I am giving this a rare (for me) rating of 6... which means it's better than poorly done but not excellent. Almost gave it a 7, except it doesn't quite reach the plateau such requires.
First the pros: it is well-acted, reasonably well-directed and interesting throughout. That alone is stand-out among today's plethora of no-script, badly-directed shorts.
With all due respect to the other actors, Constance Brenneman carries this film in her role as Harleen. With the sole flaw that she once in a while lets her accent slip to "less Harley" a bit... she does a very good job in her role, from beginning to end. Good job of casting and acting.
Lindsay Heath as Barbara Gordon is a split-feelings thing. Her acting is up to the role but unfortunately her physical build and the choreography is unconvincing. At only one place in the film does she come near showing the chops to indicate she might one day be capable of taking the role of Batgirl. Otherwise the character comes across as weak and pathetic (indeed, that's somewhat how she's presented most of the film. Think Luke Skywalker). This isn't helped any by the actor's petite build. Face it: to be Batgirl one is going to need a bit of muscle (even if wiry)-- neither of which is indicated in Lindsay's physique.
The poor presentation in concept (neither fierce nor strong enough) coupled with her light build provides a rather unconvincing role overall. Not Linday's fault; the role should have been cast to someone tougher- and stronger-looking... and with sufficient self-defense choreography to indicate that the ONLY way she could be overcome in a fight would be by sheer numbers. The film fails to deliver in this aspect and fails to convince the viewer this is the future Batgirl.
The portrayal of the Riddler is unique and interesting, but could have brought with it a bit more emotion, intensity and insanity. Still, kudos for an original concept and having the courage to go with it. The actor did a good enough job with what he had-- but this is one instance in which a bit more "over the top" would have better served the film.
Poison Ivy was unfortunately one of those characters which could have been left out entirely with no alteration of film course, viewer involvement or resolution. There was no "poison" in the character, no purpose for the role, and her unusual digitized voice wasn't enough to make the role plausible or necessary to the plot. Just another "Batman villain" thrown in to the mix. Further, she was never really shown full-body costume (whatever form that might take)-- making her more or less a head-shot throughout. That will likely be disappointing to Ivy fans. None of this was the fault of the actress; she was just cast into an unnecessary-to-the-film role and not well-presented in that role. They could have given her a lot more reason to be there; she certainly had enough screen time to do so.
Overall the film is well worth a watch. No need to pass on this one, if for nothing other than the "willing to take a chance" attitude of everyone involved. They did a reasonably good job on pretty much everything-- with its areas of "insufficient" offset by aspects of creativity.
So a good solid 6, which raises it into the realm of "worth watching". With a little more oomph, costume design and character presentation development / trimming, these folks could put out a decent full-length film. One thing I will say for it: the end of the film left me wishing there was more. That in itself is a thumbs-up to everyone involved.
