Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires review by Bobby Blakey
DC has been on point with their animated features for years bringing some classic stories to life including The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke. Outside of the usual storylines they have delved into the Elseworlds side of DC that takes characters in unique stories such as Gotham By Gaslight and Batman Ninja. Now a new take on the Dark Knight is coming to animation with Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires featuring the voices of Jay Hernandez and Raymond Cruz in the English language cast and Horacio García Rojas, Omar Chaparro, and Álvaro Morte in the Spanish audio version.
Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires follows a bold reimagining of the Batman legend that unfolds within the vibrant and fierce culture of 16th century Mesoamerica. In the time of the Aztec empire, tragedy strikes Yohualli Coatl, a young Aztec boy, when his father is murdered by Spanish conquistadors. To warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of imminent danger, Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlán. There, he trains in the temple of the bat god Tzinacan with his mentor, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spanish invasion and avenge his father’s death. Along the way, he encounters key figures like the fierce Jaguar Woman and the enchanting Forest Ivy.
I have always been a fan of the Elseworlds Batman comics that brought some of the most unique and fun stories to the genre. These in animated form are always a treat and offer up not only unique new ideas, but a chance to reinvent these iconic characters in new ways. This latest film goes all to infuse the Aztec culture and history to this fantastical legendary adventure of this new Dark Knight. The attention to detail of the culture and history shines through in a way that makes it easily one of the most unique Batman stories to come along in some time.
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The animation itself is good as always and while I love the character designs it has a simpler visual style than most of the DC animated features. This being a co-production with the Mexican company Ánima is the big reason for the change but works for this story. It won’t work for everyone, but for what they are doing here it is fine. The creativity to the lore and Aztec culture lends itself to something I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would and will no doubt have a deeper connection to those of the culture.
An important aspect to any of these Elseworlds stories is the willingness to buy into its direction and the changes that come with it to make it work. I still love the comic versions that come along and hope we keep getting more in the animated form as well. This film ends with the promise of more to come from Aztec Batman and I am here for it. I hope this isn’t the last time we see these characters and would love to see more of the DC Universe find its way into this universe.
In addition to the film this release features bonus content including featurettes on bringing this latest take on the Dark Knight to life. Grab your copy of Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on September 23rd from Warner Bros Animation, Ánima and Chatrone.