Written by Ernie Altbacker
Directed by Justin Copeland
Catwoman: "You're absolutely insane. He killed your friend. Tried to kill Nightwing. Hell, he almost killed me and you're sorry he's dead?"
Batman: "I had to try. If someone can be saved, I have to try."
Catwoman: "You do, don't you? It's a compulsion. You and your goddamn code. And you'll die because of it, you know this, right? Will that make it all better?"
Batman: "Without a code, I'm no better than them."
If you could compile a list of maybe ten Batman comics that are of significant importance, there's a good chance that Jeph Loeb's 2002 entry, Hush would make that list (as would another one he wrote a few years prior to it), and once again, the DCAU are in adaptation mode with this take on the classic comic getting it's debut last weekend during the events of SDCC. I got to admit the results are definitely a mixed bag here.
Being done as one movie instead of being split into two like The Dark Knight Returns was a few years ago, Batman: Hush is not a completely faithfully adaptation of the source material and there some creative changes that ultimately do not work. I'm going to go into the biggest problem first, because later on, I'll point out stuff I actually did like with this one.
The biggest issue with this movie is of course it's title character, Hush. In the comics, he's an old friend of Bruce Wayne - a surgeon named, Thomas Elliot (Maury Sterling) who also secretly resents and orchestrates a series of events that test Batman (Jason O'Mara) general resolve before the big reveal on a rainy night at the bridge. Dramatically, it's a great moment in the comic. Unfortunately what we're given instead is the result of a twist for the sake of one that doesn't pay off.
Instead of being a criminal mastermind, Thomas Elliot is literally just Bruce's old friend who gets shot by Hush and is actually dead. The very antagonist of this movie is actually replaced by the Riddler (Geoffrey Arend) - a character who had an interesting secondary antagonist role in the comic itself but doesn't work at actually being Hush here.
I have no idea what possessed writer Ernie Altbacker to take away the biggest selling point of Thomas Elliot and while I'm usually for subverting some source material, this is by far one of the most idiotic decisions made for these animated movie. Actually if you're a big Riddler fan, you're going to end up leaving this movie feeling rather pissed off at the character's overall treatment. What a truly terrible way of twisting the actual comic book for a twist that doesn't work at all on any level.
The rest of the comic also does a bit of replacing as well as we lose Huntress in favour of Batgirl (Peyton R. List), who adds nothing to proceedings along with an annoyingly dumbed down/drugged out Bane (Adam Gifford) in lieu of Killer Croc while a brief cameo of Damien Wayne (Stuart Allan) reinforced why I'm particularly not keen to see that character get any more other media outings if I'm being candid.
There are some bright spots - in particular Nightwing (Sean Maher). He doesn't have a huge amount to do but every scene he appears in is rather delightful as he encourages Batman's relationship with Catwoman (Jennifer Morrison) and there's a good team up with Nightwing and Catwoman during a graveyard scene where they take on the Scarecrow but again, there are certain moments from the comic that don't make the cut of this movie.
As for Batman and Catwoman - their dynamic, including the harsh break up is still the strongest component and the most successful thing translated in the movie as they have their battles with the likes of Bane, Poison Ivy (Peyton List), Harley Quinn (Hynden Walsh), Joker (Jason Spisak) and even Superman (Jerry O'Connell) as the latter was under Ivy's influence for a bit but at least saving Lois Lane (Rebecca Romijn) somewhat snapped him out of it.
Of course it would be their different outcomes in dealing with the Riddler/Hush that caused them to split but at least the movie made the most of their relationship and I'll admit that Morrison was great as Catwoman. I'm still not really too keen on O'Mara's Batman but he did okay enough, working well enough with Morrison.
- We got some cameos from Lady Shiva, Lex Luthor, Mr Freeze, Penguin and Two Face. Even that brilliant plot with Harvey Dent didn't make it on here.
- DC are slowly embracing Poison Ivy's bisexuality it seems as we got that brief kiss between her and Catwoman.
- Harley got three hyenas, Catwoman's cat was called Eartha (loved that) and we got to see Titus as well.
- Chronology: Somewhat set after the events of Reign Of The Supermen.
Batman: Hush should've been amazing given the source material and while I can understand cutting certain characters and subplots to keep things a bit shorter, I really hated what they actually did with the title character. One of the most moronic decisions the DCAU made here but for Bat/Cat fans, at least this didn't disappoint on that front (and with Nightwing). Saying that though, I really hope they don't botch up The Long Halloween, which is also being rumoured to be getting the DCAU treatment.
Rating: 6 out of 10
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