“I have to try…”

Batman: Hush is rightfully thought of as one of the finest modern Batman stories, combining the outstanding talents of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, it tells the story of a mysterious villain who’s behind Gotham’s most dangerous criminals and eventually leads our Dark Knight into the unknown. It’s easy to say that it has been on the fans priority list for a while now, so this is definitely welcomed.

Directed by Justin Copeland and with a screenplay here by Ernie Altbacker, this DC Universe movie follows in a line of highly popular titles moving from the page to feature-length animations and this is undoubtedly one for fans to embrace but if you’re new to it, then you’re also in for a treat. Focusing around on the aforementioned shadowy villain, who we only know as Hush, Gotham’s Rogues are gathered to take down Batman once and for all but, also, Bruce Wayne’s life, which has been made even more complicated due to his relationship with Selina Kyle, aka – of course – Catwoman. This is is, very much, their story.

The story begins with Bruce and Selina as ‘themselves’ and Wayne unusually turning up at one of his big events, things break up quickly after Bane kidnaps a kid and demands a ransom. In what appears to be a normal ‘kid for money’ setup, Bane is actually super-charged and it takes some extra fight to take him down. Lady Shiva, from the League of Assassins, is passing and something different is surely going on as Catwoman turns up and seemingly leads him into a trap, where he falls from a great height and is knocked out, suffering a heavy head injury, and we see that the perpetrator is the so-called… Hush, complete with the line ‘Hush Batman, Hush‘…

Batman: Hush is as lusciously animated as you’d hope and, of course the story is far more adult than some Batman stories with an accompanying 15 certificate.  It’s interesting seeing this story ‘come to life’, as it takes the essence of Bats, as a shadow and man in the murky edges of the darkness and twists it around with him. It compellingly expands the Selina/Bruce love-story in both the metaphor of their real-life characters and their individual superhero identities, this is a smart story complete with all the depth of the classics.

With an 82 minute run-time, there’s ample time to delve inside the world and the way it gives all the greatest evil guys their big moments, and honours time gone by, is exciting and so doesn’t lose the heart of the comic/graphic novel that gave so much! With plot devices that take you down every path, with all your suspicions, it offers us a plethora of escapism and adventure. Batman: Hush is pretty much everything you could hope for and with a great host of extras, I definitely recommend Love in Time of War (see the full list below), this is one to revisit for all your Dark Knight needs and while somewhat conclusively sad, it’s also very, very satisfying.

Batman: Hush voice cast is led by Jason O’Mara and Jennifer Morrison as the voices of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selina Kyle, respectively. The cast also includes Jerry O’Connell as Superman, Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane, Rainn Wilson as Lex Luthor, Vanessa Williams as Amanda Waller, Jason Spisak as Joker, Peyton List as Batgirl and Poison Ivy, Geoffrey Arend as the Riddler, Sean Maher as Nightwing, Maury Sterling as Thomas Elliot, Bruce Thomas as Jim Gordon, Adam Gifford as Bane, Sachie Alessio as Lady Shiva, Stuart Allan as Damian Wayne, James Garrett as Alfred, Hynden Walch as Harley Quinn, and Chris Cox as Scarecrow.

Batman: Hush is out now on Digital, DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray steel and even a Blu-ray Mini Fig Edition!

Order now: https://amzn.to/2TGrxIo

Special Features: Blu-ray, Blu-ray Steelbook, Blu-ray mini figure and Digital

DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock (Animated Short) – From executive producer and director Bruce Timm comes the first new DC Showcase animated short since 2011’s Catwoman, bringing DC Comics’ gritty World War II hero to animated life in an all-new adventure.

Batman: Love in Time of War (Featurette)– Dangerous. Seductive. Villain. Hero. This is the story of Selina Kyle and the relationship she has forged with the world’s greatest detective.

Audio Commentary – Executive Producer James Tucker, Director Justin Copeland and screenwriter Ernie Altbacker share their thoughts and insights on Batman: Hush.

A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines – An advanced look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection.

From the DC Vault –The Batman/Superman Hour: “The Underworld Underground Caper” and The Batman/Superman Hour: “Partners in Peril”