Batman: Soul of the Dragon represents a stark departure from many of the DC animated movies produced in the past decade. Whereas the bulk of films released during that time were either part of the interconnected DC Animated Movie Universe or a direct adaptation of familiar comic stories, Soul of the Dragon strikes out as clever, stylish and most importantly, original. In fact, it's probably the best DC animated film in the last decade.
Soul of the Dragon centers on the story of Batman reuniting with the deadly assassins who were fellow students of the martial arts years prior in order to stop the deadly Kobra cult. The film is a love letter to the 1970s kung fu movie era, and in fact, Batman takes a back seat as characters like Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva take equally important roles in the narrative and combat sequences. The whole film is done with a sense of genre and style that stands out as bold and unique in comparison to many previous projects.
Batman: Soul Of The Dragon's Jeremy Adams Talks The Movie's Martial Arts Influences
Such compliments in comparison don't leap over a low bar of quality, either. There have been many fine installments in the DCAMU and adaptations of beloved comic stories from DC in the past decade. Of particular note is Reign of the Supermen, Justice League: War, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, all of which were creative ventures that knew how to entertain. But what they really lacked that Soul of the Dragon possesses is a sense of independence that allows them to stand on their own.
It's hard to talk about the DCAMU or animated adaptations of comic storylines isolated from their related works, and to that end, the comparison is always going to draw something from the film's success. Issues of continuity or fidelity to the material weigh in on the enjoyment of the story and action. Comparatively original productions like Justice League: Gods and Monsters and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five end up escaping comparison to the DCAMU only to be compared to the DCAU started by Batman: The Animated Series that started in 1992. Even the recent Superman: Man of Tomorrow is a rehash of the Superman origin story told countless times before, so it's understandable why DC fans would thirst for something that tastes fresh.
Soul of the Dragon is fresh. Its closest points of comparison come closer to Enter the Dragon and other Bruce Lee movies more so than any DC properties, and even though Batman is in the title, he takes a backseat for significant portions of the story. From its beautifully choreographed action sequences to the sideburn and afros, the film has an air of invigorating fun and passion to it that energizes every shot.
It has probably not been since 2010's Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths that one of DC's animated film projects felt so unique and inspired. Whether DC builds off of Soul of the Dragon to create its own period piece animated universe or if it simply uses it as inspiration for similar forays into experimentation, this could very well mark the beginning of a new era for DC, one that is bound to have a whole lot of soul.
Directed by Sam Liu and executive produced by Bruce Timm, Batman: Soul of the Dragon stars David Giuntoli as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Dacascos as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger, James Hong as O-Sensei and Josh Keaton as Jeffrey Burr. The film arrives Jan. 12, 2021 on digital HD and on Jan. 26 on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
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