• Tag Archives batman

  • Canister X Movie Review #50: Justice League: Doom (2012)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Justice League: Doom (2012)

    Justice League Doom
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    Justice League: Doom (2012)
    Written by Dwayne McDuffie
    Directed by Lauren Montgomery
    Runtime 77 min.
    4.5 out of 5

    Assembled by Vandal Savage, the elite members of the Legion of Doom—Bane, Cheetah, Mirror Master, Star Sapphire, Ma’alefa’ak and Metallo—are shown how to beat each and every member of the Justice League of America. Using the specific weaknesses of each hero, the Legion heads out to destroy their counterparts and bring them to their knees so Vandal Savage could implement the next phase of his plan: annihilating the majority of the human race so he can bring about a new world order from its ashes.

    To make things worse, Vandal Savage didn’t discover how to destroy the Justice League on his own, and when the answer as to who was responsible is revealed, the JLA is rocked to its core with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

    Man, I love this movie. It features an all-star cast of all-star superheroes going up against an all-star roster of evil supervillains. Finally, we get to see the villains stick it to the heroes in a big way and not let up until the JLA is down. And I mean really down. It’s not often you see Superman on the brink of death, Batman humiliated and defeated, Flash completely screwed, Green Lantern a broken man, Martian Manhunter totally incapacitated, and Wonder Woman so messed up she doesn’t know what to do or which way to turn.

    This flick is based on the “Tower of Babel” Justice League story arc by Mark Waid, who is arguably one of the best comic book writers on the planet. I can’t comment on this flick’s faithfulness to that storyline because it’s been over ten years since I last read it, but I do remember the overall premise and this movie delivered on that.

    The heroes and villains look great in this movie, and it does well in showcasing their various powers and abilities.

    It’s also an exciting movie that is fast-paced, has a sense of atmosphere, a sense of taking place in the overall DC Universe—thanks to other heroes and villains not mentioned above showing up—and gives the JLA a threat that even they might not be able to handle. And that’s the thing with a JLA movie: the threat needs to be so huge and so dangerous that it takes them as a team to solve the issue, and considering each one of them is extremely powerful in their own right, that threat needs to be mega huge, not just physically but psychologically as well. Justice League: Doom has that and delivers it in spades.

    Also features the voice talent from the Justice League animated series so that totally adds to it as well, giving it a sense of familiarity.

    Out of all the superhero movies on the market, this is easily one of my favorites and is good viewing for kids and adults alike.

    Highly recommended.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #49: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

    Justice League Crisis on Two Earths
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    Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
    Written by Dwayne McDuffie
    Directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu
    Runtime 75 min.
    5 out of 5

    The superhero known as Lex Luthor travels from a parallel Earth to ours and summons the help of the Justice League to take on the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the JLA from his own Earth. Agreeing to help him, the Justice League travels to Luthor’s Earth and takes on the Crime Syndicate, pitting the likes of Superman against Ultraman, Wonder Woman against Superwoman, the Flash against Johnny Quick, Green Lantern against Power Ring, Martian Manhunter against J’edd J’arkus, Hawkgirl against Angelique, and, soon enough, Batman against Owlman.

    In a true case of looking in a mirror darkly, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is a super heroic and super villained thrill ride that gives you two Justice Leagues for the price of one!

    Such a simple premise but such a cool story. Why not have the JLA face themselves from an alternate reality? Who would win? If you’re fighting someone every bit as powerful as you are, would someone come out on top? What if they thought like you? Talk about playing with one’s shadow.

    There’s superpowers galore in this movie as each hero gets to take on their counterpart and show what they are fully capable of. More so, you get to see what our beloved JLA would be like had they taken other paths in life as the similarities and differences between them and the Crime Syndicate are explored.

    A bunch of other heroes make an appearance in this flick as well, guys like Aquaman, Black Canary, Red Tornado (a personal favorite), Firestorm (another favorite), and more. Kind of a throwback to Justice League Unlimited in that way.

    Don’t be fooled, though, as this movie is more than just a superhero/supervillain slugfest. It gets into the deeper issues, the big one being about choice. In the context of the movie, if every choice we make spawns an alternate reality where the alternate choice(s) was also made, do any of the choices we make ultimately matter?

