Review: Batman: Soul of the Dragon

 

 

Overview:

Globetrotting superspy Richard Dragon has uncovered a terrorist plot to destroy the Earth. This time it is personal as it drags up his past. If Dragon hopes to save the planet, he is going to have to team up with his former martial arts compatriots.

Combining his efforts with Bruce Wayne, Bronze Tiger, and Lady Shiva, they fight their way to the top of a deadly ring of ninjas, The Cobra Cult. These kung-fu heroes must stop an interdimensional gate from allowing evil to enter the world. But their most formidable enemy is someone that none of them expected to ever see again.

 

Our Take:

The DC Universe has been throwing some interesting Batman Elseworlds films at us in recent years with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight and Batman Ninja. Each of them their own individual takes on Dark Knight lore whilst exploring a unique genre.  Batman: Soul of the Dragon is the most unexpected Elseworld adventure yet. Placing the world’s greatest detective in the thrills of a ‘70s martial arts movie.

This period piece offers the complete disco-era experience with music, fashion, and setting, complete with a retro opening credit. Intermixed are classic martial art film tropes that one would expect from a Bruce Lee feature. Last on the list, coincidentally, is the Batman superhero theme sprinkled throughout.

Honestly, this is less of a Batman film than anything else. It is almost as if the Dark Knight was thrown in on a final draft of a Richard Dragon screenplay. Bruce Wayne plays a more significant role than his own alter ego. Perhaps the superhero was brought in to give this film some star power and get audiences watching.  

So, if you are expecting a traditional Batman romp complete with a cameo from the Joker, you will be disappointed. Batman, complete in costume, does not even appear until 25-minutes into the feature. Additionally, he is not the formidable and dominant force that is expected of the character.

However, that should not dissuade anyone from throwing on this unique film. Once you are watching the movie you find yourself more and more grateful that there is not an oversaturation of the caped crusader.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon stands firmer as a story about Richard Dragon, the kung fu fighting comic book character. Created by the late Dennis O’Neil, of whom this film memorializes, Richard Dragon is a martial art force throughout the DC comic universe. He is much akin to the Marvel character Shang-Chi, who will be getting the MCU treatment in this current phase. (Note: If Marvel goes in the same retro direction as this film does, we will be in for a treat.)

What this movie does do is mess around with Batman’s origins. Which is completely alright and noncanonical in these Elseworld stories. In place of training under Ra’s al Ghul, Bruce Wayne finds himself studying under the same master as Dragon, Lady Shiva, and Bronze Tiger. Though much of this is explained through flashbacks, the main storyline finds all these characters sometime later.

The plot itself is fast and layered, but with recognizable elements in the classic 70s package. It is a traditional martial arts story in that these masters have been tasked with protecting one particular artifact. There is a heavy James Bond influence through the action and situational setup. This is all wrapped up in an adventure that gets the old gang back together to share memories they had wished they had forgotten.  

And also, Batman is there.

The cast is packed with some solid choices. Michael Jai White delivers a fashionable Bronze Tiger much akin to ‘70s Shaft, without the controversy. O-Sensei could not have been played by anyone else other than James Hong. Mark Dacascos brings bravado to the superspy version of Richard Dragon. Meanwhile, David Giuntoli has his first outing as Batman. Though he is no Kevin Conroy, he did land the necessary tone of the legendary character.

It is a cool world that we live in that they can just release a full-length feature about Batman with such a stylistic choice. If this movie had a smell it would be a dusty old Betamax cassette. What is on that tape could be a Bruce Lee movie, a Shaft film, or a James Bond flick, because this one movie has elements of all three.  

This is something different from the DC Animated Universe, how fans respond will be interesting. Personally, I am glad that I watched this for the interesting direction it took alone. However, had I not been reviewing the feature, I am unsure how long it would have taken me to watch. The synopsis fails to give the look and feel of Batman: Soul of the Dragon any justice.

If anything else, in due time, this movie is going to be a magnificent gift to those up late at night watching Adult Swim. This Batman animated feature was built to be on late-night television. By the time this hits the cable channels it is going to be a shocking experience full of disco and kung fu.

There is a lot of exciting things going on throughout the story.  Everything moves at a pace where action is around the next corner.  And the theme delivers the whole film over the top in a fun and unique way.  As long as you don’t expect Batman to be at the top of his game, you are going to have an entertaining time watching.