olivia_sutton | Entries tagged with kevin conroy

NOTE: Review contains SPOILERS Be WARNED!!!

Title: Justice League Doom
Director: Lauren Montgomery
Voice Director: Andrea Romano
Date: 2012
Studio: Warner Brothers Animation
Genre: Action, Drama, Animation
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Nathan Fillion, Carl Lumbey, Michael Rosenbaum, Claudia Black, Paul Blackthorne, Olivia D'abo, Alexis Denisoff, Phil Morris, Robin Atkin Downes
Format: Widescreen, Color animation
DVD Format: R1, NTSC

"When we fought before, I broke the bat; today I break the man." -- Bane to Bruce Wayne

"No, you weren't afraid, not really. You were dosed with a synthesized version of the Scarecrow's fear gas. Because will is the source of your strength." -- Batman
"And fear is the enemy of will." -- Green Lantern, Hal Jordan

Justice League Doom brings back most of the original cast from the original Justice League animated television series, only substituting Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, rather than GL Jon Stewart or introducing Guy Gardner. There is also a stellar cast of "guest stars" as the Leaguers greatest foes.

Vandal Savage uses Mirror Master to obtain secret files from the Batcave - files that Batman created with plans to bring down any of the main Justice League members in case they went rogue. The villains then begin to attack and defeat the League members. Mirror Master gets Flash to put his hand inside a Schrodinger's cat box to rescue an old woman. Flash ends up with a bomb in his wrist that will explode if he stops, de-accelerates, or does nothing when the timer runs out. Cheetah fist-fights Wonder Woman, but poisons her with her finger nails so everyone she sees looks and sounds like Cheetah. GL Hal Jordan is sent to a Salt Mine to rescue some hostages from a militia group and the rescue goes wrong - a woman who is a dead ringer for Carol (Hal's former girlfriend) is killed. Even running into Star Sapphire doesn't help Hal realise he's been set up. Martain Manhunter is slipped a poison that caused him to sweat Magnesium, which bursts into flame, even under water. Superman is shot in the chest with a Kryptonite bullet. Bane takes Bruce's parents out of their graves. A groundskeeper (not Alfred) reports this to Bruce, who goes out to investigate in civilian clothes. He's jumped by Bane, who beats him up, then drops him into his mother's (new) grave, and buries him alive, with her skeleton in her coffin.

Bruce, stranded underground, takes the keys out of his pocket and starts to pummel the coffin lid. He's about to give up, when he turns and sees his mother's skeleton staring at him -- and he renews his attack and escapes. It's a very eerie and spooky image -- but it's also something that is just "so Batman" and "so Bruce" -- he cannot ever give up on the oath he swore to his parents that faithful night when he was only eight years old.

Once he's escaped, Batman contacts the other Justice League members to get them out of their immediate danger, then they meet to find out what's going on.

Meanwhile, Vandal Savage has gathered the villains together to take out the Justice League, so he can put a secondary plan into motion. Once the various villains report their success -- they insist on joining Savage in his plans. Savage's plan is to fire a missile into the sun, causing a massive solar flare which will destroy the sunward side of the Earth as well as send out an EMP that will fry anything electronic. The Justice League arrives, and each member fights his or her oppisite number villain. However, despite the assistance of Cyborg, Savage's missile is fired. Superman and Green Lantern attempt to stop the missile at the sun, but fail, giving the League seven minutes to figure out what to do. They come up with something -- and Earth is saved.

I really liked the first part of the story -- that Batman would have contingency plans for taking out everyone in the League (though his plans were non-lethal) is both scary, and yet fitting with his personality. I would have liked to see more of a sense of the League's sense of betrayal though -- not only that Batman would do that, but that he'd keep detailed records of his potential plans. After the Justice League saves Earth, they discuss what to do with Batman, and it's Clark who tells Bruce that he was right, then asks what safety valve exists for Bruce -- Bruce responds, "The Justice League". In other words, he's created an equal and balanced system. But, I would have likedmore. More storyline, more background, especially for the villains, even more dialogue between the Leaguers (and between Alfred and Bruce. Alfred appears and then suddenly disappears, before just as suddenly appearing again. It was very frustrating). With six heroes and seven villains, including Savage, plus the opening gambit with the Royal Flush Gang, the film really should have been longer than 76 Minutes, and more flushed out.

I also felt the film fell a little flat at the end. It sort of turns into, "Of course the Justice League will win," and really loses momentum. There's some great stuff with Superman and Hal in space as they try to stop the missile and fail, but there's still no real sense of danger -- in part because Savage's plan is just too big. I like the more subtle villains with subtle plans (like Lex Luthor becoming the US president -- which he did in the DC Universe).

Still, it was great to see the re-united Justice League cast together again. I'd like to see Doom as the pilot for a new Justice League series, but I doubt it will happen. Still, one can hope. I will admit it was great to see the Legion of Doom appear threatening instead of as a joke, though. If you're a DC fan you'll enjoy this!

Recommendation: See it, especially if you're a DC fan.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Next Film: Same Time, Next Year or Justice League New Frontier

Current Mood: okay
Current Location: My home office
Current Music: Nightwish

Published on my movie blog on Sunday, 6 Feb. 2011

Title: Batman Beyond Return of the Joker
Director: Curt Geda
Voice Director: Andrea Romano
Date: 2000
Studio: Warner Brothers
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Mystery
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Will Friedle, Mark Hamill, Dean Stockwell, Teri Garr, Tara Strong, Frank Welker, Michael Rosenbum
Format: Color Animation, Widescreen
DVD Format: R1, NTSC

This film bridges the gap between Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond, answering some of the unanswered questions. And it brings back the most famous Batman villian -- the Joker. Briefly, Batman Beyond was a television series set 50 years after Batman: The Animated Series. Bruce has gotten old and is now unable to fight crime. Terry McGinnis becomes the new Batman, having at first stolen Bruce's latest Batsuit (used before his retirement) and then with Bruce's blessing. Terry is a bit more light-hearted than Bruce but not as light-hearted as some of the Robins. He has a mother and a younger brother (tho' his father was murdered) and even a girlfriend. The solid black suit with a red bat symbol is more technically advanced, with jet packs that allow real flight (so the cape is gone). It also has a video and audio link to the Cave where Bruce advises Terry. Throughout the series The Joker's been missing but a gang of trouble-makers called Jokerz have caused Terry and the city of New Gotham trouble. It's a cyber-punked/21st century Batman rather than the Art Deco/30s/Film Noir look of Batman the Animated Series.

This film opens with Batman breaking up a theft of electronic equipment by the Jokerz. All goes well, but when he discusses it later with Bruce, Terry's confused, because high-end electronics and computers aren't normally the Jokerz' style -- they usually go for quick cash. Bruce dismisses the theft as "looking for stuff they could fence". Bruce, perhaps, has too much on his mind -- he's returning to be the active head of Wayne Enterprises.

The Joker (again, voiced by Mark Hamill, as he was in B:TAS) breaks up the party welcoming back Bruce. Terry changes into the Batsuit and rescues Bruce and the party-goers but the Joker gets away. At the Cave, he insists Bruce fill him in on the background of the Joker. Bruce merely insists that Joker is dead, saying he was there when it happened. Terry jumps to the conclusion Bruce killed Joker, he had no choice, then stopped being Batman. Bruce refuses to comment. He also forbids Terry to go after Joker and even asks for the suit back.

Terry goes to see Barbara Gordon. Barbara refuses to talk, only mentioning Tim Drake (Robin # 3). Terry sees Tim, but gets no answers from him either.

Deciding he will quit, Terry is relieved to spend time with his family and Dana, his girlfriend. But the Jokerz show up at the club Terry and Dana frequent and try to kidnap the girl. They also try to kill Terry. After speaking with the police, and checking on Dana, Terry goes to see Bruce. But he's too late -- Ace, Bruce's protective Great Dane is injured, and Bruce is unconscious with a hideous smile on his face. The Cave is a wreck, the costume displays destroyed, and "Ha Ha" written in red everywhere. Bruce, between laughs, manages to point Terry to the anti-toxin for the Joker's laughing gas, and Terry gives him a shot, then calls Barbara.

Barbara Gordon, who was once Batgirl and is now Police Commissioner Gordon, decides to explain what happened in the past. In a well-executed flashback, we learn what happened: Harley Quinn had set-up young Robin, Tim Drake, and he is kidnapped by the Joker. Batman and Batgirl search for him for three weeks. Finally, Joker leaves them a blatant clue -- Batman and Batgirl follow, and discover the horrifying truth: Tim/Robin was tortured, electrocuted, drugged, beaten, and finally programmed to be Joker Jr. They find him complete with the white face, green hair, and a miniature purple suit. But merely turning Robin into a copy of himself isn't enough for Joker -- he also orders the boy to shoot and kill Batman. (Batgirl is meanwhile somewhere else in the now abandoned Arkham Asylum fighting Harley Quinn). But Tim shoots, and kills, Joker instead. Barbara rushes to Tim, as does Batman.

In the present, Barbara explains they buried Joker then took Tim to Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who took a year to put him back together again. After that, Batman forbade him to ever put on the Robin suit. It was the disastrous final clash with Joker that caused Bruce to forbid Terry from going after the super villain.

Terry, meanwhile, is trying to find out what's going on. Evidence leads to Tim, yet Tim claims to be innocent. However, in front of Terry (in the Batsuit) and Bruce's (at home in the cave, barely recovered) eyes Tim turns into Joker -- victim of a transmitter containing Joker DNA that takes over his subconscience and brain. It's basically like a scientific explanation of the "split personality" villain. Tim isn't even aware that the Joker is piggy-backing in his body, thinking any memories are only bad dreams. Joker plans to take over a government laser defense satellite, using telecom equipment stolen by the Jokerz and Tim's know-how to put it together. He's already blown-up a boat, and now plans to strike close to home for Terry: blowing up the hospital where Dana's recovering, blowing up Terry's home where his Mom and brother are, and blowing up Wayne Manor and Bruce -- just to get started. However, Terry has discovered the secret to defeating the Joker, which is does, then he destroys the control chip in Tim's head, bringing the man back to normal.

An excellent movie, yes, it is like a longer version of a Batman Beyond episode, but it was also quite dark -- especially the torture of Tim Drake, and Bruce and Barbara covering up a murder. There's also some extremely effective visuals. The film is enjoyable tho', with the saucy dialog common to Batman Beyond, and it answered some questions -- where was the Joker? What happened to Tim Drake? What caused Bruce to give up the Batsuit? (something touched on in the series premiere as well). But it also didn't answer everything -- Nightwing/Dick Grayson is mentioned, a couple of times, but it's never explained what happened to him.

Recommendation: See it! Buy it!
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Next Film: Beverly Hills Cop

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: My home office
Current Music: nada

Title: Batman Mystery of the Batwoman
Director: Curt Geda
Voice Director: Andrea Romano
Date: 2003
Studio: Warner Brothers
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Mystery
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr, David Ogden Stiers, Kimberly Brooks, Kelly Ripa, Elisa Gabrielli, Bob Hastings
Format: Color Animation, Standard
DVD Format: R1, NTSC

"The last thing Gotham City needs is a vigilante running amok." -- Bruce Wayne

"As they say on the streets - 'I ain't touching that one.' " -- Alfred

A mysterious new vigilante appears in Gotham -- the Batwoman, but is she a force for good, or a criminal? That, and just who is the Batwoman, is a mystery that Batman must solve. Bruce meets Kathy Duquesne, the daughter of famous gangster, Carlton Duquesne, and begins dating her, in part because he wonders if she might have something to do with the sudden appearance of the Batwoman, a masked vigilante. He also meets a brilliant, and pretty, and blonde female metallurgist, nicknamed Rocky, who is newly employed at Wayne Enterprises. When Batman finds her new programmable metal at the scene of Batwoman's attack on the Penguin's club, he wonders if she might be involved. And he also runs into Harvey Bullock's new partner, Sonia, but doesn't initially realize the importance of that meeting.

Meanwhile, Carlton Duquesne, Penguin, and Rupert Thorne (another gangster) are plotting how to deliver a cargo of weapons to whatever-stan (a made-up name that's not really that important). Batwoman had destroyed their first shipment, being transported by truck, so they plot for the next shipment to leave Gotham on a ship -- a ship disguised to look like a cruise ship. For insurance, Penguin calls in Bane (the muscle-bound, steroid-addicted, South American merc, famous for once literally breaking the back of the Bat).

Batman, with help from Robin, and the ever present support of Alfred, investigates the mystery, trying to determine who the Batwoman is. He comes to the conclusion it might be Rocky and Kathy working together, but Robin finds no evidence that the two ever met. But, Batman then discovers a link: Sonia -- who knew them both. Batman, or Bruce, as the case may be, has also discovered what the three have in common: a reason to be angry at the unholy triumvirate of Penguin, Thorne, and Duquesne. Sonia, as a child, saw her parents business destroyed by Thorne -- a disaster from which the family never recovered and tore them apart (tho' it was Batman who saved her life in the fire). Rocky's boyfriend was framed by Thorne and Penguin and sits in jail. And Kathy lost her mother when a rival gang shot at her father and killed her mother instead.

But Bruce also cannot condone someone else being a vigilante in his town, especially when innocent people get hurt, or even criminals get killed. He sets out to stop them. Meanwhile, Kathy's taken a bomb to the ship that carries Penguin and Thorne's guns -- but she gets caught by Bane. She's unmasked, but Batman arrives to save her, followed by Robin in the Batboat and the other two Batwomen on their glider-rockets. The bomb explodes, sinking the ship, but all three Batwomen are rescued and Throne, Penguin and Duquesne are caught.

I enjoyed this Batman animated movie. This was the second time I'd seen it, so I knew who the Batwoman was, yet the care the storyline takes in drawing character studies of these three women, who have all be affected by crime and violence, makes the story very re-watchable. Also, the cast is excellent, bringing back many of the regulars from Batman: The Animated Series -- Robert Conzanso as Bullock, Bob Hastings as Gordon, Tara Strong as Barbara, and, of course Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Alfred. Yes, a Robin is in this, but since Barbara is away at college, I suspect Dick is too (and possibly not yet Nightwing) and the Robin is Tim Drake, tho' he's never actually called by name.

Recommendation: See it
Rating: 4 Stars
Next Film: Batman Under the Red Hood

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: my home office
Current Music: nada

Title: Batman Subzero (aka Batman & Mr. Freeze Subzero)
Director: Boyd Kirkland
Voice Director: Andrea Romano
Date: 1998
Studio: Warner Brothers
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Michael Ansara, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Loren Lester, Bob Hastings, Mary Kay Bergman
Format: Color Animation, Standard
DVD Formats: R1, NTSC
Length: 67 Minutes

As with many Batman movies, this animated film is more about the villian than about Batman. It's also the only one of the many DC Animated Universe movies that I saw first on TV, prior to buying the DVD. In some ways, it's more like a double-length or two-parter Batman: The Animated Series story than a movie (tho' a true 2-parter would only be about 44 minutes). The film opens with Freeze, outside his survival suit, swimming in the Antarctic with his two pet polar bears - he gathers some fish then returns to his cave, stopping to give the fish to a Native boy. Freeze then goes to give a flower to his beloved wife Nora, who is trapped in a cryogenic capsule that keeps her alive.

An accident occurs -- a sub surfaces in the cave, causing a earthquake-like disturbance which destroys Nora's cryo chamber. Freeze takes her to Gotham City, finds a doctor he had worked with who was an expert in cryogenics, and kidnaps him. They discover the only way to save Nora is an organ transplant, and because of her "rare blood type - AB-" kidnap Barbara Gordon, who is the only one in the donor database who shares that blood type.

Now, anyone with a high school knowledge of basic biology and who's watched a few medical dramas can spot the major flaw in this plot. First -- someone with AB- blood is a nearly universal RECEIVER - they can take any negative blood type (A, B, AB, or O). Only a positive RH factor can't be used. And second, to be an organ donor - one needs to match a heck of a lot more than blood types, this is why organ matching is so difficult. If only blood matching mattered chances would be as low as 1 in 4 of finding a match, modified by regional variances in blood types. But I digress... if you ignore that little plot hole...

Dick Greyson (Robin) and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) are on a date when Freeze and his two polar bears arrive and kidnap her. Dick tries to prevent it but is unable to; he gives chase, but eventually Freeze escapes. Batman and Robin investigate, and eventually figure out Barbara is being held on an abandoned oil drilling platform in the ocean. They take the Batwing to rescue her. Meanwhile, Barbara's gotten herself free for the second time, but she gets trapped on an upper gangway when the doctor Freeze found (and hired to help him literally with the promise of lots of gold) fires at her with a gun, igniting the fuel tanks. As Batman and Robin arrive, Freeze does too. Barbara gets to the deck of the platform, and Freeze insists Batman rescue Nora. Barbara also points out the Native boy is also trapped below decks. Barbara and Batman rescue Nora and the boy, with some assistance from Freeze (he cools down the fires in their way with his Freeze gun), and bring the two to the Batwing. Then Batman goes back to rescue Freeze. Bruce is crushed when he fails and Freeze falls to his (supposed) death.

In the coda, after seeing the two polar bears and Freeze swimming away, we see Freeze in the Antarctic again, watching through the window of a research station. Nora Fris (Victor Fris, aka Mr. Freeze's wife) is alive, thanks to an operation paid for by the Wayne Foundation. Freeze smiles.

Overall, a fairly good story. I liked that Freeze wasn't portrayed as completely evil (although wanting to kill Barbara to save his wife was pretty heartless), just a man who completely loved his wife and couldn't stand losing her. I also liked that in their final battle -- Batman tries to save Freeze -- though Freeze had injured Dick and kidnapped Barbara. Kevin Conroy is an excellent Batman/Bruce Wayne. Ansara does a great job as Freeze. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is great as Alfred as always. The voice cast of Batman: The Animated Series is excellent as always. Barbara Gordon, for some reason, was re-cast -- Mary Kay Bergman sounds a bit young, but manages to avoid giving Barbara a "Nancy Drew" feel.

By the way, in case your wondering - I found my copy at a grocery store for $5.00, it's the last of the DC Animated movies I bought, even though it's an early one.

Recommendation: For the series Batman collector only; worth a rental.
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Next Film: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: my home office
Current Music: nada

Somehow, I forgot to cross-post this. Remember, newest reviews are on my Movie Project blog first. Posted Sunday 30 Jan 2011.

Title: Batman Mask of the Phantasm
Directors: Eric Radomski, Bruce W. Timm
Voice Direction: Andrea Romano
Date: 1993
Studio: Warner Brothers
Genre: Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dana Delany, Mark Hamill, Stacy Keach Jr., Abe Vigoda, Bob Hastings,
Format: Color Animation, Widescreen
Length: 76 Minutes
DVD Format: R1, NTSC, Double-sided Standard/Widescreen

"I know I made a promise, but I didn't see this coming. I didn't count on being happy. Please, tell me it's OK." Bruce Wayne to his parents' grave

"The way I see it, the only one in this room controlled by his parents is you." Andrea Beaumont to Batman

The first in a series of animated movies that followed the very successful DC Animated Universe on WB and it's associated networks (Cartoon Network, Boomerang), Batman Mask of the Phantasm is a promising start. The film opens with wonderful art deco titles, and quickly moves into the plot: someone is killing top gangsters in Gotham City, and a new congressman assumes it's Batman and makes him Public Enemy # 1. Meanwhile, an old girlfriend of Bruce's -- Andrea Beaumont, has returned to town.

Much of the film is flashbacks to their blossoming relationship, from their first meeting in a graveyard - Bruce, visiting his parents, overhears Andrea talking to her (dead) mother - to their courtship, and Bruce eventually proposing (a proposal quickly shattered by the emergence of a huge number of bats from a nearby cave). Bruce even decides that he would put aside the cape and cowl, and his mission, to be with Andrea. However, she sends his ring back the next day, and Bruce adapts the Bat as his symbol. He'd been working on a costume, something to scare criminals, but hadn't quite gotten it perfected yet at that point in time.

In the present, Batman is trying to discover who is killing off these old gangsters, a crime being pinned on him no less. Gradually he discovers all the gangsters were clients of Andrea's father (some sort of accountant or investment banker, it's not really spelled out), however, he assumes it's Andrea's father responsible for the crimes.

The Joker shows up, voiced by Mark Hamill, as he was in Batman: The Animated Series, to wreak havoc. The "Phantasm" (not actually named as such in the film) confronts Joker, the last one involved in Beaumont's forced exile from Gotham and eventual death, only to be unmasked - it's Andrea. Batman arrives, and fights Joker in the now decrepit World's Fair grounds, which, ironically, was dedicated to portraying a brighter future. Batman and Joker fight in the 1/3rd scale "city" appearing like Godzilla and King Kong - Joker even sends a group of toy airplanes after Batman. But Joker has an ace up his sleeve -- he's rigged the entire place to explode. Batman is able to stop Andrea from killing the Joker, and escapes himself, but fears Andrea is dead (she's not, we see her leaving Gotham by boat, but she's not talking either).

This film had the producers of Batman: The Animated Series experimenting with a longer format for the first time. Aspects do work -- there's some great filming, and the plot is nice and complex with enough twists and turns for just over an hour. There's one scene where Batman, having chased the "Phantasm" ends up in a graveyard -- he suddenly realizes he's in the graveyard where his parents are buried. And there is a wonderful shot of Batman looking at the Wayne grave, and we see the shadow of Batman's outline fall on the grave. It's a shot worthy of Citizen Kane in all the complexity of what it suggests: about Bruce, about Thomas and Martha Wayne, about the effects one act of violence had on a life. And Andrea too was affected - the night Bruce proposes to her, her father announces they have to go on the run - the mob wants money from him, money he doesn't have. Both Bruce and Andrea are robbed of any chance of being happy. But the Bruce/Andrea romance is also, in a way, the downfall of the story. Bruce in love just doesn't work the way, say Clark Kent's romance with Lois Lane's does. Or even Bruce's occasional flirting with Wonder Woman does (see Justice League and Justice League Unlimited). Bruce may flirt, he deliberately brings "eye candy" to his social functions, but he's way too dedicated to his night job to get serious with any woman.

And, oddly enough, though well played by Mark Hamill, Joker seems almost like an after-thought to the film. He's not orchestrating events at all, but merely reacting to them. This makes him seem oddly under-used, though there are some great moments with the Joker anyway.

And, finally, for a mystery, the film ends with a giant plot-hole. We know the "Phantasm" killed the mobsters, and that "he" is a "she"-- Andrea Beaumont. Bruce knows this as well, and thinks she's dead at the end of the film. But the cops don't know that. Just how was Batman planning on convincing them? When they'd chased him all over Gotham City trying to kill him?

But, overall, a good try - and successful enough for an additional string of films to be made, many of which I have.

By the way, for the curious, the DC Animated Universe is: Batman the Animated Series, Superman the Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman Beyond, plus various movies. Don't ask me to put them in order -- I originally saw them widely out-of-order, tho' I now own all on DVD but Superman.

Recommendation: For the serious Batman collector, a "should have", but otherwise rent it.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film: Batman Subzero

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: My Home Office
Current Music: Howling wind outside

Hi all,

I know -- long time no post. I've been really busy with work. Anyway, my recent DVD watching has included catching up on the DC Animated Universe movies (produced by Bruce Timm for WB). I had actually first started watching the DCAU a few years ago - due to a recommendation from a friend who knew I was a DC fan and I also managed to catch some episodes of Justice League on Boomerang (without ads!). I ended up buying seasons 1 and 2 of Justice League on DVD, followed by seasons 1 and 2 of Justice League Unlimited. I also, over time, bought and collected Batman the Animated Series. I liked both Justice League and Batman, well, because they did virtually everything right for animated superhero series -- they brought in a lot of stuff from the actual comic books, including characters, etc. The voices, both regular and guest, were great! I still think Kevin Conroy is, like, the best Batman ever. But I didn't really at that time get any of the movies, partly do to lack of money, and partly because I did get Batman: Gotham Knight (the Anime' movie) and didn't really care for it.

Anyway, over the last week or two, I've collected most of the DCAU movies and Batman Beyond. The movies were all good and some were really good! Of the movies I thought Green Lantern First Flight was excellent (I've always liked the GL books), and Superman/Batman Public Enemies also rocked my world! (It was based on one of the books in the Superman/Batman graphic novel series - which I'm addicted to. Now, a word of explaination -- Superman/Batman is NOT slash like most of us on LiveJournal would think of it. And, I still can't believe the folks at DC didn't realise what they were saying with that title. The Superman/Batman graphic novels are stand alone stories that featuring both Superman and Batman working together. Some are short story collections. But the best part of the graphic novels are the alternating thought bubbles for Bruce and Clark -- sometimes they are thinking the exact same thing, and at other times, the exact opposite. The writers do a very good job of showing Clark thru' Bruce's eyes, and Bruce thru' Clark's. Which is fun. It's also nice to see the genuine friendship of the characters which in other graphic novels and books is often shown to be more rivalry and even at times - outright hostility (e.g. Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns).) Wonder Woman was good, Nathan Fillion did a great job as Steve Trevor, but I really wish they had gotten Susen Eisenberg who voiced Wonder Woman in Justice League and JLU to play her in the movie. (And Jonathan Frakes to play Ares again!).
But it was Batman: Under the Red Hood that completely blew me away!!! I totally, totally loved it. Now I should probably point out that A Death in the Family is still my favorite Batman graphic novel. And Batman: Under the Red Hood starts with the end of that book. Now, it quickly seems to take a sharp left turn into AU territory, tho' I did get a copy of part 1 of the Under the Hood graphic novel, so I could see where the story came from. The movie is also, besides all the angst, a darn good mystery -- and Batman also works best when there's some sort of mystery. Neal Patrick Harris does a wonderful job as Nightwing, better than the voice actor who play Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing in the original Batman: The Animated Series (and sequels). However, although Bruce Greenwood does a good job as Batman - I missed having Kevin Conroy playing the part. DCAU is doing one of the most important stories in the Batman canon - the death of Jason Todd, and an AU aftermath, and Conroy - the man who's played Batman the longest in any format - isn't offered the role? Why?! But that's my only complaint. The animation was incredible (at times I even forgot I was watching animation).
OK -- so now with that background, into my analysis of Batman.

Batman had always been my favorite costumed superhero for a lot of reasons. For one thing -- Bruce is just "this guy" - he's not an alien from another planet, he wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider or exposed to Gamma radiation. He's just a guy turning his own personal tragedy into an attempt to do something good for his city. Which makes it a bit more realistic than other superhero books. Now you still have the over-the-top villains, and futuristic tech, but Batman is much more down-to-Earth than most comic books.

Second - I've always been a fan of mysteries, including film noir/hard-boiled detective fiction. And Batman, in concept, is closer to Dashiell Hammett than Superman or most other super-heroes. True, most traditional detectives don't run around in capes, masks, and tights catching bad-guys -- but you could easily take Bruce's backstory (the death of his parents) and make him a private detective or cop and it wouldn't really change the story or Bruce's personality. After all, one of Batman's titles is "The World's Greatest Detective" and DC did, originally, and still does, stand for "Detective Comics".

The other thing is that Bruce's whole entire motivation is that he wants to see that what happened to him, never happens to another child. He's not motivated by vengeance. If Bruce was motivated by vengeance he would have found the guy who killed Martha and Thomas Wayne and killed him -- then a few years later found the guy who hired the guy to kill Thomas Wayne and killed him too. But, never in canon, or in any of the "slightly non-canonical" graphic novels does Bruce ever seek out strict vengeance. He's out there protecting Gotham and it's citizens. He gets angry with the various Robins when/if they go over the line (esp. Jason Todd). Bruce also doesn't use guns - and turns over the bad guys he catches to the police. Not exactly the vigilante he's sometimes portrayed as.

So, you have an angst-ridden, hero - often suffering from horrible Survivor's Guilt and PTSD, but who still attempts to turn that into something positive - I find that inspiring in a superhero. Bruce has his faults - which make him more human too. (Superman, for example, always seemed "too perfect" - not only completely invulnerable to anything bar Kryptonite, but as a person/character Clark always seemed to perfect. Please don't flame me.)

I also just watched all three seasons of Batman Beyond too. Now I had seen Justice League as I mentioned - so I knew a bit of the continuity. But I hadn't actually seen Batman Beyond.
I actually liked it. I really liked Terry McGinnis. He seemed a lot more of a stable Batman (or Batman junior) than Bruce, and even more stable than a lot of the Robins. Terry, after all, had a mother, a younger brother, a girlfriend, and a best friend who knew his secret in Max(ine). Bruce had Alfred and later Dick Grayson to keep him sane. Eventually, he'd lose both. One of the things I did find annoying about BB was they never explained what happened to Dick. I'm assuming Alfred died of old age. But Nightwing? Did he die on the job or what? Because, despite their problems and arguing once Dick grew up, became his own man, and changed his persona to Nightwing - he'd be there for Bruce in the midst of anything really bad. In A Lonely Place of Dying (the graphic novel sequel to A Death in the Family - Alfred calls Dick when Bruce starts to get really out of control in the wake of Jason's death.) So, why no flashback episode or explanation of what happened in Batman Beyond? Because, as mad as Dick sometimes got at Bruce, at some point Dick would always go back.

Which is why - I wish at times that BB had been 42 or 45 minutes instead of 22. Tho', looking at S 3 -- the two parters weren't that great, both kinda' fell apart in the second half. But it would have been nice to have more character interaction between Terry and Bruce. In the first season, some of the best bits were when Terry started to demand that Bruce open up a bit. In S2 and 3, hints are dropped than Bruce has opened up, but I would have liked to see that.

Still, I'll be eagerly looking forward to see what happens next in Timm's DCAU.

--Olivia

Current Location: My home office
Current Music: Trans-Siberan Orchestra

Batman Overload (DVD Reviews)

By Olivia Sutton

Well, I kinda' stocked up on Batman DVDs and now that I've watched everything I'm a bit overloaded - tho' I still need to track down the DC Animated Universe movies.
Anyway here's what I now have:

Batman: The Animated Series Vol. 4 (DVD set) (aka "Gotham Knights")
I was a bit dubious about this collection, because I much, much prefer a solo Batman, than a Batman-with-a-family. However, this collection is better than I expected. First, tho' Robin is now Tim Drake and Dick Grayson has moved on to become Nightwing -- the production crew gave Tim Jason Todd's personality and backstory. This fits better than Tim Drake, who with his "Oh gee whiz" personality reminded me of Beaver from Leave It to Beaver and drove me nuts! (Mind you, I've only encountered Tim Drake in the graphic novel "A Lonely Place of Dying" where he's introduced -- and he may have been toned down later.) Jason Todd, otoh, was a street-wise kid famous mostly for his end (see the wonderful graphic novel "A Death in the Family"). Batgirl is also present in this collection. However, there are several solo Batman adventures that at least feel like the classic Batman the Animated Series program. Overall, I liked it and it finishes off the B:TAS DVD collection nicely. (I have all three previous volumes)

I also bought Batman: The Dark Knight on sale at Target (more about why it was on sale in a moment) for $10.00. 'Course, that meant I had to see Batman Begins and Batman Gotham Knight first. I checked Amazon, decided I didn't want to wait (especially with my trip to Florida with Mom to think about) and bought both at Best Buy.

Batman Begins was awesome! In some ways, I liked it better than The Dark Knight and I really liked Dark Knight. I'd somehow managed to miss all the announcements for casting, so besides those from Batman The Dark Knight that I really liked (Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman) - I was pleasantly surprised to see Liam Neeson! I must admit tho' -- as good as the training scenes between him and Christian Bale were -- I half expected him to say "You must learn to use the force, young Padewan." And so much of what he said sounded like it should have come from a script for a Star Wars movie. I also was very surprised by his return at the end of the movie (and it explained why Wayne Manor was a burnt cinder in "The Dark Knight" - something that confused me).
Again - Chicago was the setting for Gotham City - which was awesome! As I had when I first saw The Dark Knight in the movie theater - I recognized parts of the Loop and the Chicago River area. But I loved the way the movie used the back story lore of Batman -- Bruce's fall into the well, the death of his parents. The kid playing young Bruce did an excellent job! I also really liked Bruce's father -- too often there just isn't any information about him, yet Bruce seems to dedicated everything he does to his parents' memory (including as CEO of Wayne Enterprises). I also liked Christian Bale better as Batman in this film -- I really didn't like the "motorized"-sounding voice in the second movie (oh, Kevin Conroy, where are you?) - Bale did a better job playing both Batman and Bruce Wayne and I liked seeing Bruce's journey into becoming Batman.

Batman Gotham Knight was an interesting experiment. I liked having Kevin Conroy back as the voice of Batman (and Bruce Wayne). Conroy really is my Batman in a sense, and since I started watching B:TAS about a year or two ago -- he's now the voice I hear in my head when reading the graphic novels (even re-reading ones with a distinct style like Frank Miller's classic "The Dark Knight Returns"). David McCallum does a good job as Alfred, tho' I was a bit disappointed with the writing for Alfred. Michael Caine played the part perfectly in the two new movies; and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., did an excellent job in Batman: The Animated Series. Both actors gave Alfred that nice, dry, sense of humor, but also showed his caring for Bruce - the man he raised. Actually, I really like Efrem Zimbalist Jr., because he managed to put across both his understanding of why Bruce has to go out each night as Batman, and his concern for Bruce's physical and mental well-being. Michael Caine has his moments as well - in both movies, encouraging Bruce, as well as doing the "Alfred-thing" of reminding Batman of his obligations as Bruce Wayne - something that Batman tends to forget. (It's complicated).
What I didn't like about Batman Gotham Knight was the animation style. Sorry - but Japanese Animé style just doesn't work for Batman - a quintessental American hero. Even in the better stories of the six - the Japanese Animé style was distracting (especially the way Bruce Wayne was drawn - he looked like he stepped out of Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship Yamato) and into a business suit). In terms of stories, the quality varied. The first one, with three street kids telling their own stories about Batman was a direct copy of two B:TAS episodes -- I didn't really like them in B:TAS, and a third go was totally pointless. The remaining five stories are better, with each getting better as it goes on. I was probably most excited to see another take on Bane - but that "part" felt a bit flat. In fact the whole movie, with it's six inter-related parts felt kinda' flat. It also didn't really seem to do what it needed to (or stated it would) do, which was link Batman Begins with Batman the Dark Knight.
Batman The Dark Knight of course is an awesome movie. In many ways, the villians, Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, and The Joker (often named Jack Napier in the comics, but not in this movie) steal the show. Also, Batman's costume seems to be a step backwards -- less flexible and with the annoying voice-changing box, that I didn't like. I DID like the movie tho -- great cast: Christian Bale (who does do a very, very good Bruce Wayne -- I especially liked the bit where he smashes his Porsche to save Dent then claims he didn't do it on purpose), Michael Caine (excellent as Alfred), Morgan Freeman (as Lucius Fox - so nice to even see the character - sorta' a "business" Alfred for Bruce), Heath Ledger of course (fantastic as the Joker), Anthony Michael Hall (as the reporter who keeps showing up - I kept expecting him to have visions! Yep, he was in the TV version of "The Dead Zone"), Gary Oldman again as Jim Gordon (and doing a darn good job!), and even Keith Szarabajka (Chicago native and of "The Equalizer"), oh - and Eric Roberts was in one of the movies as a mob boss. Again - nice to see Chicago playing the part of Gotham City. (To quote The Blues Brothers, "This is definately Lower Wacker Drive!" - what the movie identified as "Lower 5^th"). And the real Chicago PD Pipes and Drums band playing for the funeral.
But yeah, Batman Dark Knight -- awesome.
But about the sale part -- yep, it's widescreen, but the disc has no special features, not even a commentary, I'd have to "trade-up" to the "Deluxe" edition to get any special features -- and I hate buying something twice.
But, despite all the Batman stuff - I still want to find the two Batman "TV" movies (DC Animated), and perhaps Batman Beyond on DVD. (I'd like to SEE Batman Beyond first to find out if I like it!).
If you haven't seen Batman Begins / Batman The Dark Knight - I highly recommend them.

Current Mood: good
Current Location: my home office
Current Music: The Who

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Movie Project Review: Justice League Doom
Movie Project Review Batman Beyond Return of the Joker
Movie Project Review: Batman Mystery of the Batwoman
Movie Project Review: Batman Subzero
Movie Project Review: Batman Mask of the Phantasm
My favorite costumed superhero - Batman!
Batman DVD Reviews (minor spoilers)

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Olivia Sutton's Fanfic Journal

Entries tagged with kevin conroy

Movie Project Review: Justice League Doom

Movie Project Review Batman Beyond Return of the Joker

Movie Project Review: Batman Mystery of the Batwoman

Movie Project Review: Batman Subzero

Movie Project Review: Batman Mask of the Phantasm

My favorite costumed superhero - Batman!

Batman DVD Reviews (minor spoilers)