    This movie is smart, interesting, and grabs you from the get-go. The action is top notch, the animation is ultra sweet, and if these direct-to-video DC Universe movies have proven anything, it’s that they know how to make a good Justice League flick. I can’t wait until they transfer that same know-how to a live action Justice League movie. Can you imagine how awesome that’ll be?

    Anyway, back to this one. This is such a good movie and is a must-have on any superhero fan’s movie shelf. You not only get DC Universe’s all-stars, but the all-stars of a parallel universe as well. Like I said above, definitely a two-for-one ticket and definitely worth checking out.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #27: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

    Dark Knight Rises
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    The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
    Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
    Directed by Christopher Nolan
    Runtime 165 min.
    5 out of 5

    It has been eight years since the Batman took the wrap for the murder of District Attorney Harvey Dent. Eight years since the last time the Dark Knight was spotted in Gotham. The streets are safe, the police are receiving praise for doing a good job—except Commissioner James Gordon knows it’s all based on a lie. About to come clean of what really happened that fateful night, Gotham is suddenly thrown into chaos at the hands of a mastermind, muscle-loaded criminal named Bane. With the city about to fall, the Batman must return to restore order to his beloved city otherwise it will fall into the hands of a sadistic genius bent on its destruction.

    To complicate matters, a mysterious female cat burglar is working out an agenda of her own and her endgame is tied into the legacy of Bruce Wayne.

    Will Batman rise from the shadows to defeat evil once more, or has he had his day and should stay in the dark?

    Saw the midnight screening of this gem before it hit theatres all over the world. This movie is epic on a scale that is hard to fit into a simple review, especially since I don’t want to give away any key plot points and/or spoilers.

    The Dark Knight Rises picks up immediately after The Dark Knight storyline-wise, and eight years later in movie-time. Running throughout the whole flick are threads from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, plotlines that reach their ultimate climax in what I have to say is one of the best endings to a trilogy I’ve ever seen. It’s on par with, third-movie-wise, Return of the Jedi and Return of the King. All comes to a head as we’re led down a deep tunnel into who Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) truly is and what being Batman has done to him. Glimpses of his scarred psyche were hinted at in the previous two movies, but really get hit home in an emotional and powerful way throughout this final installment.

    Batman himself also shines as he gets to show off his physical skill against a villain that can truly stand toe-to-toe with him, something we never saw in the previous two films. The battle with Bane (Tom Hardy) is realistic, strongly-delivered, and one where this reviewer felt the punches thrown as if they were happening to him. Yeah, it was that good of a fight.

    The other Bat-flicks struggled with having two villains in the same movie. To be honest, I never thought I’d see the day where a modern superhero movie would have more than one villain and be just as good as if it had just one. Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman is the best rendition of the character I’ve seen on screen, both in movies and on TV. She had to play multiple roles given her identity as a thief and work her deception in such a way that a lot of the time we weren’t sure who’s side she was on. I’m an Anne Hathaway fan, but this movie easily contains her best career performance to date.

    Bane was a crazy good villain, a kind of cross between Joker—intelligence-wise—and Ra’s Al Ghul—combat-wise—of the previous two movies. Especially since most of his face was covered with a mask throughout the whole flick, Tom Hardy had to act with his eyes in such a way as to deliver a performance as if he wasn’t wearing a mask at all. It was something he did in spades. Bane was one of those on-screen villains that you were afraid of because he’s that smart and that powerful and that sadistic.

    Gary Oldman did an amazing job, as usual, as Jim Gordon, and Sir Michael Caine nailed it once again as Alfred. In fact, I’d be shocked if Sir Michael doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for his emotional portrayal of a hard-headed vigilante’s butler.

    It’d be so easy to give away several key plot points in this review, but I’m keeping it vague on purpose because you simply need to see this movie for yourself. You might think you have it figured out, but you’d be wrong, my friend.

    All dangling story threads from the previous two movies are resolved, the SFX did its job but the movie didn’t rely on it, and The Dark Knight Rises had one of the best movie endings in history, to me, one equal to the incredibly-satisfying ending of The Shawshank Redemption.

    Hats off to director Christopher Nolan and crew for the amazing stories and respect they delivered to Bat-fans everywhere throughout the entire Dark Knight Trilogy.

