Warner Animation’s direct-to-home release animated features have been a mixed bag since their inception 13 years ago. And the recent ending of a yearslong New 52-inspired animated universe has returned the line to more stand-alone films, to its benefit. While the first film in the new era, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, was a solid, if not terribly new, retelling of Superman’s origin, last week’s Batman: Soul of the Dragon was something completely original, insane and exciting.
Soul of the Dragon is one of those concepts that I just looked at and thought, “Did someone craft this just with me in mind?” An original story set in the 1970s, Richard Dragon must gather some of the best martial artists in the DC Universe to stop Kobra from opening a gate to an evil mystical dimension. So it’s Dragon, Batman, Lady Shiva and Bronze Tiger versus Kobra, Lady Eve, King Snake and a bunch of Kobra goons, with flashbacks to the protagonist team training together with O-Sensei. Crazy ’70s martial arts story mixed with the DC Universe? Yes, can I please have some more?!
The description of the plot above is pretty much the entire synopsis of the movie. The plot is simple and straightforward. What this movie lives and dies on is strong characterization/voice work and stunning animation. For a feature that is slightly less than 90 minutes, all of the principle cast are well-rendered; if you came into this movie just because it’s got Batman’s name on it and know him only from animation or film, you will come out knowing Dragon, Shiva and Tiger and loving them.
A lazy screenplay would have made each of these martial arts badasses cookie-cutter samesies characters, but each has their own motivation. Dragon is a cool secret agent, Shiva is a mob boss with a sense of honor, Bronze Tiger is a man seeking to control his rage and Batman is … well, he’s Batman. The four characters interact like old friends, which they are, and the flashbacks to their time together in training establish the rapport.
The voice cast of each of these main characters does excellent work. Mark Dacascos (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Iron Chef America, Hawaii 5-O) gives Dragon a sly, winking and confident demeanor. Kelly Hu (X2: X-Men United, Arrow, Young Justice, Phineas and Ferb) brings a humanity to Lady Shiva most animated incarnations haven’t taken the time to develop. Michael Jai White reprises the role of Bronze Tiger from his time on Arrow, but adds a little bit of his legendary turn as Black Dynamite to fit in with the setting. And while first-time voice actor David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) might not go down in the history books alongside Deidrich Bader or GOAT Kevin Conroy for this one outing, he gives a very solid Batman. And finally, the role of O-Sensei, the master who trained all these characters, is played by the legendary James Hong (Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, the Kung Fu Panda series). There is no other actor right now who I can imagine pulling off that mix of sagacity and humor; only the dearly departed Mako Iwamatsu comes to mind, and maybe it’s just that I want to picture Uncle Iroh training Batman.
I don’t think anyone would be surprised after even the first scene of this movie that Bruce Timm is involved as an executive producer. The film is very much in the style of the classic DC Animated Universe, with its timeless feel and smooth animation. The ’70s setting is thoroughly researched, and the backgrounds are rich and full of loving references to the times. And the fight sequences are some of the best I have seen in a very long time. Animators researched the appropriate fighting styles, and worked to get them to look right.
And I would be avoiding the dragon in the room if I didn’t talk about how Richard Dragon was handled. In the comics, Dragon is a white savior figure, similar to Danny “Iron Fist” Rand or David Carradine’s Caine from Kung Fu, the Western outsider trained in martial arts who becomes the best of the best. The film casts Dragon as someone of Asian descent, with an Asian-American voice actor. While I’m sure there are “purists” who are offended or annoyed by this, it doesn’t matter to the story, gives the film more representation and removes that offensive trope from it, so I say more power to it.
Oh, and for all you X-fans out there? Yeah, there’s a Muramasa blade at the center of the plot, so you can get some more swords here, and we all know you love swords.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon takes some of the best aspects of a good superhero story and a martial arts film, mashes them together and comes out with something better for the hybridization. If you’re a fan of either of those genres, it is well worth your time.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of five. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the creator interview podcast WMQ&A with Dan Grote.
