Under the Red Hood is unique in many ways. Bruce Greenwood and Jensen Ackles turn in some great vocal work, as does John DiMaggio as Joker, and peripheral characters like Black Mask and Nightwing are likewise treated and voiced with care. This is a story that hustles along like a freight train, and the 75 minute runtime breezes by in an instant. And while Under the Red Hood is based on a comic book arc, it distances itself from the adaptations of Year One and The Dark Knight Returns by occasionally straying from the source material to add new pieces or subtract superfluous ones. Granted, the Red Hood arc is nowhere near as good a comic as anything from Frank Miller, so one could argue that straying from the source material for Year One or TDKR would only worsen things. Still, theres no doubt that theres bold originality at play here. In fact, the Red Hood film manages to include a famous event from another Batman storyline, A Death in the Family, which is necessary for viewers unfamiliar with the comics and the Red Hood lore. This addendum isn't just tacked on or shoehorned in, though, and A Death in the Family is recalled frequently and, like the main comic arc, changed to better fit the film. This kind of writing makes for an exciting movie, whether you're familiar with the original comics or not.