    Go watch this Bat-flick. You must return to Gotham. You must.

    Recommended.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #26: The Dark Knight (2008)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The Dark Knight (2008)

    Dark Knight
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    The Dark Knight (2008)
    Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
    Directed by Christopher Nolan
    Runtime 152 min.
    5 out of 5

    Where do we begin?

    Three years ago, movie-goers wouldn’t dare touch a Batman movie. I mean, what happened? Did you get your act together and deliver us one of the best Bat-flicks ever?

    Seems so.

    And now you’ve done it again . . . times ten!

    Batman has made a difference in Gotham. Criminals are running scared. Underworld organizations are toppling. He has indeed become the symbol he set out to be.

    Now a psychotic clown-faced criminal is tearing his way through the Gotham City underworld, quickly establishing himself as the Clown Prince of Crime. His method: death, and lots of it. His motive: madness. But is he crazy? As he would say, “I’m not. No, I’m not.” And he’s right. He’s not crazy. This man—this “Joker”—is brilliant, and if he gets his way, Gotham will fall into his hands.

    Unless Batman can stop him.

    The Joker’s reign of terror starts in the underworld but reaches deep into Gotham’s social structure, various men strategically placed throughout the police, mayoral offices, everywhere. And they listen to him. Except for Gotham’s White Knight, Harvey Dent, the do-gooding district attorney who’s dedicated himself to cleaning up Gotham and taking down the crime syndicates that have oppressed it for so long.

    Death reigns supreme in this movie. People die, and Batman is faced with the hard choice of becoming that which he hates . . . or risk losing Gotham and those he loves to this madman.

    I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Going into this thing back in 2008, and despite the crazy good trailers for The Dark Knight, I wasn’t sure if Batman Begins could be beat or even tied. Batman Begins was what put serious superhero flicks back on the map in a big, big way. It was what restored the faith of us fans in DC Comics and gave us hope that they started the journey to taking down their number one competitor at the box office, Marvel. And with Superman Returns being just plain poopy, I hoped against hope they’d at least get Batman right a second time.

    And they did. They so did and me and everyone in that theatre were gushing with joy that not only was The Dark Knight as good as Batman Begins, it was even better.

    Christian Bale delivered another solid performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The new suit rocked hard. Loved the detail. Though he was less buff than the previous film—why? who knows? You’d think a crime fighter would maintain a fitness regimen—he did a great job differentiating between the boring and dull playboy Bruce Wayne and the rage-filled-justice-driven Batman. My only issue was the voice. In Batman Begins, it was gruff, cool and tough. In this one, he sounded like he was growling the whole time and he had to force the words out to make them all gravelly. (And, FYI, WB, Batman’s voice doesn’t have to be like he’s talking through pebbles and sand; Kevin Conroy proved that.)

    Heath Ledger’s Joker was utterly amazing. Creepy. Gothic. Funny, but not comical (like Jack Nicholson’s was). Eerie, disturbed, crazy—delicious. What I loved the most was two things: 1) the clown makeup was just that: makeup. At first I didn’t like this idea and wanted the Joker to have been a victim of an acid bath ala his comic book backstory, but after watching the movie, I see why they went this route. Bringing us to 2) Joker was a genius. It was his brilliant criminal mind that enabled him to quickly establish himself as a powerful evil force in Gotham and the makeup was his edge in doing that both in a scary-because-I’m-crazy way, but also it made others think he was merely a lunatic in turn making them drop their guard so he could move in.

    Once more, I really dug Gary Oldman’s James Gordon and seeing him officially become commissioner in this was cool.

    Likewise Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and, eventually, Two-Face—hey, he did a good job on both sides of the, um, coin. My only thing with Two-Face in this flick was that I wasn’t expecting him to show up. I thought this movie would establish the Harvey Dent character in turn setting him up to become Two-Face in the next one. So, yeah, that part was a bit rushed but them’s the breaks.

    I enjoyed Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes better than Katie Holmes. Maggie’s kind and cute, but can be rough and tough when she needs to. Worked well for Bruce’s childhood friend/love interest, especially when that twist came that changed Rachel’s future forever.

    My only other little quibble was the whole bat-sonar thing. That was venturing into Batman Forever territory and we all know how that one turned out, but the positives of this movie more than made up for the couple of minor issues I had with it.

