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{{Infobox film
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{{Under construction}}
  
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| name = Son of Batman
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| image = Son of Batman cover.jpg
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| caption = Home video release cover art
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| director = [[Ethan Spaulding]]
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| producer = James Tucker
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| screenplay = [[Joe R. Lansdale]]
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| story = [[James Robinson (writer)|James Robinson]]
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| based on = {{Based on|Characters appearing in comic books published|[[DC Entertainment]]}}
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| starring = {{Plainlist|
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* [[Jason O'Mara]]
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* [[Stuart Allan]]
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* [[Thomas Gibson]]
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* [[Morena Baccarin]]
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}}
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| music = [[Frederik Wiedmann]]
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| editing = Christopher D. Lozinski
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| production companies = {{Plainlist|
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* [[Warner Bros. Animation]]
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* DC Entertainment
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}}
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| distributor = [[Warner Home Video]]
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| released = {{Film date|2014|04|22|Digital|2014|05|06|Physical}}
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| runtime = 74 minutes
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| country = United States
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| language = English
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| budget =
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| gross = <!-- This is for theatrical gross, not home video sales -->
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}}
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'''''Son of Batman''''' is a [[direct-to-video]] animated [[superhero film]] which is part of the [[DC Universe Animated Original Movies]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bricken|first=Rob|title=Damian lives in DC's next direct-to-DVD movie, Son of Batman|url=http://io9.com/damian-lives-in-dcs-next-direct-to-dvd-movie-son-of-b-1505711607|publisher=io9|accessdate=20 March 2014}}</ref> It is an adaptation of [[Grant Morrison]] and [[Andy Kubert]]'s 2006 ''[[Batman and Son]]'' storyline.<ref name="http://www.flickeringmyth.com">{{cite web| url = http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/01/watch-first-trailer-for-dc-animated.html | title = Watch the first trailer for DC animated movie Son of Batman - Flickering Myth | accessdate = 2014-01-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Serafino|first=Jason|title=First "Son Of Batman" Trailer Debuts Online|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/01/first-son-of-batman-trailer|publisher=Complex|accessdate=20 March 2014}}</ref> The film was released as a digital download on April 22, 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/22/son-of-batman-review|title = Son of Batman Review - IGN|date = 22 April 2014|accessdate = 23 April 2014}}</ref> and was released on physical media May 6, 2014.<ref name="ReleaseDate">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/2014/01/son-of-batman-animated-feature-hits-home-video-may-6th-2014-first-look-at-cover-art/ | title = "Son Of Batman" Animated Feature Hits Home Video May 6th, 2014, First Look At Cover Art | accessdate = 2014-01-22 }}</ref><ref name="http://www.tvguide.com">{{cite web| url = http://www.tvguide.com/News/Son-of-Batman-First-Look-1076369.aspx | title = First Look: It's Father's Day for the Dark Knight in Son of Batman - Today's News: Our Take - TVGuide.com | accessdate = 2014-01-20 }}</ref>
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==Plot==
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<!-- NOTE: The plot summary is currently 534 words long, which is within the maximum permitted length. Please do not alter it or make it unnecessarily longer without first discussing and gaining consensus on the article's talk page. The plot summary does NOT intend to reproduce the experience of watching, nor is it meant to cover EVERY detail. It should serve as an overview of the major plot elements and events. PER WP:FILMPLOT, PLOT SUMMARIES FOR FEATURE FILMS AND TELEVISION SERIES SHOULD BE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 WORDS. See "Wikipedia:How to write a plot summary" (WP:PLOTSUM) for general guidelines.-->
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At the headquarters of the [[League of Assassins]], [[Ra's al Ghul]] grooms [[Damian Wayne]] (son of his daughter, [[Talia al Ghul|Talia]], and [[Batman]]) to succeed him as head of the league. The league is attacked by a group of assassins led by [[Deathstroke|Slade Wilson]], Ra's al Ghul's initial choice for successor before meeting Batman. Feeling betrayed, Slade decides to seize power. During the battle, Ra's is defeated and fatally burned, dying before he can reach the [[Lazarus Pit]]. Damian stabs Slade's right eye during the battle, forcing him to flee. Talia takes Damian to [[Gotham City]] to meet his father and ask for his protection.
