posted by Ivo Santos (
twitter /
facebook)
Finally the wait is over and these last months waiting for this episode to be released it really paid off!
First of all this battle was decided by the fans, there is no scientific explanation for the final result but i will give my opinion not only about the production in this short fan film but on what i think the final result is right.
This is my opinion so don't bother on ranting the comments box.
First of all, i really loved how dedicated Kevin Porter (Punisher) and Rich Manly (Red Hood) have represented their roles both are really talented and gave an extra boost of quality to this episode.
SPBD and Bat in the Sun crew are really improving each video they launch, not only on film making (special effects, fighting choreography, etc..) but all the attention they spare almost everyday to the fans. They know that fans are the fuel of this big machine and as long as the fuel doesn't end this project has everything to be succeded. The only "down" is the long wait for each episode but they always have delivered quality on each episode. Wonderful work Aaron Schoenke and all the staff!
At this point you probably have seen the film and you know that the Punisher was the last man standing. As all of you know i'm a big fan of the Punisher but i'm also a fan of Red Hood.
In this fan film Kevin Porter and Rich Manly caught the personalities of both characters flawlessly. The Punisher with more straight forward lines and Red Hood with his natural attitude always taunt the Punisher.
The fight scenes specially choreography felt natural and i didn't saw anything that these characters wouldn't do in a comic book. The Punisher through his body built more simple moves and direct and Red Hood with more agile and fast moves ( really loved the walk on the wall). I was expecting a bit more of knife fighting from both characters since both are very skilled at using them. Due to the time limit of this fan film i bet BitS crew would have wanted to try other things like using a bit more of the enviornment "tools" but it was clearly that they had to compile this episode to the essential and add a bit of everything.
I loved the background soundtrack, Sean Schoenke did a great job on producing it. Like he did on the last episode with White Ranger vs Scorpion, my favorite music.
In my opinion the Punisher was a fair winner of this showdown. He isn't as skilled as Red Hood in hand to hand combat even if he is master of several martial arts like
Nash Ryu Jiu Jitsu, Hwarang Do, Shorin Ryu Karate and Chin Na and also trained Ninjitsu with the Shadowmasters. Even with this argument i think experience prevailed over martial art skills (I'm guessing this is pre-52 Red Hood without all the magic stuff he is been into with the All-Caste nowadays).
The Punisher is far more experienced in fighting crime than Red Hood and all the argument that is used over the web that he was trained under Batman it's important, i know, but in this case Frank has more than 20 years of crime fighting and all the experience he gather through his missions did pay off.
The Punisher was like a powerhouse in this film due to the excelent physical shape of Kevin Porter, i didn't saw that the Punisher was in disadvantage in any moment in this film. Every strike he delivered to Red Hood was like he was hit by a train. I couldn't have expected a better ending. Even if the result was different with all the respect both characters had in this film, i would be happy.
Final Note: If you can produce another fan film, make these characters team up to take out a common threat, i bet you will do a wonderful job and people would love it. Think about it!
OVERALL RATE: 9.5 out of 10
