I'll first give props to the character designs. While this is set within the DC animated movie universe, they certainly went out of their way to be faithful to Jim Lee's style. Batman's wearing the classic blue and grey suit complete with the trunks, Nightwing's back in blue after wearing red in the "Judas Contract" film, and Harley's in her jester outfit (though they make a joke about it I think fans of the classic look may not like). And characters introduced within universe are given their "Hush" designs, including Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Scarecrow. I think they even gave Joker extra special treatment.
While on the topic Joker, I have to give my thoughts on Jason Spisak's portrayal of the character. I think he does a good job, despite not being one of the significant players in the film. I only wonder if he'll remain Joker going forward or if he may be replaced as it tends to happen with these films. He's no Mark Hamill, but I think Spisak should have another opportunity as the character in the future. He's certainly got the laugh down and his delivery during the Arkham scene really had me laughing.
The film takes quite a few liberties with the story to help it fit with the continuity of the DCAMU, with characters being switched out for others. Bane is used in place of Killer Croc, most likely to bring the character into the universe since Croc had already been in "Son of Batman". Batgirl is used instead of Huntress to justify her cameo appearance in "Bad Blood". Lady Shiva is used as the new head of the League of Assassins since both Ra's and Talia are dead. Besides the character changes, I did notice that the film does tend to rush or condense some plot points. For example, Superman seems leave on bad terms with Batman for working with Catwoman and putting Lois in danger compared to the film.
But then there's the big change that I think is comparable to the Mandarin twist in "Iron Man 3": in this film, Riddler is Hush. Much like in the comics, Riddler had used the Lazarus Pit to cure himself of a brain tumor, which enhanced his intelligence so he could deduce Bruce Wayne was Batman. In the film though, Riddler becomes Hush himself (wearing bandages to cover up a question mark scar) to finally destroy Batman and make fools out of the other villains used in the film. Thomas Elliot is still in the film, but only as an old friend of Bruce and the doctor who was unable to cure Riddler.
There are a few problems with this change. One, it downplays Bruce and Thomas' relationship, leaving out the flashbacks to their childhood friendship. In turn, this leaves out a lot of red herrings. Thomas would only be a suspect because he was Hush in the original story, but there's also the fact that Harvey Dent is still shown to be Two-Face in a cameo and Jason Todd doesn't exist in this universe, leaving Clayface to act as a decoy Riddler instead. To add to the Jason Todd part, Batman's brutal beatdown of Joker after believing him to have killed Thomas also doesn't have as much emotional punch because Bruce was also thinking back on how he killed Jason and crippled Barbara, wondering how much more hurt Bruce will allow himself to take from the clown.
On the other hand though, this does kind of work when you look at it as its own story. The whole thing about Riddler deducing Batman's identity was retconned sometime after the original story, so I think the film does a good job of doing something with that idea, showing the pit's enhancing properties as well as how deranged it can make a person. It's a good way to turn the tables on those familiar with the story, but I think this will piss off the purists.
Where it lacks in the mystery, they tend to focus more on the romance between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selina Kyle. They capture the romance from the original story quite well, thanks in part to the voice acting of Jason O'Mara and Jennifer Morrison. I also think they took a lot of inspiration from the engagement period of the two from Tom King's run, where they're shown actually fighting crime together and even living in Wayne Manor as a couple. But like the comics, it's seemingly not meant to be. While the original "Hush" storyline began a period of Batman acting more paranoid and Tom King's run is working under the idea that "Batman can't be Batman if he's happy" crap, this film goes with Selina realizing that despite how much she's changed, Bruce may always put his personal crusade first. Still, they hope one day they can make it work.
Lastly, the action is pretty good, with my favorite fights being Batman vs. Superman and Batman vs. Hush in the climax. The Batman/Superman fight is a good but brief adaptation of the one from the comics, plus it's kind of nice to see them on somewhat equal footing in a fight compared to their first encounter way back in "War". The Hush fight is also a particularly brutal one, due in part to Hush using the Riddler cane in a scythe fashion.
Overall, "Batman: Hush" is a satisfying adaptation even if it doesn't adhere strictly to the source material. Between the identity misdirection and the romance, you could say it's similar to "Mask of the Phantasm". While not exactly groundbreaking, it's still an entertaining film with a wide cast of iconic characters.
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