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In Gotham City, Batman confronts [[Killer Croc]], who is stealing mutagenic chemicals and steroids to enhance himself. Batman gets ambushed by Croc before Talia electrocutes the latter from behind. She tells Batman about her father's death and leaves their son in his care, though Damian believes that he can take care of himself and does not need Batman. Slade, now calling himself Deathstroke, captures [[Man-Bat|Dr. Kirk Langstrom]], who conspired with both Croc and Ra's, promising the latter a formula for his soldiers. Slade threatens Langstrom's wife [[Francine Langstrom|Francine]] and his daughter Rebecca to force him to recreate the Man-Bat formula for him. Damian bypasses Wayne Towers security to speak to Bruce, telling him that Deathstroke's contact [[Ubu (DC Comics)|Ubu]] is stationed in Gotham. Although Damian wants to avenge Ra's al Ghul by killing Deathstroke, Bruce objects to Damian's willingness to take lives. Talia is captured by Deathstroke when she and her assassins attack his compound.
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Against Batman's orders, Damian leaves the Batcave and, after a chase and a long fight, defeats Ubu, whom he located by accessing the Bat-Computer. Before Damian can kill him, [[Dick Grayson|Nightwing]] arrives, mistakes him for a criminal and subdues him before bringing him back to the Batcave. Batman berates Damian for his recklessness, willingness to kill and exposing their operation. Batman then has Damian don the mantle of [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] to teach him discipline. Searching for a lead on Langstrom's location, Batman goes to Arkham to interrogate a rabid Killer Croc, who supplied the mutagens to Langstrom in exchange for his enhancements and is currently going through drastic, agonizing withdrawal symptoms that cause him to shed his scales and tail. Since others are too afraid of him to medicate him without being harmed, Batman promises Croc help in exchange for information. Batman follows Croc's lead about the formula's [[mutagen]] to Langstrom's apartment, where he finds a throwing star that he takes evidence of Deathstroke's involvement. Before he leaves, he goes throughout the building and finds a storage room filled with caged bats, with one larger cage being empty and broken open from inside. Batman then finds a rabid [[gorilla]] with [[bat]]-like mutations, one of Langstrom's unstable subjects, and it attacks him until it dies from its mutations. A drone aircraft sent by Deathstroke then flies past and crashes on the building, destroying it, though Batman evades the explosion. [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner Gordon]] warns them about an abandoned stadium believed to house Deathstroke's men.
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At the stadium, Batman and Damian question Langstrom but are attacked when Damian becomes violent. Before they successfully escape, they fight off a swarm of Man-Bats. In the cave, Langstrom reveals Deathstroke's plan to create superhuman, flight-capable assassins. While Nightwing works with Langstrom on an antidote, Batman and Damian rescue their family. Batman guesses that Talia has been abducted when he finds evidence of torture in an empty cell, which he keeps from Damian to not set him off. They find and rescue Langstrom's family, but Batman is unaware that Deathstroke challenged Damian to a fight in exchange for Talia's life through a video device he gave Langstrom's daughter in exchange for sparing them. Both Langstrom's daughter and Deathstroke's video tell him not to involve Batman in their fight.
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Nightwing learns that Deathstroke is operating in an oil rig off the Scottish coast, and when Batman is distracted, Damian goes to the rig. He finds Deathstroke and Talia in an underwater base with a swarm of [[Man-Bat#Man-Bat Commandos|Man-Bats]] and another Lazarus Pit, whose fluid Deathstroke intends to sell. Damian pulls a gun on Deathstroke, who holds one against Talia's head until Damian drops his gun. Deathstroke fires at him, but Talia is hit instead after she jumps in the path of Deathstroke's gunfire. As Deathstroke corners Damian, Batman appears and the Man-Bats attack. Batman wards them off with sonar-emitting batarangs, while Deathstroke flees with Damian giving chase.
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Batman heals Talia in Lazarus Pit, while Nightwing and Langstrom reach the oil rig and cure the Man-Bats. At the same time, Damian fights and defeats Deathstroke, but refuses to kill him because he is his father's son. The elevator from the rig to the underwater base is destroyed when the Man-Bats, overwhelmed by the sonar devices, overcrowd the glass elevator shaft, flooding the base. Batman, Talia and Damian escape, but Deathstroke gets left behind. Batman believes that Damian should stay with him and remain as Robin while Talia still wishes to recreate the League with Batman, who would rather disband the League, and Damian at her side. She decides to let him care for their son and leaves with the League of Assassins though she says she will return for him.
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As the credits roll, a slideshow of the fight between Damian and Nightwing is played between credits.
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==Cast==
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{{Div col}}
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* [[Stuart Allan]] - [[Damian Wayne|Damian Wayne / Robin]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Jason O'Mara]] - [[Batman|Bruce Wayne / Batman]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1">{{cite web|last=Harvey |first=Jim |url=http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/2014/05/complete-cast-and-crew-details-for-son-of-batman-animated-feature/ |title=Main Cast And Crew Details For Upcoming "Son Of Batman" Animated Feature |publisher=Worldsfinestonline.com |date=2014-05-02 |accessdate=2014-05-13}}</ref>
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* [[Thomas Gibson]] - [[Deathstroke|Slade Wilson / Deathstroke]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Morena Baccarin]] - [[Talia al Ghul]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Sean Maher]] - [[Dick Grayson|Dick Grayson / Nightwing]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/><ref name="worldsfinestonline">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/2014/02/world-premiere-of-son-of-batman-animated-feature-confirmed-for-wondercon-anaheim-2014/|title=World Premiere Of "Son Of Batman" Animated Feature Confirmed For WonderCon Anaheim 2014|last=Harvey|first=Jim|publisher=World's Finest Online|date=March 8, 2014|accessdate=March 8, 2014}}</ref>
