grimm) as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Dacascos (Mortal Kombat: Legacy) as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu (The Spectacular Spider-Man) as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White (Arrow) as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger, James Hong (Godzilla, King of the Monsters!) as O-Sensei, Josh Keaton (Green Lantern: The Animated Series) as Jeffrey Burr, and Jamie Chung (Lovecraft Country) as Jade Nguyen. The creative team included Director/Producer Sam Liu (Reign of the Supermen), Producer Jim Krieg (Green Lantern: The Animated Series), and Producer Kimberly S. Moreau (Teen Titans GO! To the Movies), with a story written by Jeremy Adams (Supernatural), and animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) as Executive Producer.

 

While the movie features Batman in the title, the story really focuses more on Richard Dragon and his friend Bruce Wayne who sometimes suits up as Batman (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). The creative teams behind the DC Universe Movies have found clever ways to introduce obscure or out of the mainstream characters over the years, and this story definitely featured a rather unique ensemble cast that was well suited for this particular outing. Giuntoli provides a very different (yet confident) Bruce Wayne voice than we have been accustomed to from past animated stories, but I hope that we get more of his take in future installments. Who would have thought that we would see a 70s style spy/action animated feature with a totally hip Bruce Wayne? To no surprise, Hu and White are fantastic with their 70s style takes on characters that they have some personal history with, but I was thrilled to see them take some risks and not settle for a duplicate performance. One of the big surprises from this story was Josh Keaton being cast as the villain Jeffrey Burr. Keaton is typically associated with voicing more heroic characters (go watch Green Lantern: The Animated Series), but he excelled as the big-bad, subverting expectations and adding a new level of fun for the recognizable voice talent. 

 

From an animation standpoint, the creative team leaned into the time period and provided viewers with a new sleek style for Batman and his friends. The story was a refreshing change of pace, allowing Bruce to explore areas outside of Gotham City with a group of characters that he is not typically associated with. Branding it as an “Elseworlds” title was also a smart move, as it also meant that no character or story element had to be “played safe”. I’m not sure if we will get to see more of these characters in the future, but I loved everything about how this story was crafted.

 

 

• Batman: Raw Groove Featurette – Learn more about the real-world, film, and comic influences that inspired the film.
• Producer Jim Kreig’s Far-Out Highlights – Put on your 70s power suit and join the creative team for a behind the scenes look at Batman: Soul of the Dragon.
• A Sneak Peek at the next Animated DC Universe Movie: Justice Society: World War II
• From the DC Vault – Two Bonus Cartoons
• Digital Download 

I have always been a fan of Elseworlds inspired takes on existing characters, and Batman: Soul of the Dragon is no exception. This R-Rated adventure is not your typical Batman. I loved the James Bond, martial arts, and 70s cinematic references that were carefully woven throughout the film. This creative team was allowed to do something a bit different, and I am totally on-board for more. 

 

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Batman: Soul of the Dragon 4.5 out of 5 70s inspired missions.

 

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