This DC animated film is a much better idea than it is an actual movie. Mix Batman and his mythology with HP Lovecraft and his cosmic horror. That’s not half bad. But it introduces a mystery that even the mad Abdul Alhazred couldn’t solve: why is this flick so damn boring?

The movie is set in the early 20th century as Bruce Wayne returns to a Gotham deep in the depression. There’s an ancient Lovecraftian doom complete with mad cultists and tentacles (lots of tentacles) coming and only Bruce (and his pals) can stop it.

The film starts strong, meanders in deathly exposition-heavy boredom, and then ends pretty strong (if occasionally a bit unintentionally goofily). I liked the premise of merging Lovecraftian cults with the Batman mythos. But the movie is so fond of its myriad Batman characters that it overstuffs the film with too many DC touchstones.

The film becomes overburdened with tangential subplots. Chop a good thirty minutes out of the movie and they’d have had something interesting. But instead we get to see Bruce Wayne’s parents die (again), Oliver Queen and Harvey Dent, two or three Robin analogs, and at least one Al’Ghoul and a Cobblepot. The hits don’t stop coming… and dragging the movie down.

Lovecraft fans will probably dig the interpretation of a Lovecraftian mythos. Batman fans might get something too but its not the strongest depiction of superheroes, especially when you’ve seen all this before, only without as many tentacles. The film has some merit in between boring bits but struggles to justify its runtime and all the subplots.

Score: 68