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* [[David McCallum]] - [[Alfred Pennyworth]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Giancarlo Esposito]] - [[Ra's al Ghul]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Xander Berkeley]] - [[Man-Bat|Dr. Kirk Langstrom]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Xander Berkeley Talks SON OF BATMAN and 24|url=http://collider.com/xander-berkeley-son-of-batman-interview/|website=Collider|accessdate=7 October 2016|date=26 April 2014}}</ref>
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* [[Diane Michelle]] - [[Francine Langstrom]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Fred Tatasciore]] - [[Killer Croc|Waylon Jones / Killer Croc]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/><ref name="twitter.com">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SuperPRGuy/status/447085575372148736 |title=Twitter / SuperPRGuy: Somebody's lurking in the shadows |publisher=Twitter.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-13}}</ref>
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* [[Bruce Thomas (actor)|Bruce Thomas]] - [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner James Gordon]],<ref name="worldsfinestonline"/> Ubu<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Kari Wahlgren]] - Rebecca Langstrom<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Dee Bradley Baker]] - [[Joker (character)|The Joker]] (cameo), [[Man-Bat#Man-Bat Commandos|Man-Bat Commandos]]<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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* [[Andrea Romano]] - Suit #2<ref name="worldsfinestonline1"/>
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{{Div col end}}
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==Differences between the comics and film==
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{{Refimprove section|date=January 2015}}
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The film bears only a superficial resemblance to the ''[[Batman and Son]]'' [[story arc]] in the [[comic books|comics]]; as a result, it carries no on-screen "based on" credit as DC Animated Movies usually do.
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* [[Talia al Ghul]] is the primary antagonist of the story arc in the comics. It is ultimately revealed that she left [[Damian Wayne|Damian]] with [[Batman]] in order to keep the Dark Knight distracted from her plans and to cause havoc in his life, not out of concern for the boy. In the movie, [[Deathstroke]] is presented as the antagonist and fulfills much of Talia's original role from the comic book arc instead of working for her. Even more, Talia is shown to genuinely care for her son, trusting him to find his own path and still openly in love with Batman (though this changes in the sequel ''[[Batman: Bad Blood]]'')
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* [[Tim Drake]] is omitted in the film; in the comic books, he is Batman's adoptive son and the active [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] during the events of this arc, working a significant character. In the original story arc, Damian develops an antagonism towards Tim out of jealousy, going as far as trying to kill him in order to usurp his place. Batman ultimately keeps Tim as Robin by the end of the arc, while Damian is kept by the end of the film.
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* The climactic confrontation of the original story arc revolves around Batman trying to stop the final phase of Talia's scheme to take over [[Gibraltar]] and being forced to accept Damian's help, as Tim is severely wounded; both Talia and Damian vanish when Britain's Royal Navy bomb the ship on which they are fighting. In a complete departure, the movie's climax is about rescuing Talia from Deathstroke and stopping him from selling liquid from a [[Lazarus Pit]], with only the latter vanishing when his base is flooded.
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* Aside from Tim Drake, [[Harley Quinn]], [[Jeremiah Arkham]] and [[List of Batman supporting characters#Jezebel Jet|Jezebel Jet]] are present in the original arc, but were omitted in the film.
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* Deathstroke, [[Ra's al Ghul]], [[Killer Croc]] and [[Dick Grayson|Nightwing]] are absent from the original comic book arc, but were included in the film.
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* The beginning of the film shows [[Dusan al Ghul]], the son of Ra's and brother of Talia who apparently had normal relations with their relatives. Dusan al Ghul was later killed by Deathstroke. He was not in the comic book storyline.
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==Soundtrack==
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{{Infobox album
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| Name = Son of Batman (Music from the DC Universe Movie)
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| Type = Film score
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| Artist = [[Frederik Wiedmann]]
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| Longtype=
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| Cover =
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| Released = May 20, 2014
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| Length =65:52
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| Label = [[La-La Land Records]]
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| Reviews =
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}}
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The soundtrack to ''Son of Batman'' was released on May 20, 2014, with music composed by Frederik Wiedmann.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/2014/05/cover-artwork-track-listing-for-son-of-batman-soundtrack-details-released/ |title=Cover Artwork, Track Listing For "Son Of Batman" Soundtrack Released|publisher=Worldsfinestonline.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-07}}</ref>
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;Tracklist
