ANI-MOVIES, *Batman: Hush

Even though it was based on a pre-New 52 DC Comics continuity, Batman: Hush has been rewritten to be part of the current DC Animated Movie Universe that began with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. This is an usual fit for the plot as it takes place after films that have killed off at least 2/3 of Batman's rouges gallery, plus as part of the existing timeline which has the Dark Knight as part of the active superhero community, or as yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of Damien Wayne as Robin.

Set sometime after Superman's resurrection, Batman confronts Bane when he kidnapped a child, but the ransom money is stolen by Catwoman, who is under Poison Ivy's influence. Ivy gets away, so Batman and Catwoman team up while following her to Metropolis, where Ivy gets a hold of a special Kryptonite formula to control Superman. Managing to break Superman out of it, Bruce and Selina start seeing each other out of their masks, but a date their on is interrupted by Harley Quinn chases them to the opera with intentions on killing Bruce. Harley was following the orders of a mysterious new villain called Hush who kidnapped Joker, and allows him to escape. However, Batman believes Joker killed one of Bruce Wayne's friends, Thomas Elliott, who previously helped Bruce with an injury. Batman then captures Riddler who clues him in on Hush's intentions, which Batman concludes that Hush knows his real identity, and warns Catwoman by revealing his own alter-ego to her. Batman and Catwoman spend the next few days fighting crime together while Selina stays at Wayne Manor. Batman looks into the office of his deceased friend Thomas which was broken into, while Nightwing and Catwoman fight Scarecrow in a graveyard. It turns out that all the villains were either manipulated or controlled by Hush in his scheme to get Batman, leading to a very different climax than the original source material!

Compared to most of the other Batman entries in the "New 52" DCAU, it progresses well enough on its own, but does require you to be at least slightly aware of contributing DC Comics plots, like Lex Luthor now being a part of the Justice League, or Robin not being available since he's with the Teen Titans. One of the biggest things left out was the inclusion of Batwing and Batwoman into the Bat-Family, and don't even get a mention here, despite the fact that Batgirl follows up her brief appearance at the end of Batman: Bad Blood with a gratuitous cameo. This production would have worked better if it had been removed from the DCAU and was in its own continuity like The Killing Joke. The dub is acceptable, with Jason Spisak making his premiere as the Joker, even if only for two scenes in the whole movie. Its worth seeing if you appreciate the more detective aspects of Batman's character, although the stark change in the movie's conclusion might leave a sour taste with some fans.