| Batman: Soul of the Dragon | |
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 Blu-ray release cover. | |
| Directed by | Sam Liu |
| Written by | Jeremy Adams |
| Based on | The Characters fromDC Batman byBob Kane andBill Finger |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Bruce A. King |
| Music by | Joachim Horsley |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a 2021 Americananimatedsuperhero film produced byWarner Bros. Animation andDC Entertainment. It is the 43rd film of theDC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film is directed bySam Liu and executive produced byBruce Timm featuring an original story not based on any comic, set in the 1970s and inspired by martial arts films of that time. It features the voices ofDavid Giuntoli asBruce Wayne / Batman,Mark Dacascos asRichard Dragon,Kelly Hu asLady Shiva,Michael Jai White asBen Turner / Bronze Tiger andJames Hong asO-Sensei. White reprised his role fromThe CW's TV showArrow and Hu reprised her role fromWB Games Montréal's video gameBatman: Arkham Origins.
The film was dedicated to comic book writerDennis O'Neil who died on June 11, 2020, at the age of 81.[1]
InBruce Wayne's younger years, while training himself to become avigilante crime-fighter, he travels toNanda Parbat, a secretmonastery in theHindu Kush region, where he meets its caretaker,O-Sensei, and five other students training in themartial arts;Shiva,Richard Dragon,Jade,Ben Turner andRip Jagger. O-Sensei eventually entrusts Shiva with Soul Breaker, aMuramasasword in his possession, but otherwise remains secretive about a certain door at the monastery's outer perimeter. One night, Rip penetrates the forbidden door and kills Jade with Soul Breaker, which is the key to a mystical gate O-Sensei was guarding. This gate opens to the home dimension of theserpentgodNāga; four of his servants emerge and devour Rip before turning on O-Sensei and his students. Bruce and the others kill the demons, but to close the gate, O-Sensei sacrifices himself by entering Nāga's realm. The chamber then collapses, leaving only the gate intact.
Years later, Richard discovers that millionaire Jeffrey Burr, leader of theKobracult, has gained possession of the gate. Richard travels toGotham City to ask Bruce for help, but they are attacked by amercenary gang known as the Axe Gang, hired by Burr's chief killer Schlangenfaust. During this fight, Richard learns that Bruce is Batman and that Schlangenfaust is looking for Soul Breaker. They head for GothamChinatown to inform Shiva, now the residentcrime lord, but the cultists attack them there and Schlangenfaust uses the distraction to steal the sword. Needing assistance, the three recruit Ben, now a martial arts teacher, and together they track the cult to a fortifiedisland where they are preparing to open the gate by sacrificing several kidnapped children to Soul Breaker. They also learn from Ben that years ago he had tracked Kobra after discovering that Rip was one of their members and that he learned that due to an obscure prophecy, Burr means to become Nāga's earthlyavatar.
Arriving by plane, Batman, Richard, Shiva and Benparachute down and penetrate Kobra's defenses through a set of catacombs. However, they encounter Schlangenfaust, who is revealed as one of Nāga's demonic servants. While Batman and Ben battle Schlangenfaust, Richard and Shiva prevent the sacrifice of the children and engage the cult members. Vanquishing their opponents, they corner Burr at the gate, but Burr turns Soul Breaker against himself, opening the doorway. Nāga emerges, havingpossessed O-Sensei's body, and swiftly overwhelms the companions. Nāga reveals that Richard is his actual destined host and tries to seduce him with promises of power, but Richard refuses and, with some help from Batman, uses Soul Breaker to banish him by stabbing O-Sensei.
Freed from Nāga's control, O-Sensei bids his students farewell before dying in their arms. To permanently close the gate, Batman enters Nāga's dimension wielding Soul Breaker, with Richard, Shiva, and Ben willingly following him. Once the gate has closed, the four prepare for battle against Nāga and his demon horde.
The film was announced on August 13, 2020, along with the film's voice cast. It features an original story set in the 1970s.[3][4]
The film was released ondigital platforms on January 12, 2021, and was also released onBlu-ray andDVD on January 26, 2021.[4]
The film was well received by critics. On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 93% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[5]DVD Talk rated the film three out of five stars as "Recommended".[6]
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