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{{Track listing
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| collapsed = yes
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| headline = '''''Son of Batman (Music from the DC Universe Movie)'''''
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| extra_column =
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| total_length = 65:52
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| all_writing =
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| all_lyrics =
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| all_music =
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| writing_credits =
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| lyrics_credits =
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| music_credits =
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| title1 = Son of Batman
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| note1 =
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| writer1 =
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| lyrics1 =
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| music1 =
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| extra1 =
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| length1 = 0:56
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| title2 = Peace and War
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| note2 =
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| writer2 =
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| lyrics2 =
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| music2 =
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| extra2 =
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| length2 = 2:13
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| title3 = Deathstroke’s Army
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| note3 =
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| writer3 =
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| lyrics3 =
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| music3 =
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| extra3 =
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| length3 = 3:41
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| title4 = Ashes to Ashes
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| note4 =
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| writer4 =
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| lyrics4 =
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| music4 =
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| extra4 =
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| length4 = 4:59
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| title5 = Gotham Crimes
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| note5 =
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| writer5 =
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| lyrics5 =
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| music5 =
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| extra5 =
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| length5 = 2:21
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| title6 = Souvenirs d’une Liaison
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| note6 =
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| writer6 =
  +
| lyrics6 =
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| music6 =
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| extra6 =
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| length6 = 1:34
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  +
| title7 = Damian
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| note7 =
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| writer7 =
  +
| lyrics7 =
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| music7 =
  +
| extra7 =
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| length7 = 1:03
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| title8 = Gotham City
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| note8 =
  +
| writer8 =
  +
| lyrics8 =
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| music8 =
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| extra8 =
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| length8 = 1:13
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| title9 = Call Me Deathstroke
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| note9 =
  +
| writer9 =
  +
| lyrics9 =
  +
| music9 =
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| extra9 =
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| length9 = 2:40
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  +
| title10 = Ninjas
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| note10 =
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| writer10 =
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| lyrics10 =
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| music10 =
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| extra10 =
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| length10 = 1:57
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| title11 = Asylum Interrogations
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| note11 =
  +
| writer11 =
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| lyrics11 =
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| music11 =
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| extra11 =
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| length11 = 1:50
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| title12 = Ambushed
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| note12 = Limited edition's exclusive track
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| writer12 =
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| lyrics12 =
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| music12 =
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| extra12 =
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| length12 = 1:54
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| title13 = Rogue
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| note13 =
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| writer13 =
  +
| lyrics13 =
