Batman: TAS: Movies (1993-03)
inc. The New Batman Adventures
Its Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) isn't just an angry orphan fighting against a world that he feels took something irreplaceable from him, he's a flawed dark avenger, suffering emotional conflicts as he weighs the lure of a normal, loving relationship against an earnest vow to protect others from the pain he weathers. He's fully aware of why he does what he does, but finds reasons to justify it.
The emotional twists and turns in the story are supported by a number of flashbacks that, among other things, tell the story of his first few forays into night-time vigilantism.
In both present time and flashbacks there's various happenings at a graveyard, which is a highly symbolic setting, in itself. Besides the danger level, the use of light and shadow in the darkened times is tremendously effective.
Speaking of graveyard scenes, the one in which a lone figure stands in the rain, pouring his heart out, admitting to inner feelings that can no longer be denied is a definite high point. Even if you feel you know all there is to know about the speaker, it can still astound, in part because of how it manages to be devotedly subtle and glaringly powerful in equal measure.
There's been many Batman films since its release, but MotP tops every other solo Batman movie that I've seen, to date, including any of the live action ones that I managed to sit through.
A word on the AR: both 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 versions of the film exist. Personally, the 1.78:1 feels too tightly cropped for my liking, especially during action scenes, and I'd argue that it changes the composition in a negative way when the tops of heads get pushed out of frame too often. The full screen version is my preference. The caveat in that framing is that a small portion of the image is lost on either side. Weirdly, it's not a simple case of a full screen image having been matted for cinema release. (A 1.66:1 would be interesting to see.) Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any good quality full screen images to illustrate this post, which is why there isn't any.
NOTE: if you live in the UK, be aware that the most recent Blu-ray edition, released in 2018, as featured HERE, contains the WS version only. I don't know if that's true for other regions.
02. In Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998, Dir. Boyd Kirkland), cryogenics expert Victor Fries (Michael Ansara) does the wrong things for arguably the right reason: for love, but it's the all-consuming kind that can cloud judgment and rationale. He's a tragic figure whom tragedy seems to follow, even when far from civilisation.
When the world that Victor purposefully left behind intrudes upon the peaceful existence that he has created for himself, Batman (Kevin Conroy) is forced to step in and take him down. Bruce isn't alone this time, however, because he has Robin (Loren Lester) to help him.
It's the second film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS) continuity, set sometime between the end of The Animated Series and the beginning of its successor, The New Batman Adventures.
Batgirl (Mary Kay Bergman) has a sizeable role to play, too. It's mostly out of costume, but her training is never far from the surface, as is her compassion and relatable nature. Both she and Dick are taking the first steps together toward a genuine romance.
Their relationship isn't the most exciting courtship that TAS ever put onscreen, but it functions as a comparative to Victor's earnest but obsessive behaviour in regards to Nora (his frozen wife).
There were additional parallels that could've added to the experience, if they'd been explored more deeply; e.g., Bruce could've been shown to understand the desire that Fries succumbs to and be sympathetic to it, while simultaneously pained at being torn between his own feelings and his devotion to duty (as usual). But such things are played down, for the most part. In the example given, Bruce / Batman functions primarily as a standard altruistic action hero.
It's still great, though, and is a lot more action orientated than TAS' previous film, Mask of the Phantasm (1993). There's some wonderful work from Jim Gordon (Bob Hastings), too.
[NOTE II: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000 / Dir. Curt Geda) was the next DCAU movie released, but it's primarily a Batman Beyond story (aka Batman of the Future), set far in Bruce's future. It has a lengthy and important flashback to the original Batman's era, but I won't be posting about it until after I post about the Batman Beyond TV Series.]
03. Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003 / Dir. Curt Geda). Batman rarely gets a break. In addition to risking his life fighting against ego-centric criminals, he risks his public reputation dodging gold-digging ladies at high class charity balls as Bruce Wayne. It's tough being a billionaire.
When a female figure in a stylised bat suit hits the streets of Gotham, being reckless and endangering human life, Batman uses his night time detective skills and his daytime playboy skills to figure out who's hiding under the mask.
The story offers up more than one possible candidate, which should keep interested viewers guessing for a while. It might be a short while, though, because the 'mystery' aspect isn't as adroitly developed as it could've been.
The art style is reminiscent of TNBA, not the more pleasing Batman: TAS. It's not as good as the previous direct to video films in that shared continuity, but it has some fun moments and isn't as bad as its reputation might imply. I like it, anyhow. 🦇
NOTE III: if Wikipedia is to be believed, DC's Bruce Timm considers the movies Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019) to be part of TAS canon, but it's not a feeling shared by the show's other producers. I agree with them, which is why those movies aren't reviewed here. I mention it for the benefit of anyone who may wish to explore the possibility for themselves. The JL movie is pretty good, but Bats and Harley is a travesty.
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