‘BATMAN: SOUL OF THE DRAGON’ – MY 1st IMPRESSION… IT’S OKAY

DC’s latest Animated film, Batman: Soul of the Dragon is streaming now on Digital HD from Amazon Video and iTunes.  And the Blu-ray release date is set for January 26, 2021.

The look of the show is a direct and very obvious homage to the 70’s classic, Enter the Dragon.   A 1973 martial arts action film that stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. In fact, the character designs in this film look like those actors.  Bruce Wayne looks like John Saxon, Bronze Tiger looks like Jim Kelly, and Richard Dragon looks like Bruce Lee.

So, did I like Batman: Soul of the Dragon?  Well… I thought it was just okay.  There’s a lot of talking and a lot of fighting, but I found the story lacking.  Probably because it is rather simplistic, and ends on a cliffhanger.  So it doesn’t feel like you get a beginning, middle, and end.    And I wasn’t wowed enough by the 70’s esthetic to be excited about a second wrap-things-up sequel.  So ending on a cliffhanger didn’t work for me…

The story is mostly about; martial arts training and fighting, a demonic threat, friendship, assembling a team, and a final throw-down… Sort of.  And the main characters are Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragon, and Lady Shiva… They’re all using 70’s slang, and wearing 70’s gear, and sporting 70’s hair styles.  So if you’ve been jonesing for big hair and bell-bottoms, this film is for you.

Parents beware; there are some randy words in the film.  And early on we see a prostitute, a woman of color, brutally tortured and killed.  Why? I don’t know.  It didn’t really add much to the story.  I guess they wanted to make it seem edgier and more adult.  Whatever that means.

MY LAST WORD:  After that jarring beginning, I did invest in what little actual story there was.  So overall, I was entertained, until that ending hit.  Which means that I do marginally recommend the film, if you want to see Batman in Elseworlds situations.