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| music13 =
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| extra13 =
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| length13 = 3:45
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| title14 = Great Shoes to Fill
  +
| note14 =
  +
| writer14 =
  +
| lyrics14 =
  +
| music14 =
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| extra14 =
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| length14 = 2:51
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| title15 = Man-Bats
  +
| note15 =
  +
| writer15 =
  +
| lyrics15 =
  +
| music15 =
  +
| extra15 =
  +
| length15 = 1:42
  +
  +
| title16 = The Spoiled Son
  +
| note16 = Limited edition's exclusive track
  +
| writer16 =
  +
| lyrics16 =
  +
| music16 =
  +
| extra16 =
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| length16 = 2:05
  +
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| title17 = Father and Son
  +
| note17 =
  +
| writer17 =
  +
| lyrics17 =
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| music17 =
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| extra17 =
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| length17 = 1:52
  +
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| title18 = Damian’s Mission
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| note18 =
  +
| writer18 =
  +
| lyrics18 =
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| music18 =
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| extra18 =
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| length18 = 2:41
  +
  +
| title19 = Off to Scotland
  +
| note19 =
  +
| writer19 =
  +
| lyrics19 =
  +
| music19 =
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| extra19 =
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| length19 = 2:52
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  +
| title20 = Stand-Off
  +
| note20 =
  +
| writer20 =
  +
| lyrics20 =
  +
| music20 =
  +
| extra20 =
  +
| length20 = 2:19
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  +
| title21 = Dr. Langstrom’s Rescue
  +
| note21 =
  +
| writer21 =
  +
| lyrics21 =
  +
| music21 =
  +
| extra21 =
  +
| length21 = 2:36
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  +
| title22 = Father Saves Son
  +
| note22 =
  +
| writer22 =
  +
| lyrics22 =
  +
| music22 =
  +
| extra22 =
  +
| length22 = 2:12
  +
  +
| title23 = The Duel
  +
| note23 =
  +
| writer23 =
  +
| lyrics23 =
  +
| music23 =
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| extra23 =
  +
| length23 = 2:25
  +
  +
| title24 = The Fall of the Empire
  +
| note24 =
  +
| writer24 =
  +
| lyrics24 =
  +
| music24 =
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| extra24 =
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| length24 = 1:51
  +
  +
| title25 = Damian’s Blade
  +
| note25 =
  +
| writer25 =
  +
| lyrics25 =
  +
| music25 =
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| extra25 =
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| length25 = 2:52
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  +
| title26 = Farewell
  +
| note26 =
  +
| writer26 =
  +
| lyrics26 =
  +
| music26 =
  +
| extra26 =
  +
| length26 = 2:12
  +
  +
| title27 = End Credits
  +
| note27 =
  +
| writer27 =
  +
| lyrics27 =
  +
| music27 =
  +
| extra27 =
  +
| length27 = 4:23
  +
}}
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==Reception==
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The film received generally mixed to positive reviews. [[IGN]] gave the film a rating of 7.5 out of 10, saying "''Son of Batman'' finds the humor amidst the more adult-oriented action elements in this latest DC animated adventure".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/22/son-of-batman-review | title=The Dad Knight | publisher=[[IGN]] | work=ign.com | accessdate=January 29, 2015}}</ref> On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has a rating of 75% based on 8 votes.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/son_of_batman/ | title=Son of Batman | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | work=rottentomatoes.com | accessdate=January 29, 2015}}</ref> [[Common Sense Media]] gave the film a 4 star rating out of 5, stating "Violent and noirish Batman is engaging but cynical".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/dcu-son-of-batman | title=Son of Batman review | work=commonsensemedia.org | accessdate=January 29, 2015}}</ref> Conversely, Brian Lowry of Variety stated "at times this feels like a sitcom premise — a chop-socky "Full House", or maybe, “Full Cave”".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/blu-ray-review-son-of-batman-1201165991/|title=Blu-Ray Review: 'Son of Batman'|website=Variety.com|accessdate=July 6, 2014}}</ref> Tommy Cook for Collider.com also gave the film a negative review, commenting "Striving for the dark edge of what I guess people expect from a ''Batman'' movie while still maintaining that Saturday morning toon sheen, the film feels mass produced to appeal to all (give the adults – gore; the kids – a spunky child sidekick.); however in the effort to appease everyone, ''SoB'' in fact caters to none".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/son-of-batman-review/|title=WonderCon: DC Animation's Son of Batman Review|website=Collider|accessdate=July 6, 2014}}</ref>
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It earned $6,428,188 from domestic home video sales.<ref>"Son of Batman The Numbers Listing" (http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Son-of-Batman#tab=summary). [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]. Accessed 22 January 2017.</ref>
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==Sequels==
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  +
In 2015, a sequel to ''Son of Batman'' was released under the title of ''[[Batman vs. Robin]]''. In 2016, a third movie was released under the title of ''[[Batman: Bad Blood]]''.
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==References==
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{{Reflist|30em}}
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==External links==
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* {{IMDb title|3139072|Son of Batman}}

