Batman Ninja (2018) attempts to revitalize a franchise running on fumes, drawing parallels to Spinal Tap in its approach. Like that film, Batman Ninja is silly and over the top—at least, the English version is. A time displacement machine mishap involving Gorilla Grodd sends Arkham Asylum, along with Grodd, the Joker, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, The Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and Deathstroke, to feudal Japan. Batm…

This Batman comic feels like an odd concept—Batman reimagined in a Japanese style—and ultimately doesn’t quite succeed. Certain redesigns are successful; the Joker and Two-Face look fantastic. However, most of the others feel uninspired and only function within the context of the setting itself. Nightwing's new appearance is essentially just his current design, and Red Robin’s alterations seem minimal, as if they …

The narrative held promise initially, but the final result was simply awful. The conversations felt immature and ridiculous; at times, it resembled an episode of Power Rangers. It appeared to be driven by a Japanese fascination with robots. Rather than developing complex characters, introducing numerous figures only served to make things more muddled. There wasn’t really anything that reflected Japanese culture withi…

I’m preparing to really criticize _Batman Ninja_, but first, a note: several times while watching it, I questioned whether it might be enjoyable if experienced with others. I watched it alone, on a day when I wasn't feeling well and was stuck in bed, and that’s the perspective I’m sharing here. Films don’t need to be realistic or conventional to be good. They don't even have to make sense. Sometimes a movie can ju…