Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (2025)

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires

• For my first review of 2026, I knew I wanted to do something involving DC (because it’s the greatest universe ever created, you know?). So I settled on Aztec Batman, which I was gonna watch at some point soon anyways. First, let me get the negatives out of the way. There were two semi-glaring flaws which jumped out pretty quickly. The first was the animation. It’s definitely not bad, but it’s nowhere near the level previous DC animated films have been at. It felt similar to the Crisis on Infinite Earth films that came out in 2024. It was very simple and not overly done, but there was still plenty of detail and color. The second big flaw was the story. Conceptually, this film is very much there, but the story was put together a bit sloppily. It feels very rushed, and probably could’ve used an extra 15-20 minutes to flesh out the characters and backstories. But besides that, the film is very fun and unique. I love taking such an infamous character and creating a new version from a completely different time and background. It’s almost like a ‘What If?’ episode, just feature length. It’s one of the coolest versions of Batman we’ve ever gotten (I may be in the minority for saying that), and one of the coolest looking Batmen. I absolutely loved his suit and character. The use of “Two-Face” and “Joker” was also cool, and I’d love to see some more of these films to adapt more of Batman’s Rogue Gallery. It already teases the Penguin at the end, so hopefully there’s more to come. The cast was good, with good performances from Horacio Garcia Rojas (Batman) and Alvaro Morte (Two-Face). Lastly, the score was decent, and even though a bit generic, the use of Elfman’s theme really makes this feel like Batman, not just a random spinoff or an odd retelling. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and despite its flaws, it’s fun and I think all Batman fans will like it. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!