Revision as of 11:59, 4 December 2017


Son of Batman is a direct-to-video animated superhero film which is part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.[1] It is an adaptation of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert's 2006 Batman and Son storyline.[2][3] The film was released as a digital download on April 22, 2014,[4] and was released on physical media May 6, 2014.[5][6]

Plot

At the headquarters of the League of Assassins, Ra's al Ghul grooms Damian Wayne (son of his daughter, Talia, and Batman) to succeed him as head of the league. The league is attacked by a group of assassins led by Slade Wilson, Ra's al Ghul's initial choice for successor before meeting Batman. Feeling betrayed, Slade decides to seize power. During the battle, Ra's is defeated and fatally burned, dying before he can reach the Lazarus Pit. Damian stabs Slade's right eye during the battle, forcing him to flee. Talia takes Damian to Gotham City to meet his father and ask for his protection.

In Gotham City, Batman confronts Killer Croc, who is stealing mutagenic chemicals and steroids to enhance himself. Batman gets ambushed by Croc before Talia electrocutes the latter from behind. She tells Batman about her father's death and leaves their son in his care, though Damian believes that he can take care of himself and does not need Batman. Slade, now calling himself Deathstroke, captures Dr. Kirk Langstrom, who conspired with both Croc and Ra's, promising the latter a formula for his soldiers. Slade threatens Langstrom's wife Francine and his daughter Rebecca to force him to recreate the Man-Bat formula for him. Damian bypasses Wayne Towers security to speak to Bruce, telling him that Deathstroke's contact Ubu is stationed in Gotham. Although Damian wants to avenge Ra's al Ghul by killing Deathstroke, Bruce objects to Damian's willingness to take lives. Talia is captured by Deathstroke when she and her assassins attack his compound.

Against Batman's orders, Damian leaves the Batcave and, after a chase and a long fight, defeats Ubu, whom he located by accessing the Bat-Computer. Before Damian can kill him, Nightwing arrives, mistakes him for a criminal and subdues him before bringing him back to the Batcave. Batman berates Damian for his recklessness, willingness to kill and exposing their operation. Batman then has Damian don the mantle of Robin to teach him discipline. Searching for a lead on Langstrom's location, Batman goes to Arkham to interrogate a rabid Killer Croc, who supplied the mutagens to Langstrom in exchange for his enhancements and is currently going through drastic, agonizing withdrawal symptoms that cause him to shed his scales and tail. Since others are too afraid of him to medicate him without being harmed, Batman promises Croc help in exchange for information. Batman follows Croc's lead about the formula's mutagen to Langstrom's apartment, where he finds a throwing star that he takes evidence of Deathstroke's involvement. Before he leaves, he goes throughout the building and finds a storage room filled with caged bats, with one larger cage being empty and broken open from inside. Batman then finds a rabid gorilla with bat-like mutations, one of Langstrom's unstable subjects, and it attacks him until it dies from its mutations. A drone aircraft sent by Deathstroke then flies past and crashes on the building, destroying it, though Batman evades the explosion. Commissioner Gordon warns them about an abandoned stadium believed to house Deathstroke's men.

At the stadium, Batman and Damian question Langstrom but are attacked when Damian becomes violent. Before they successfully escape, they fight off a swarm of Man-Bats. In the cave, Langstrom reveals Deathstroke's plan to create superhuman, flight-capable assassins. While Nightwing works with Langstrom on an antidote, Batman and Damian rescue their family. Batman guesses that Talia has been abducted when he finds evidence of torture in an empty cell, which he keeps from Damian to not set him off. They find and rescue Langstrom's family, but Batman is unaware that Deathstroke challenged Damian to a fight in exchange for Talia's life through a video device he gave Langstrom's daughter in exchange for sparing them. Both Langstrom's daughter and Deathstroke's video tell him not to involve Batman in their fight.

Nightwing learns that Deathstroke is operating in an oil rig off the Scottish coast, and when Batman is distracted, Damian goes to the rig. He finds Deathstroke and Talia in an underwater base with a swarm of Man-Bats and another Lazarus Pit, whose fluid Deathstroke intends to sell. Damian pulls a gun on Deathstroke, who holds one against Talia's head until Damian drops his gun. Deathstroke fires at him, but Talia is hit instead after she jumps in the path of Deathstroke's gunfire. As Deathstroke corners Damian, Batman appears and the Man-Bats attack. Batman wards them off with sonar-emitting batarangs, while Deathstroke flees with Damian giving chase.

Batman heals Talia in Lazarus Pit, while Nightwing and Langstrom reach the oil rig and cure the Man-Bats. At the same time, Damian fights and defeats Deathstroke, but refuses to kill him because he is his father's son. The elevator from the rig to the underwater base is destroyed when the Man-Bats, overwhelmed by the sonar devices, overcrowd the glass elevator shaft, flooding the base. Batman, Talia and Damian escape, but Deathstroke gets left behind. Batman believes that Damian should stay with him and remain as Robin while Talia still wishes to recreate the League with Batman, who would rather disband the League, and Damian at her side. She decides to let him care for their son and leaves with the League of Assassins though she says she will return for him.

As the credits roll, a slideshow of the fight between Damian and Nightwing is played between credits.

Cast

Differences between the comics and film

Template:Refimprove section The film bears only a superficial resemblance to the Batman and Son story arc in the comics; as a result, it carries no on-screen "based on" credit as DC Animated Movies usually do.

