“Batman Ninja” is a movie that seems conceptually brilliant (at least to me). It combines feudal Japanese warfare, the “Batman” franchise, anime and giant mech battles. It’s probably not a film that everybody is going to like but I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Gorilla Grodd creates a time machine and Batman tries to stop him from using it but something goes wrong. Batman and a number of his allies and adversaries find themselves in feudal Japan. Batman’s foes form clans with each one battling to become shogun. Batman will need to master his new surroundings if he is to defeat the villains and return to his own time.

It’s great to see so many characters in here. We of course have Batman but we also have other heroes such as Robin and Nightwing. There are plenty of villains with the Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Penguin and Deathstroke all becoming feudal lords. There are a few other villains in here and it’s especially nice to see they included some lesser known ones. I also really like the redesigns for some of the villains with the Joker looking especially impressive. I have mixed feelings about the animation style. I initially did not care for it and wished that they had opted for a more traditional anime style. However, as the movie went on, I slowly warmed to it.

It has a ridiculous premise and plenty of absurd moments but this movie just runs with its concept and I respect it for going pretty much all the way. Maybe it could have been improved by being a bit longer so that we could have seen some rival clan battles with the villains but there is plenty of action on display here. If you are not a fan of films set in feudal Japan such as “Ran” and you do not care for anime shows such as “Mobile Suit Gundam” then I can imagine that you could quickly become frustrated with this movie. It seems to appeal to a rather niche crowd but it’s a crowd that I am part of.