    This movie is just tremendously good. Good fighting. Good story. Good stuff.

    Very recommended.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #23: Catwoman (2004)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Catwoman (2004)

    Catwoman
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    Catwoman (2004)
    Written by John Brancato, Michael Ferris and John Rogers
    Directed by Pitof Comar
    Runtime 104 min.
    2 out of 5

    Patience Phillips overhears news of the terrible side effects of a skin cream that is being manufactured by the company she works for, Hedare Beauty, and is quickly silenced—fatally—for her eavesdropping. However, she comes back from the dead thanks to an Egyptian Mau cat and discovers she has cat-like abilities. Disguising herself as Catwoman, Patience seeks to learn the truth behind her own death.

    Do you have any idea how excited I was when I heard they were making a Catwoman movie? I mean, it could be the greatest cat-burglar movie of all time loaded with super slick espionage, martial arts, sneaking around, Batman mythos references and/or cameos, strong-female-led action, cool costume(s) and more.

    And then they made the movie they did.

    Almost wish I could make this whole review two words—“no comment”—but that’d be cheating you guys.

    This movie was not a Catwoman movie. I just don’t understand what they were trying to do here. Had this been a fan film and some attempted new take on the character, okay, fine, whatever, put it online and let people decide, but this was supposed to be the real deal. She wasn’t even called Selina Kyle in this. Instead, she was “Patience Phillips.” They tried to jazz up what is supposed to be a very down-to-earth origin and give it a mythology of its own. Okay, points for trying something new and superhero or supervillain origins are often tweaked or changed for the big screen. What makes Catwoman as a character awesome is the fact that she’s human, like Batman, and is basically his opposite. Not so in this one. She’s got cat-powers and while it was visually cool to watch her jump around and scale buildings and stuff, it’s just not who she is.

    Halle Berry playing Catwoman is just fine. She’s sleek, sexy and pulls off the part. The problem is the story is not very good, the costume is terrible—how slinky and impractical can you get?—and there’s really nothing in this that ties it into the Batman universe. This is supposed to be a spin-off, but even spin-offs have a connection to the main source. i.e. the Elektra spin-off movie from Daredevil. Regardless of how you feel about that one, it’s still a spin-off and is known as such.

    This was definitely a comic book movie in that they went for “comic booky” as the feel of it. Felt more direct-to-video to me, seemed rushed and just fell flat.

    Catwoman is an awesome character and was resurrected in The Dark Knight Rises in a much more real world way. I hope that someday—hopefully sooner rather than later—another Catwoman flick is made and they really try to get it right. It has huge potential. Sadly, it was missed with this version here.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #20: Blankman (1994)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Blankman (1994)

    Blankman
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    Blankman (1994)
    Written by Damon Wayans and J.F. Lawton
    Directed by Mike Binder
    Runtime 92 min.
    4 out of 5

    Two brothers. One a nerd. One a Karate expert. Both grown up and living with their grandma.

    Darryl and Kevin Walker (Damon Wayons and David Alan Grier) have lived in the rough part of town with their grandma since they were kids. As boys they’d run around the apartment with towels tied around their necks, aping Batman and Robin. Now, grown up, Kevin works at the TV station doing over-the-top news stories about aliens while Darryl works as a repairman and has a knack for inventing. After their grandma is killed along with several others while working to support the campaign of a wholesome, upcoming mayor, Darryl vows to make a difference in his city and invents bulletproof long johns, transforming himself into Blankman. He even makes a costume for his brother . . . who quickly refuses to join him. Taking cues from the campy 1960s Batman series, Blankman sets out to help others and uses this super alter ego to work through his grandmother’s death. Meanwhile, Kevin lets Darryl go about his crimefighting business since he’s too busy trying to woo beautiful reporter Kimberly Jonz (Robin Givens), who does real news stories several floors above him. Of course, tensions rise as Kimberly seems to have a thing for Blankman and admires the superhero’s heroic efforts.

    Eventually, Kevin learns who was behind their grandmother’s death: the city’s crime boss, Michael Minelli (Jon Polito). This time, Kevin asks to join Darryl on his crusade and since Darryl is the ever-faithful brother, he produces the outfit Kevin rejected and Kevin becomes Other Guy, Blankman’s sidekick. The two take it upon themselves to hunt down Minelli and bring him to justice, making him pay for what he did once and for all.

