Batman Ninja Review: 5 Ups & 4 Downs
Downs
4. The Dialogue Isn't Great
Though Batman Ninja mostly takes a minimalist approach to dialogue in favour of its countless loony set-pieces, the talking that does take place is...a little rough.
For starters, much of the dialogue merely sees the characters relentlessly spouting reams of exposition at the audience, either to fill them in on the historical context of all the time travel shenanigans, or to have characters literally monologue their own development aloud.
It's lazy if not flat-out condescending, and even outside of this, viewers will have to deal with more than a few groan-inducing quips, such as Catwoman shouting, "Time for some girl-on-girl action!", as she prepares to fight Harley Quinn.
Whether Kazuki Nakashima's original Japanese script is solely to blame or it was translated into a wonky mess for the West, the characters are most certainly at their best when they're battling, and definitely not when they're speaking.