Batman’s Shocking Undercover Role Makes Assault on Arkham the Best Suicide Squad Movie Yet (Photo Credit – Prime Video)
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The two Suicide Squad movies are emblematic of how much DC Studios’ fandoms generally remain divisive in their response to live-action comic book movies. Be it the 2016 Will Smith-starrer, or the James Gunn reboot, these Margot Robbie-led flicks nevertheless entertained viewers with their dark humor and flamboyant visuals. However, in terms of quality they could not live up to their animated counterpart.
A 2014 DC Universe Animated Original Movies release, Batman: Assault on Arkham upends every expectation held for DC’s rogues, tossing Batman into a powder keg where pandemonium, betrayal, and double-crosses fill every moment. Crashing through the walls of Gotham City’s maximum-security prison, this Suicide Squad, aka Task Force X, dials up the recklessness witnessed in the DCEU incarnations.
Batman: Assault on Arkham places itself right in the Arkhamverse, borrowing from the popular video games and charting new ground for the Squad. When A.R.G.U.S.’s director Amanda Waller drags Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost, King Shark, Black Spider, and KGBeast into service with explosive collars strapped to their necks, the stakes stop being theoretical.
They are ordered to attain the colossal task to infiltrate Arkham Asylum and recover vital data held by the Riddler, all while averting Batman’s gaze. The Bat, meanwhile, voiced once again by the late Kevin Conroy, sweeps Gotham, intent on stopping a city-leveling Joker bomb no one else sees coming.
The showdown isn’t just Batman versus Joker; it’s Squad versus each other, versus the Bat, versus fate.
Where live-action takes lean toward complicated alliances, this one skips straight to the mayhem. Task Force X doesn’t bond or grow; instead they incessantly fight, scheme, and stab each other in the back every chance possible. As Batman avoids the spotlight, the Squad’s infighting and unpredictable moves jolt the plot in unexpected directions.
The movie’s most electrifying curveball arrives when Batman embeds himself right within the Squad by taking out and imitating Black Spider, manipulating the chaos to his advantage and wrestling the upper hand from squads of villains.
Joker doesn’t settle for mere grandstanding, either. Upon escaping his cell, helped unintentionally by Harley and the Squad’s intrusion, he triggers his infamous dirty bomb and tries to wipe out Gotham, precipitating a web that only gets stickier by the minute.
“Batman: Assault on Arkham” debuted on DVD and Blu-ray this day (Aug. 12) in 2014! Based on the superb Batman: Arkham video game franchise, this super-fun DC Universe Movie title sees Task Force X breaking into Arkham Asylum with Batman hot on their trail! #BatmanArkham#Batmanpic.twitter.com/6IzSfcKO3g
— James Harvey @ The World’s Finest 🏳️🌈 (@worldsfinest) August 12, 2024
How Has Batman: Assault on Arkham Fared With Fans and Critics?
With gritty animation, witty writing, and consistent action sequences that never bother with brakes, the film was received positively by both critics and fans. It secured a 78% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Numbers reports its home release sales stacks up to over $5.9 million.
Batman: Assault on Arkham is available for digital purchase across major platforms, including at Apple TV at ₹129 for viewers in India and $3.99 in the United States.
Watch the Trailer for Batman: Assault on Arkham Below:
