Batman Movies

I'm a huge fan of Batman and have been since I was a kid. This film came out when I was in high school and the summer of 89 was the year of the bat. To say I was looking forward to this movie is a understatement. The hype was unreal and Batman tshirts were seen everywhere.After I seen the movie on opening day. I loved it but now, I think nostalgia of the first time seeing a dark interpretation of Batman on the big screen has worn off on this film and the flaws show very clearly. Now to start off here, Burton created a decent adaption of Batman in a time where Adam West's campy series was all that the general public knew. Burton should be applauded for his effort. His Gotham City was interesting, the Danny Elfman score is legendary in film-making history (Although I'll never understand why Prince music is anywhere in this film). Jack Nicholson gave a good performance as the Joker, he's truly a great actor.

While Batman is a good fun, the movie has several problems. The plot and the script is a mess and almost missing. The director utilizes too many clichés and convenient plot devices to propell a rather a dull story. There is no exploration into Batman's motivation and character development here is really lacking. Some have excused it away as Burton wanted to Batman to be "mysterious." Whatever. This is usually just called bad character development. It's obvious Burton is not fully sure where to carry this character and decides to give him offbeat eccentric behavior to make up for it. Keaton's Bruce Wayne never grows and you never connect with him. The other characters besides the Joker are one-dimensional and forgettable. Basinger gives a less-than-decent portrayal as Vicki Vale, but she's really just eye candy in this Lois Lane rip-off role. Vale is a damsel in distress throughout the entire movie and has no real purpose, presence, or meaning in the movie. Her chemistry with Keaton is rather forced and its clear her purpose is just a mandated Warner Brothers "love interest" that is required in every superhero movie.

Keatons gives a solid performance as Batman (as opposed to his dull and foppish Bruce) although I wasn't too impressed with his portrayal of Batman as a wreckless stoic James Bondish killer whose methods isn't all that different from the villains he fights. However, the movie is more about the Joker, giving his origin more focus than Batman's. After he's introduced, coincidence after coincidence after plot device occurs clicheingly tying the villain to the hero. The Joker is responsible for Batman and 30 years later Batman is responsible for the Joker. Small world. Then, the Joker is interested in Bruce's love interest for some reason. Then Batman figures out who the Joker really is through another lame plot device. The other characters are ignored while Nicholson (a great actor) takes all the spotlight. Batman is reduced to a distant man wanting violent revenge as opposed to a mythological crime fighter. What Batman gains from this whole ordeal isn't clear to anyone. However, once the score plays, the film is over.
Now I can see where this can be seen as a negative review but despite all of these flaws its still a fun movie to watch and the by far the best of the 1st cycle of Batman films which finally crashed and burned by the 4th movie with the beyond awful " Batman And Robin"

I can somewhat understand why this film is cherished so much. This film is the darkest installment of the Burton/Schumacher franchise. The movie has a star cast and Michelle Pfeiffer gives a memorable performance as exotic, seductive, but vile Catwoman. The great Danny Elfman music is all still there. Danny Devito and Christopher Walken bring decent comic relief in their roles as villains.

The movie suffers from a silly plot devices and rhetoric , which is ironic considering this is supposedly the "darkest, most serious" film in the franchise. Yes, its dark, but in a very superficial, stylish way. The film never aroused in emotion of despair or sympathy for any of the characters because it was filled with ridiculous premises. There is more violence in this film, unnecessary death, even some minor blood, but especially near the end, the violent conflicts never seemed to have a point.

The big problem with this movie is that its apparent Tim Burton wasn't sure where to take the character of Batman after the first film. Burton essentially focused on making fantastic Burtonized Gotham City and Burtonized villains. Whereas the first movie was somewhat realistic, gritty and a decent Batman film, this movie makes Gotham City more surreal and goth fairy-tail. Burton changes the origins and motivations of the two major villains (The Penguin and Catwoman) DRASTICALLY from their comic counterparts. The Penguin is changed from a deformed, calculating, crime boss into a genetically altered, naive, and angry mutant who lives in the sewers and never knew his parents (who are human). Catwoman's transformation and origin is almost as absurd. Their motivations are so dimensional, Catwoman is reduced to a simplistic poster boy for feminism.

The first half of the movie has a decent plot, but after a semi-climax, the movie spins out of control wrecklessly and nothing makes much sense. For all the flack Batman & Robin got for being campy, this movie has the Penguin......talking to and commanding an army of penguins with rockets on their back. I couldn't believe I was seeing this in a what some considers "the Best Batman movie of all time". There are too many convenient plot devices and inconsistencies throughout the ending. The other minor characters from the first film are gone or do little to almost nothing in this film.

Keaton's Batman is still good and convincing. What's bad though is that the film is even less about Batman waging a war on crime than the previous film, and more about angry, unloved, or ugly people (the hero and the villains) never finding happiness or love that they deserve. Burton definitely imprinted his artistic, fantastic, Gothic but dreary style throughout this film, for better or worse. Thus, this isn't really a superhero film, but a typical Gothic "nobody loves me, so I have to wreck havoc" film. Batman's dedication to fighting crime is ambiguous in this movie and I don't feel he becomes a stronger or a resolute character in the end.

The movie is decent, there are some good action scenes, and as said before Pfieffer is awesome and attractive in this film. Christopher Walken is sometimes funny and Danny Devito has some good scenes. I think the dark nature of the movie has successfully hid the fact that this movie is just as campy and silly as the next two sequels. In some aspects, Batman Forever is even better at somethings, such as characterizing Bruce Wayne. This film has little to no direction, point, and is more stylized art over substance.

Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman) has a new nemesis in the shape of Two Face (Tommy Lee Jones) a homicidal psychopath who was once a noble lawyer, only for his face and mind to be hideously deformed after a substance was thrown over him in a courtroom. But he's soon to be joined by another: The Riddler (Jim Carrey) who was a former scientist at Wayne Enterprises and had his ideas rejected by those in power. Whilst dealing with all of this, he entertains a romance with the beautiful psychologist Dr Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) and takes a boy acrobat under his wing whose family were murdered in a hesit by Two-Face, who will come to be known as Robin, the fateful sidekick...

This is a whole new Batman, with a lighter, sillier, more family friendly appeal to it, with a new actor playing Batman in the shape of Val Kilmer and a new director in the shape of Joel Schumacher, after Tim Burton had left to pursue greater things such as The Nightmare Before Christmas (although he does take over producing duties here.) I suppose it is all really a question of whether you prefer the dark or the light versions of Batman. But I know which camp I'm settled in.

There is a lot of light and flashy effects in this one, but it is completely empty. The story is uninvolving, the characters naff and the acting poor. For starters, there's the impossibly wooden O' Donnell, who wouldn't go on to improve in any of his future projects and is at his worst here, and also in one scene zooms down a road in the Batmobile (which he's souped up!) to which a flock of girls crowd round it, which I think played a part in kick-starting the whole vacuous 'chav' craze, as well as Batman's subliminal messaging at the beginning with the line 'it's the car, right, chicks dig the car', when in fact ten years later, a whole string of Brian Harvey-alikes would be 'digging' the car. In the villain roles, Carrey can either make you laugh with his manic performances or he can severely get on your nerves, and that's definitely the case here and Jones can play a great villain and is trying his best here, but it's all just wasted on him. Kidman is very sexy as the love interest, but doesn't manage to contribute anything other than that. As Batman, I suppose Kilmer doesn't do anything Keaton didn't do but, as far as the original cycle of Batman films I'll stay a Keaton man...

I suppose in the end your enjoyment of this film will depends on whether you're a dark Batman fan or a light Batman fan.

Batman and Robin is one of the worst superhero films ever made. It is a great example of studio interference gone mad, and betraying the source material. Batman is anything but a little hearted camp character and the sixties TV show. The studio thought that Batman was a family friendly character and looked to make money from all the toy sells afterwards. The only good thing about this film is that it ended the Burton/Schumacher era and brought about Christopher Nolan who made the excellent Batman Begins and the Dark Knight.

The plot is thin. The film starts with Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) stopping a robbery at the Gotham National History Museum by Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The dynmatic duo stop him, but the super villain escapes. This starts to cause a rift between Batman and Robin. At the time in South America Dr. Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman), a botanist and environmentalist discoveries that her boss had been secretly making a brainless beast with superstrength, Bane. During the clash between the scientists an accident happens and Pamela becomes Posion Ivy. She goes to Gotham City with Bane and becomes an extreme environmentalist, making a proposal to Bruce Wayne to save the environment, but kill millions of people. Posion Ivy and Freeze team up to take over Gotham. A subplot of the film is Bruce's loyal butler Alfred had become ill. His niece Barbara (Alicia Silverstone), comes to take care of him. She clashes with Bruce because she believes that the billionaire never let Alfred live his own life. However, she is a trained fighter and ends up becoming Batgirl.

There are a number of problems with this film. It is too campy, the kind of Batman which an comic book fan hates. It is gadget heavy, the executives at Warner Brothers had ideas for the toy lines, and it just made things too convenient. Casting Arnold Schwarzenegger and giving him top-billing was terrible decision. Schwarzenegger is not a good actor; he was best in the first two Terminator films and Predator. Uma Thurman must have been embarrassed by her performance in this film, no one stood out for have a good performance. The writing is not good, there were some awful cheesy lines, like 'you're not sending me back to the cooler'. The Batman comics were not even looked at and the Sixties show was base for this bad film. Like with all the Batman films before Nolan, the plot was thin, but Batman and Robin takes it to new levels and the filmmakers may as well have not bothered. Nolan was able to make Batman into a dark complex character, dealing with ideas and were brilliantly written. Even the people who made Batman and Robin have disowned it. George Clooney said he will refund money if anyone comes up to him and said their paid to see Batman and Robin, Chris O'Donnell said it was like making a long toy ad and Joel Schumacher see this as his worst work and wanted to make a Batman film to please the fans, taking the character back to his dark roots. The screenwriter Akiva Goldsman was also ashamed of this film and has tried to make completely different films afterwards.

Batman and Robin is a great example of when a studio becomes too involved with making the film. They did not care what happened as long as the film made money, but it ended up being a box-office flop. Can't tell you to avoid it. I finally broke down and watched the whole thing to have a fully formed opinion but I can't say I recommend it at all. Truly awful.

It sickened me in the past to see the Batman movie franchise slowly digging it's way to an early grave. After the decent Tim Burton original , the series pretty much went down the toilet, beginning a horrifically campy age of 'Bat credit-cards' and an armored Arnold Schwarzenegger tossing cringe-worthy puns at a Batman who seemed to be trying not to be embarrassed by the fact that his costume had nipples. So what could Warner Brothers producers hope to do to resurrect the franchise? Pretend it never happened, and start the whole series over again with a talented director, compelling story and capable cast.

Enter Christopher Nolan, widely praised as one of the most innovative filmmakers of the decade. As director/co- screenwriter, Nolan creates a richly dark, atmospheric world for Batman to inhabit, similar to that of the Burton films, but less cartoony. The film's screenplay, written by Nolan and David S. Goyer is quality stuff.
Nolan also puts a lot of trust in his audiences to stay put while the first hour of the film comprehensively explores Bruce Wayne's backstory, with no cape donning and few fight sequences. Nevertheless, the pace never slows, and the story is so unexpected and fascinating (who would have expected a Batman film to begin in a prison in Tibet? only Nolan could pull it off!) there's little chance of us losing interest. And this way, we really get a sense of who Bruce Wayne is, a trait none of the past movies were able to capture, including the Burton films. We see what drives him, what leads him to become this iconic crime fighter, and the reasoning behind the mask.

Of course, to help the audience get under Bruce Wayne's skin, it doesn't hurt to have such a talented lead as Christian Bale. Bale has been emerging as one of the most talented actors of his generation, and he brings that talent to a peak here, playing the darkest of all superheroes. If you were to break down the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne, you would find that it is essentially three characters: Wayne as Batman, behind the mask; Wayne's public facade as the billionaire playboy; and the real, brooding Bruce Wayne. Bale plays all three of the characters to absolute perfection, and molds them together well enough to make it clear to show they are still the same person. He has been given tons of accolades for his performance already, and needless to say, he deserves every one.

And the sheer quality of the supporting cast is mind-boggling, if for the number of big names only. It's very hard to find a weak spot in the incredibly strong array of performances here, but if one had to be found, it would have to be Katie Holmes. It's not that she gives a bad performance, on the contrary, but just she seems too young to be convincing as a district attorney. For me, Michael Gough will always be the definitive Alfred, but Michael Caine does an excellent job of taking over the role, giving a very strong (and often funny) performance. Liam Neeson is sheer class as Ducard, Wayne's mysterious mentor, as is Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Wayne's arms manufacturer and provider of the Batman gear. It's wonderful to see the incredibly talented and much underrated Gary Oldman as Sgt. Gordon, the only decent cop in Gotham, and he truly makes the role his own. Even cult favorite Rutger Hauer makes an appearance as Richard Earle, the ambitious head of Wayne Enterprises. And (surprise surprise!) the villains are also actually menacing for once, as opposed to cartoony and corny. Cillian Murphy just about walks away with the show as the truly chilling Scarecrow (the sequences involving his 'fear gas' are surprisingly frightening) Ken Watanabe is mysterious and creepy as guild leader Ra's Al Ghul and Tom Wilkinson is very convincing as Carmine Falcone, head of the Gotham city mob.

Nolan's knack for realism also comes as a breath of fresh air in this age of CGI bloated blockbusters - there are very few computer generated shots in the movie, even a sequence with Batman standing on top of a high building staring down at the city was filmed with a stuntman. And it really works, the Batmobile actually interacts with it's environment, and looks so much better real than computer generated. But don't think that the film will come across as too serious and stuffy because of Nolan's realism - true, Gotham seems too dark and dirty to come across as a fantasy world, but Batman Begins retains that unmistakable sense of fun that seems to only be present in comic book movies. We jeer and fear the villains, and cheer the hero as he lays his life on the line to vanquish evil and save the city. And that is how it should be. There's even a surprising twist near the end, which is doubly surprising because it actually comes as a shock. What's not to love here?

(and, further cudos to director Nolan for finally managing to make a swarm of bats actually frightening for once)

Overall, I'd have to label Batman Begins 'The best of the live action Batman films ( I have a feeling The Dark Knight will bump this one to 2nd place) - it's a well written, authoritatively directed, impeccably acted (especially by Bale's powerhouse lead performance and Cillian Murphy's sickly menacing Scarecrow) and very high quality production. Indeed, most other summer blockbusters could learn a thing or two from Batman Begins. If the Batman franchise died under it's own gaudiness years ago, let us rejoice this glorious rebirth - Batman truly does begin here.

This is a cool Batman animated movie that has stories that take place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, its not required to see these before The Dark Knight but does introduce some characters that will appear in the film. This is a animated movie that is made up of six stories that tie in together. Each with different animation and writer.
Now, onto the stories:

"Have I Got a Story for You" once again brings the same beautiful and completely abstract animation done by the same people at Studio 4C that created Beyond to the Animatrix fans. Although the dialogue tries a bit too hard and the ideas don't really make sense, it still makes for an excellent story about different perspectives of one mythical creature known as the Batman.

"Crossfire"This was one of my personal favorites. This one shows the disdain that certain good cops have for the vigilante-ism that the Batman brings to Gotham. The animation in this is particularly artistic and at parts scary (just look for the Arkham inmates, they'll freak you the hell out), and overall mind blowing.

"Field Test" brought in the character of Lucius Fox and a machine that can stop bullets, making the Batman virtually unstoppable, but does it have a side effect? The ideas in this one are very innovative although I could've done without the added golfing scene...but there is one particularly amusing line that you should look for before Bruce puts on the tights.

"In Darkness Dwells" is a particularly dark macabre Batman story, one that I particularly enjoyed. The animation done in the sewers of Gotham was really well done and the colours were very well expressed. It also had an excellent plot combining two villains together in one movie (can you say test for TDK?).

"Working Through Pain" was another personal favorite. It tells the story of how Bruce Wayne learnt to defeat both internal and external pain in India under a very mysterious tutor. Amazing animation, wonderful acting, and a plot to die for. The ending when I first watched it was very confusing, but if it confuses you, don't worry, it will all be made clear in the next short. Great work on this one:

"Deadshot" introduced the identically named new villain/hit-man into the Batman universe and what an addition it was. This again was another perfectly written plot and perfectly animated movie, making it my absolute favourite of them all. The sheer impossibility and yet perfect sense of it all made it a true treat to watch.

To sum up. This might not be a film for everyone with the different animation styles and stories but its well worth checking out for Batman fans.

To start off here. I've been a Batman fan since I was child. I do remember reading all of the comics I could get my hands on. As with most kids I had alot of comics I would read but Batman was always the top pick for me. He was the one that was real to me. No superpowers, just a ordinary man who has built up his mind and body to perfection in a attempt to rid Gotham City of the kind of criminal element that took his parents away from him as a child. I do remember thinking of Batman as I was reading the comics back then ( and I still do) that maybe in his mind he figures that if he puts away enough villians that in the end he will get to see his parents alive one last time. A kids way of thinking I guess but thats one thought I had from my childhood about him that always stuck with me. Then in my teens the film series started. The previous film series started out promising with Batman 1989, not a great film but a good start. Each film that followed got worse until we hit the lowest of the low with" Batman And Robin" a film so bad that I haven't been able to sit through the entire thing to this day. I have to admit things looked bleak for the Batman live action films . To me I could at least say I had the animated series to fall back on and the great animated film " Batman Mask Of The Phantasm" which anyone who hasn't seen this film should check it out as soon as possible. Then Christopher Nolan entered the picture and helped bring life back to the Batman live action films. I will begin my Dark Knight review with this, hype can be the undoing of an undeserving movie. And I've never seen a movie in my lifetime with more hype than The Dark Knight ( maybe except for Batman 1989). Between the return of The Joker and Two-Face to the big screen, the tragic death of Heath Ledger and the fact that it was following one of the most realistic and best comic based movies ever, the pressure was on Chris Nolan and his cast to deliver. And not only did they, but they hit it out of the park. The plot was finely crafted to make every scene, every character, important to the film. To make a long story short and simple, Harvey Dent is trying to clean up Gotham through the "proper" channels, basically acting as Batman's lawful counterpart. The Joker, however, would rather watch the city burn (figuratively). Heath Ledger dissolved into the sick, twisted role in a way I've seen very few actors do and deserves to be commended, regardless of his untimely passing. Its been a while since I could say that something made my skin crawl until The Joker tells the story (or at least A story) of how he got his facial scars. That along with the pencil trick which made me jump in my seat.

Gotham's need for a hero is glorified in this film. And so is it's hate for that same hero. A masked hero is not a hero at all. He is more like a vigilante who is to be arrested on sight. For it is he who has brought darkness upon them. Hence, they await a 'White Knight'. One who does not need to hide his face from the people. One whose identity is known by all and sundry. One who fears nothing. We find ourselves witnessing sacrifice. Then again, it isn't merely the sacrifice of a person, or even many, for the sake of something good in the end. It is the sacrifice of oneself.

The genius of Christopher Nolan brings to us the sequel of Batman Begins, a revamp to the entire saga of Batman on the big screen. A film that helped change the way the entire world looked at comic book superheroes. The Dark Knight succeeds in taking it not just one, but a couple of steps further. Christian Bale is still the same under that black mask. Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is not just terrifying or shocking, it is beyond belief. That voice, that walk, that laugh! It is nothing short of haunting. Then there is Aaron Eckart, playing Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent, who is just as good. Everyone in this film is spot on. Everything about it is a revelation.

It's two and a half hours long. The dialogue is gripping. It is absolutely magnificent seeing something like this on the big screen. The entire concept of Batman wanting to go back to becoming Bruce Wayne and be done with his superhero days, and how he tries to achieve that by glorifying Harvey Dent, the DA of Gotham City, goes deep into the character of Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is, after all, only human. The character of The Joker, his want to give Gotham a 'better class of criminal', to prove that 'when the chips are down, civilized people will eat each other' shows us an entire different side of the common people.

Going back to The Joker, he is perhaps the most complex villain created in comic book history and giving him a simple 'bad guy' tag would not be doing justice to him. The wonders they have done with him is unbelievable. He robs millions of dollars only to burn it. He is indeed a man one 'does not understand'. He is one who 'just want to watch the world burn'. The film is a work of art, often obscure. The sequences have been made with the utmost attention to detail, the last 45minutes being absolutely outstanding.
While Heath deserves the most attention for the Joker, the rest of the cast deserves some extra praise. Christian Bale is excellent as both playboy Bruce Wayne and the dark knight. Aaron Eckhart plays the ying to Batman's yang until the accident that scars him, turning into a madman with a purpose. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both show their old charm and Maggie Gyllenhaal steps in and does a very good job replacing Katie Holmes. To sum up here since I feel I might be rambling, this is an epic comic book masterpiece that I feel fans and even non fans of Batman will enjoy. Simply one of the best

Well to start out , this is best of the Batman movies live action or animated ( Batman Begins runs a close second).This film maintains the "dark deco" direction and style of Batman: The Animated Series( which I still miss to this day) under the direction of Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm and the writing of Alan Burnett and Paul Dini (all of whom worked on TAS), and features the same voices talents as the show, including Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Efrem Zimbalist Jr as Alfred, Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon, Robert Constanzo as Detective Harvey Bullock, and Mark Hamill as The Joker. Basically, the movie takes all the best elements of the series, and puts it together as a longer episode. Except that if it were an episode, it never would have made it past the censors. Also, it'd be the best episode in the history of the show.

As a theatrically-released movie with a 76 minute running time, Mask of the Phantasm had license to do things the Saturday afternoon cartoon show could not do. It's a darker, more mature look at Batman than the series could be, receiving a PG rating. It's no Sin City or Heavy Metal, but is more intense than usual, showing murder, blood, and allusions to sex that could never be shown on the show. Which is not to say that it's an adult film, because it's not. It's still an animated movie about a super-hero, and is still primarily for kids (albeit, older kids and adults). It just means that Mask of the Phantasm is closer to the comic book than the series is allowed to be.

In terms of story, Mask of the Phantasm is a mystery movie, as a new vigilante, who bears similarities to Batman, comes to Gotham and begins executing mob bosses. Batman must figure out who this new vigilante is to end the Phantasm's rampage, while Batman himself is being accused of the crimes. Meanwhile, a former love is back in Gotham (voiced by Dana Delany), drudging up painful memories for Bruce Wayne of the one who got away. While dealing with the Phantasm, his long-lost love, and Gotham Police, Batman also has to deal with The Joker, who is somehow involved in everything.

The movie is an excellent combination of action and suspense. Strangely, since it is a cartoon, this film has the most convincing and realistic love story in Batman movie history (although, to be fair, there's no real competition in that area, as all the other love stories in Batman movies have been rushed and unconvincing). Comic book fans will geek out over the Year One like flashbacks featuring a non-costumed young Bruce Wayne attempting to fight crime, and the appearance of the Phantasm, who, with a cape, spectre-like mask, and scythe, bears a strong resemblance to Year Two's murderous vigilante The Reaper.

Personally, I absolutely loved this movie. However, it's not a movie for everyone. If you're not already a fan of Batman or Batman: The Animated Series, then I don't think this movie would have much of interest for you. But if you are a fan of the series or the character, then I highly recommend you check this film out.

In the 2nd film spinoff from Batman The Animated Series. Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara) has taken his cryogenically frozen wife Nora to the Arctic Circle in order find a cure for her terminal illness in solitude. His world is shattered, however, when a submarine surfaces in his cave and destroys Nora's confinements. After exacting revenge on the submarine crew, Freeze heads to Gotham City to find a former colleague, Dr. Gregory Belson (George Dzundza), who informs him that Nora will die soon if she doesn't receive a transplant. The problem is that Nora has a rare blood type and finding a suitable match could take years. Freeze's solution is to find a live donor and take what he needs, a plan that Belson is bribed into carrying out. Belson's target is Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl (Mary Kay Bergman). When Barbara is taken while on a night on the town with Dick Grayson, AKA Robin (Loren Lester), Batman (Kevin Conroy) quickly gets involved to uncover Freeze's plot. It then becomes a race against time to find Barbara before something nasty happens to her, but Freeze also soon discovers that he may have gotten more than he bargained for.
This is a soild follow up to Mask Of The Phantasm and was released around the time of the beyond awful " Batman And Robin" All I can say is Subzero is what a Batman film should be and not the train wreck that was released in theaters. Subzero is great film for fans of Batman and the animated series. Its well worth checking out.

Some minor spoilers here**************************************************

It is approximately 50 years into the future and Bruce Wayne has retired from active crime-fighting preferring instead to monitor his protégé: Terry McGinnis. McGinnis who lost his own father under tragic circumstances is the Tomorrow Knight and patrols the streets of Gotham in a souped up Batsuit. He comes across a street gang called the Jokerz who are involved in a high tech robbery from WayneCorp which puzzles him as it doesn't fit the typical street gang M.O. His investigation leads to cover ups and secrets and things only becoming more confusing with the reappearance in Gotham of Batman's greatest nemesis - The Joker, thought dead for many years. But is he who he really claims to be? Bruce fires Terry's from the job without any explanation. Terry who is utterly confused turns to Barbara Gordon, the once Batgirl, who is now the commissioner of police to learn about what happened the night Batman had his final confrontation with the Joker many years ago.

The flashback that follows is unnerving partly because the events unfold in a cartoon and because of what the film doesn't show us. Just as with Jaws, Dini holds his cards very close to his chest making the revelation all the more disturbing. Also, for those who thought the animated joker straddled the line between funny and cruel, prepared to be blown away by how sadistic he really is.

All this leads up to a satisfying conclusion in a film that tries not to use tired clichés to reveal the mystery of the Joker. No, it's not a Joker-clone or a long lost son! The stakes are high in the final confrontation between the Joker and the new Batman, when Bruce is almost killed and Gotham faces devastation at the whim of a madman. Dini is a master storyteller and he knows these characters inside out. He weaves a brilliant final act that not only convincingly ties all the loose ends, but ends up giving you (or at least me) new respect for McGinnis' Batman. His take down of the Joker is memorable not for it's action, but because of the psychological leverage Terry tries to use. The last 2 thirds of the movie alone make it a must watch for Batfans and thriller fans alike.

Finally, voice acting is credible. Kevin Conroy is Batman. He's been doing it since 1992 and he's timbre is the perfect pitch (pardon the pun) for the Dark Knight. Mark Hamill reprises Joker from the animated series, and puts up a valid case for dubbing all past and future Joker portrayals. Hamill has bounds of energy and fun with this character and you can hear it on screen. Will Friedle is convincing as McGinnis - he doesn't play Terry as a moper or a whino. My only minor gripe is that they didn't use Stockard Channing for Barbara Gordon. I love her rendition of the character, although Angie Harmon is okay.

I can't recommend this movie enough, though if you rent/buy it please make sure you have the uncut version PG-13. The edited version is too diluted and the movie experience diminishes with it.

This is a great documentary on the Batman 1989 2 disc DVD special edition. It covers the history of Batman in the comics, tv and movies. Its well worth checking out if you can get the dvd. The only flaw with it is that I wish it was longer due to the rich history Batman has in all media.