  • Talia al Ghul is the primary antagonist of the story arc in the comics. It is ultimately revealed that she left Damian with Batman in order to keep the Dark Knight distracted from her plans and to cause havoc in his life, not out of concern for the boy. In the movie, Deathstroke is presented as the antagonist and fulfills much of Talia's original role from the comic book arc instead of working for her. Even more, Talia is shown to genuinely care for her son, trusting him to find his own path and still openly in love with Batman (though this changes in the sequel Batman: Bad Blood)
  • Tim Drake is omitted in the film; in the comic books, he is Batman's adoptive son and the active Robin during the events of this arc, working a significant character. In the original story arc, Damian develops an antagonism towards Tim out of jealousy, going as far as trying to kill him in order to usurp his place. Batman ultimately keeps Tim as Robin by the end of the arc, while Damian is kept by the end of the film.
  • The climactic confrontation of the original story arc revolves around Batman trying to stop the final phase of Talia's scheme to take over Gibraltar and being forced to accept Damian's help, as Tim is severely wounded; both Talia and Damian vanish when Britain's Royal Navy bomb the ship on which they are fighting. In a complete departure, the movie's climax is about rescuing Talia from Deathstroke and stopping him from selling liquid from a Lazarus Pit, with only the latter vanishing when his base is flooded.
  • Aside from Tim Drake, Harley Quinn, Jeremiah Arkham and Jezebel Jet are present in the original arc, but were omitted in the film.
  • Deathstroke, Ra's al Ghul, Killer Croc and Nightwing are absent from the original comic book arc, but were included in the film.
  • The beginning of the film shows Dusan al Ghul, the son of Ra's and brother of Talia who apparently had normal relations with their relatives. Dusan al Ghul was later killed by Deathstroke. He was not in the comic book storyline.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Son of Batman was released on May 20, 2014, with music composed by Frederik Wiedmann.[11]

Tracklist

Reception

The film received generally mixed to positive reviews. IGN gave the film a rating of 7.5 out of 10, saying "Son of Batman finds the humor amidst the more adult-oriented action elements in this latest DC animated adventure".[12] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 75% based on 8 votes.[13] Common Sense Media gave the film a 4 star rating out of 5, stating "Violent and noirish Batman is engaging but cynical".[14] Conversely, Brian Lowry of Variety stated "at times this feels like a sitcom premise — a chop-socky "Full House", or maybe, “Full Cave”".[15] Tommy Cook for Collider.com also gave the film a negative review, commenting "Striving for the dark edge of what I guess people expect from a Batman movie while still maintaining that Saturday morning toon sheen, the film feels mass produced to appeal to all (give the adults – gore; the kids – a spunky child sidekick.); however in the effort to appease everyone, SoB in fact caters to none".[16]

It earned $6,428,188 from domestic home video sales.[17]

Sequels

In 2015, a sequel to Son of Batman was released under the title of Batman vs. Robin. In 2016, a third movie was released under the title of Batman: Bad Blood.

References

  1. ↑ Bricken, Rob. "Damian lives in DC's next direct-to-DVD movie, Son of Batman". io9. Retrieved on 20 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Watch the first trailer for DC animated movie Son of Batman - Flickering Myth". Retrieved on 2014-01-20.
  3. ↑ Serafino, Jason. "First "Son Of Batman" Trailer Debuts Online". Complex. Retrieved on 20 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Son of Batman Review - IGN" (22 April 2014). Retrieved on 23 April 2014.
  5. ↑ ""Son Of Batman" Animated Feature Hits Home Video May 6th, 2014, First Look At Cover Art". Retrieved on 2014-01-22.
  6. ↑ "First Look: It's Father's Day for the Dark Knight in Son of Batman - Today's News: Our Take - TVGuide.com". Retrieved on 2014-01-20.
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 Harvey, Jim (2014-05-02). "Main Cast And Crew Details For Upcoming "Son Of Batman" Animated Feature". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-13.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Harvey, Jim (March 8, 2014). "World Premiere Of "Son Of Batman" Animated Feature Confirmed For WonderCon Anaheim 2014". World's Finest Online. Retrieved on March 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Xander Berkeley Talks SON OF BATMAN and 24". Collider (26 April 2014). Retrieved on 7 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Twitter / SuperPRGuy: Somebody's lurking in the shadows". Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-13.
  11. ↑ "Cover Artwork, Track Listing For "Son Of Batman" Soundtrack Released". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-07.
  12. ↑ "The Dad Knight". IGN. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Son of Batman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Son of Batman review". Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Blu-Ray Review: 'Son of Batman'". Variety.com. Retrieved on July 6, 2014.
  16. ↑ "WonderCon: DC Animation's Son of Batman Review". Collider. Retrieved on July 6, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Son of Batman The Numbers Listing" (http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Son-of-Batman#tab=summary). The Numbers. Accessed 22 January 2017.


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