Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons’ on VOD, A Lighthearted Coming of Age Tale for Two Iconic Up-And-Comers

Zack Snyder’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice was a well-received entry in the DCEU, but in this new animated feature, Batman and Superman’s sons team up to take on a new threat to life as we know it. Is it a worthwhile entry in the DCEU? Read on to find out…

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The super-powered son of Superman (Travis Willingham), Jonathan Kent (Jack Dylan Grazer), and the scrappy son of Batman (Troy Baker), Damian Wayne (Jack Griffo), must team up to save the world from a threat that’s risen to take over the world: Starro the Conqueror. With their powerful fathers dominated by Starro and its league of mind-controlled slaves, Jonathan and Damian must become the heroes they were always meant to be, learn to get along, and save the day while their super-powered fathers are essentially out of commission.

The only problem? Jonathan has no idea how to use his powers (in fact, he has no idea he’s even related to Superman) and Damian is kind of a little jerk who thinks he’s far more powerful than he actually is. Jonathan has to actually figure out how to use the super strength and heat vision he inherited from his dad as well as whatever else Clark passed down. Most importantly, the pair have to work together to stop the entire world from being taken over while all the adults fall under Starro’s control. It seems dire, but they’ll work it out.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Though the obvious answer here is more Batman vs. Superman movies and adventures, what Battle of the Super Sons felt most like was Naruto or Dragon Ball Z. Both anime mainstays’ leads have children who walk the same paths as their fathers, and this storyline wouldn’t have felt out of place in either series.

Performance Worth Watching: Jack Dylan Grazer is an endearing Jonathan Kent, always in awe that he’s getting to meet Batman, fight crime with Robin, and all these cool things he never thought he’d do. The sheer joy Grazer brings to Jon, who can’t get enough of being “half-alien” and having Superman for a dad, is infectious.

Memorable Dialogue: “You have…a cow?” Jonathan finds Damian brooding in the Batcave with a brown and white cow, complete with a bat insignia across its nose. It’s such an odd, laugh-out-loud moment that fits well with the film’s tone. Even funnier is Jonathan’s bewilderment that Damian has seemingly never milked the cow.

Sex and Skin: None to speak of, as this is more of a family-oriented Bat-adventure.

Our Take: Battle of the Super Sons is one of the most intimate, exciting portraits of life for Batman and Superman behind the cowl yet. It gives these superparents time to shine in their own ways, but it’s endlessly fascinating to watch how their kids interact. They’re two polar opposites, but Jon and Damian complement each other nicely. When they join forces to free their parents from the overgrown starfish Starro’s influence and learn how to take their roles as superheroes seriously, they truly shine.

Their personalities truly make the movie. Without these two whippersnappers, it’d just be another superhero flick where an evil force tries to take over the world. Damian is an angsty little edgelord who thinks he has everything figured out, and Jonathan is just happy to be a part of the world of superheroes he’s looked at from afar for what feels like his entire life. And while they’re both part of familiar archetypes for characters who come from supercharged lineage like Batman and Superman, they feel like fresh takes. More importantly, they really do feel like evolutions of their fathers, carrying on their bloodline.

Too often, Batman adventures take themselves as seriously as possible. And while Superman outings are a little less dark, they’re a little too goody two-shoes for their own good. Introducing Jonathan and Damian injects some fresh blood into the mix that gives viewers a fun welcome to these young characters as well as a story that wouldn’t be out of place in a popular action anime. It’s wholesome, laugh-out-loud funny at times, and showcases some of the DC Universe’s best CG animation yet.

Our Call: STREAM IT. If DC Comics and Dragon Ball Z ever merged, combining Goku and Vegeta with Batman and Superman and all their respective offspring, you’d get something like Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons. It’s fun, action-packed, and legitimately positive in ways that remind you why you might have gotten into comics and superheroes in the first place. It doesn’t have a complicated message or messy lore to have to memorize, and it’s accessible to anyone. And that’s the mark of a great standalone story.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.