    Blankman is superhero comedy at its finest. It’s also inspiring as it’s the story of everyday guys trying to do the right thing even if it means putting on a costume and helping others. Damon Wayons and David Alan Grier are hilarious and the chemistry between the two works well. If you didn’t know any better, you would think they were brothers in real life.

    This flick isn’t your usual superhero spoof, though. It took itself seriously in that it wasn’t tongue-in-cheek, but a deliberate superhero comedy with serious undertones. Everything from the social outcast that rises up, to the standing up for what’s right in a world that’s cynical and jaded, to going out of your way to help your fellow man, Blankman hits it hard on all points.

    The jokes and humor are laugh-out-loud funny, the sad moments make you ache inside, and David Alan Grier’s facial expressions are priceless.

    Like I mentioned in my review of The Phantom, sometimes it’s nice to unplug and watch a superhero movie that’s lighthearted, easygoing, and loads of fun.

    There’s plenty of action and excitement in this movie to satisfy those looking for those things, but it’s real strength lies in its heart and that is about two boys rising up to become men in a world that took away the one person they held the most dear.

    As a fair warning, this isn’t a kid’s movie as there’s grown-up humor, innuendo and some language in it so is recommended for ages 14+.

    I’ve been a Blankman fan from the beginning and though it’s been nearly twenty years since it came out, I’m still rooting for a sequel.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #16: Batman: Year One (2011)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Batman: Year One (2011)

    Batman: Year One
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    Batman: Year One (2011)
    Written by Tab Murphy
    Directed by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery
    Runtime 64 min.
    4.5 out of 5

    After spending many years abroad, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to fulfill the vow to rid it of crime that he made to his deceased parents when he was a boy. At the same time, Chicago cop James Gordon moves to Gotham to start with the GCPD. Soon, Bruce adopts the identity of the Batman and makes war on Gotham’s crime families, with James Gordon hot on his tail as the cop tries to take down the vigilante crime fighter.

    I love origin stories. The mythology of characters, their history, their motivations, the events leading up to the creation of a super identity—all of it’s gold in my book. Batman: Year One is such a story, giving you not only Batman’s origin, but the chance to walk a mile in his shoes during his first year as a crime fighter. You get to see him test the waters, make mistakes, have some wins and losses, and watch as he earns the trust of Gotham’s finest.

    This movie is a down-to-earth story about Batman and James Gordon, very much a crime story versus a superhero-vs-supervillain tale. Batman deals with real world criminals in real world ways. You also get a glimpse into the hard life he leads, what he gives up to be Batman, and how he balances life as a fool in the public eye so he could be a fear to the criminal underworld at night.

    You also get to see a different side of James Gordon, the marriage trouble, his humanity, and the plight of being a good cop in a bad town. His portrayal makes him every bit a hero as Batman in this story.

    This flick is based on the one-shot comic book by comics superstar Frank Millar and matches the book’s style for the most part, really bringing it to life.

    This is a story of beginnings so the pacing is different than what most people are used to, and instead of having a beginning, middle, big lead up to a climax then end, it has—to me, anyway—more of a beginning, middle and then part of an end because it’s really a prequel to all the other Batman stories that come after it. Which is fine. It works, but I remember going, “Is that it?” when it ended after I first watched it.

    I’m glad that Batman’s first year was brought to the small screen and I hope more first year stories are made for other heroes. Superman next would be great.

    Recommended.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #15: The Batman vs Dracula (2005)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The Batman vs Dracula (2005)

    Batman vs Dracula
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    The Batman vs Dracula (2005)
    Written by Duane Capizzi
    Directed by Michael Goguen
    Runtime 83 min.
    4 out of 5

    What starts as a treasure hunt by the Penguin soon turns into a near-apocalyptic ordeal when he accidentally revives the legendary Dracula. Immediately, the prince of darkness begins to feed, snatching innocent citizens of Gotham from its streets.

    Darkness blankets the city and the Caped Crusader is all who stands in the way between Dracula and the city’s doom.

    Wow. That was my first reaction when watching this. This direct-to-DVD release doesn’t view as your standard Batman cartoon. This truly is a monster tale and views more like a horror movie than a superhero flick.

