DC should start including “Brave and the Bold” in the title on these outings where Batman is just along for the ride. There’s nothing inauthentic about Batman playing second fiddle, given the long history of the B&B comic and series, but they need to adjust expectations
1 Like
Interesting enough, the writer of Soul of the Dragon wrote a spec script for the Brave and the Bold cartoon featuring Richard Dragon
Very cool!
And Richard Dragon had the circuitous history of beginning as the star of a novel by occassional B&B writer Denny O’Neil. His book was totally unrelated to comics, but then the character migrated to DC. I’m not thinking of any other instances of that…
2 Likes
The only other instances I can think of is Rima the Jungle Girl, who after debuting in an original novel made the jump decades later to Super Friends, and Kristin Wells, the pre-crisis Superwoman, who debuted in Elliot S Maggin’s Superman novel Miracle Monday.
2 Likes
This movie was FANTASTIC. One of my favorite type of Batman stories are those of his pre-Batman or early-Batman days, especially his training in Asia, so I was looking forward to this very much. I think they hit the mark on just about everything: animation, characterization, humor, plot, voice acting, and more!
I cannot express how great the music is in this movie. The 70s/disco element to the music has already been mentioned, but this isn’t the most exciting aspect to me. I love how the soundtrack flawlessly fuses 70s music with Asian traditional instruments including the shamisen and shakuhachi. It is so smooth and blends in so well one might feel they are used in every popular track from the 70s. If I had more than two thumbs, I would give it like 10 thumbs up.
2 Likes
Looking forward to picking up the Blu-Ray. Excited for it like:
1 Like
I see that this will be available to rent on Apple TV on January 26th. I’ll wait for that, and then of course for it to come to HBO Max at a later date.
A Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger DC Comics Digital First series could be fun.
1 Like
My review:
Batman: Soul of the Dragon
With training they received from O-Sensei in Nanda Parbat; Batman, Lady Shiva, Richard Dragon,and Ben Turner(Bronze Tiger) team up to save the world from a demonic god! So brush off the polyester suit and slip on the platform shoes for a wicked fun, high action animated movie set in the ‘70’s!
2 Likes
What Batman: Soul Of The Dragon Tells Us About the Dark Knight
From DC Comics:
Gotham City is a busy place, with a lot going down each and every week. In this monthly column, Joshua Lapin-Bertone helps you stay on top of it all by letting you know what you should be paying attention to within the Bat-Family…and why.
What Batman: Soul Of The Dragon Tells Us About the Dark Knight | DC
This just occurred to me, but this is one of the few DC animated movies that I’ve ever watched. And funny, but I believe it’s the only one that I’ve watched in it’s entirety. Weird.
Earlier I had said that a Bronze Tiger DC Comics Digital First series could be fun. Add Ricard Dragon and Lady Shiva to that as well.
Anyway, I saw that both CBR and Den of Geek drew comparisons to Bruce Lee and the excellent Enter the Dragon. Being a child of the 70’s and loving everything Bruce Lee, this was right up my alley.
I saw some hints of Enter the Dragon influences in the trailer, but after finally watching it and finally reading a few reviews, yeah, I saw what they were talking about.
A couple of more things from the Den of Geek article that stood out to me:
“You’re not going to get the Batcave,” explains Adams (Batman: Soul Of The Dragon writer Jeremy Adams). “You’re going to get the loft above a building, a dance club.”
“We’ve tried to humanize Batman,” adds director Sam Liu, “so he’s not in the costume for the majority of the film, and it’s more of a human story.”
I believe that’s why I enjoyed it. Batman wasn’t the star, and there were next to no super-hero trappings, and that was okay. And the movie was all the better because of that.
I liked the flashbacks in-between putting the team together; the Kung Fu fighting. Gotham City’s Chinatown and Lady Shiva. Ben Turner’s neighborhood and the Kobra backstory.
It was like the reviewers said, a 1970s animated Bruce Lee/James Bond-type flick, starring Ricard Dragon and featuring Bruce Wayne; and Bruce Wayne as Batman just enough, and not really needed as Batman, and kind of stuck out when he was Batman.
Batman really only works for me when he’s in Gotham City. Any other place and I feel that he sticks out like a sore thumb.
(Superman works everywhere though, in my opinion. Because he’s Superman.)
Anyway, fun movie. I rented it through Apple TV and will wait for it to come to HBO Max in May or June, I’m guessing.
And since I look at everything now as what kind of potential it has an HBO Max spin-off series, I suppose they could do a live-action version of this and set in the 70’s. Or just an animated series; and I imagine they could (and maybe will) do a follow-up movie given the ending.
1 Like
Got it at red box.
A very mixed bag.
The beginning is way too predictable. Too little Batman. He is the most interesting character and I think a Batman/Dragon team up would have been the best route. The biggest problem is Kobra was just unintimidating. Jeffrey is creepy, but the only one who comes off as a threat is King Snake.
For good stuff most of the action scenes are very good. Sure Shiva’s methods get very repetitive, but the settings are all different, and everyone else has a range of fighting techniques. This is the best movie depiction of Batman on screen since Scooby-Doo and Batman the Brave and the Bold.
One of my favorite scenes…
https://www.dccomics.com/videos/batman-soul-of-the-dragon-youre-the-batman-exclusive
They can just do a Lady Shiva series of DC Universe Movies as far as I’m concerned.
2 Likes
Hard cosign.
1 Like
Lots of nearly empty shelves at Wal-Mart. Looks like it is selling real well.
My review ( posted it on another thread as well). But what the heck I love this movie!
Batman: Soul of the Dragon
With training they received from O-Sensei in Nanda Parbat; Batman, Lady Shiva, Richard Dragon,and Ben Turner(Bronze Tiger) team up to save the world from a demonic god! So brush off the polyester suit and slip on the platform shoes for a wicked fun, high action animated movie set in the ‘70’s! 5.0 Unicorns 
I finally got it on redbox and it was awesome!
quick question was the girl Jade who they trained with supposed to be Cheshire cause that’s what I thought but then she died
TV Tropes says she is Chesire.
1 Like
Just watched this. I enjoyed it. As an animated action movie, it’s an 8/10. The two points taken away for the 70s cheesiness, which I tend not to enjoy so much. The fight scenes were great, as was the the voice acting. I wasn’t familiar at all with Lady Shiva before this, and I must say I am now interested in checking out some comics she is featured in. As a Batman movie though? 5/10. Not that they didn’t get Batman right, but he felt like just another character, one that was definitely outshined by the others. Makes more sense if they just called the movie “Soul of the Dragon” without the “Batman”. If you average my two scores, you get a rounded up 7/10. Good movie, but not one I will be going back to frequently.
Questions for those that know, do all these characters know Bruce’s secret in the comics, or was that an artistic choice in the movie?
shiva knows but doesn’t care, no idea about the others, Batman was just in the title to get it sold, but I really liked him in this and that they did not nerf other characters to make him look good
1 Like
After rewatching this, I agree that it is a cut above many DC films, and qualifies as a departure from the norm. The animation manages to be great in many action sequences and poor in simple dialogue sequences. Strong writing. Strong voice acting. Flagged a little in the home stretch and letdown of an ending, but hopefully it justifies a sequel.
1 Like