    The vampires in this film are scary, looking like something between a vampire and a zombie. Dracula himself is neat, trim and suave, yet carries a presence of death.

    This DVD also introduces Batman’s love interest, Vicky Vale (who appeared both in the comics and in the 1989 movie). I have yet to discover how much of a role she will have in the half-hour episodes of The Batman series (I have only watched up to season three), but it was great to see her on screen. It was also wonderful to see Bruce Wayne dealing with a female lead in a realistic way and having once again come face-to-face with Batman getting in the way of his personal life.

    A surprising touch to this film was the Joker, not so much the character but what happens to him. Cool indeed.

    This is a solid Bat-flick, one which is definitely meant for an older audience, not for kids. Thirteen or fourteen and up, I’d say.

    This flick is a keeper, one every true Bat-fan should have.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #14: Batman Returns (1992)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Batman Returns (1992)

    Batman Returns
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    Batman Returns (1992)
    Written by Daniel Waters
    Directed by Tim Burton
    Runtime 126 min.
    3.5 out of 5

    A mysterious “penguin man” surfaces and takes the city by storm, so much so that evil business tycoon Max Shreck, played by Christopher Walken, thinks he can turn Penguin into the city’s new mayor. But Penguin is not all what he seems and he secretly controls the Red Triangle Gang, who are wreaking havoc across the city.

    Adding to the mix is one Selina Kyle, Shreck’s lowly assistant, er, secretary, who, after a bad night with her boss, becomes Catwoman.

    The Bat Signal shines and the Dark Knight returns to once again rid Gotham of chaos and restore order.

    Michael Keaton is back as Gotham’s Guardian and brings to the role all the mystery and edge that made the ’89 movie so popular. What’s even better is that this movie actually has Batman in it and the vigilante appears, clad in black armor, more than just four times like in the previous flick.

    Danny DeVito as the Penguin does a great job given what he had to work with. Though the Penguin in this film is not the same as the one in the comics, DeVito still did well portraying a man who was born . . . a little different.

    Michelle Pfeiffer pulls off the dual role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman nicely. In fact, she plays four distinct roles in this film, all in one character: nerdy Selina, hip Selina, crazy Selina and Catwoman.

    This film is filled with action, darkness and fun, all set in Tim Burton’s eerie Gotham City, which was a character on its own in this film and its predecessor.

    It’s the hokey plot that’s earning this film a lower rating than the previous one. Had the story been better, this movie had the potential to be one of the best superhero flicks ever.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #13: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

    Batman Mystery of the Batwoman
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    Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)
    Written by Michael Reaves
    Directed by Curt Geda
    Runtime 75 min.
    5 out of 5

    There’s a new superhero in Gotham, one who wears silver-gray tights and a cape.

    And she’s a woman, a bat-woman.

    At first it appears she’s here to help, but when she begins targeting the Penguin and Rupert Thorne’s secret arms operation, the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder step in to solve the mystery of the Batwoman.

    Who is she? What does she want? And why is it each time Batman thinks he’s solved her secret identity does he find himself back at square one?

    As Batman and Batwoman put the strain on the Penguin’s operation, the bird man calls in a deadly force to eliminate them: Bane.

    The Bruce Timm-designed Batman series is a staple on the animated superhero genre. The sleek yet angler style’s been used in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. And in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, it’s delivered in spades. The art is just simply amazing straight through.

    The story is terrific, with twists and turns right up ’til the end, and no punches are pulled in giving each and every character a level of depth not usually achieved in animated features.

    Kevin Conroy is Batman and has the greatest Batman voice out of them all, both live action and animated. His line delivery as the Dark Knight forces you to respect the pointy-eared vigilante and take him seriously. The dude’s got major authority.

    Likewise, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred? Wow. Between him and Kevin, these two hold down the film and set the tone for the entire movie. The relationship Alfred and Bruce Wayne share is beyond close and is a stark contrast to the relationships the bat-women suspects have with their own family or loved ones.

    You know what? All the voices were terrific, not a one out of place. Each suited the character they portrayed, the acting and tone behind their voices never missing a beat.

    The stakes are high, the danger’s real and Batman is better than ever.

    Go. Watch. Enjoy.


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