Batman contre Dracula

I sat down to watch the 2005 DC animated movie "The Batman vs. Dracula" here in 2021, together with my son as he wanted to watch an animated movie. I had never seen this particular animated movie from writers Duane Capizzi and Michael Jelenic before.

Normally I am not overly keen on the superhero genre, but I do tend to watch the movies when I have the chance. And of course I sat down to watch "The Batman vs. Dracula" as well, as I hadn't already seen it before.

And I must admit that "The Batman vs. Dracula" was definitely the best animated movie in the superhero genre that I have seen thus far. This simply transcended the archetypical formula of it being a superhero that just pounds on one or more villains. How so, as there was beating and brawling in this animated movie as well? Well, because of the storyline.

The storyline concocted by the writers for "The Batman vs. Dracula" was one that definitely appealed to me, as it was a good combination of things. And it was a storyline that had a greater level of maturity to it, aimed at a more mature audience. And also it was a dark and sinister plot actually.

The events that took place in the storyline definitely helped to make "The Batman vs. Dracula" an outstanding and memorable animated movie for me. So on that account then directors definitely delivered something great.

With "The Batman vs. Dracula" being an animated movie, having a good ensemble of voice actors to deliver the dialogue is a must. And they definitely had that for this animated movie. And having Peter Stomare do the voice for Dracula was just brilliant. I will say that the voice performers delivered good performances here.

Now, the art style used in "The Batman vs. Dracula" was something of an acquired taste. The way that the characters were drawn didn't really sit well with me. But it was something I could look beyond given the rather interesting storyline. If they had opted for a more classic art style to present "The Batman vs. Dracula" in, then this would have been a stroke of brilliance.

"The Batman vs. Dracula" is a DC animated movie that is well-worth the time, money and effort. This is without a doubt the best animated superhero movie I had seen, and it was quite a pleasant surprise in terms of entertainment.

My rating of "The Batman vs. Dracula" lands on an eight our of ten stars.

And this is not anything to do with not liking Batman. I happen to love Batman, right from the 60s series(camp but compulsively colourful fun) to the animated DC movies with Batman:The Animated Series being the real jewel in the crown. This said, I happen to not be a fan of the The Batman show. It is not a terrible show, it has its good moments, but I do prefer more darkness and Gothic pathos when it comes to Batman and there are elements that take some getting used to. I happen to think The Batman vs. Dracula is much better. It is not perfect, Joker's character design like the show does take a lot of getting used to, in all honesty I never really warmed to it, and Peter Stormare while voicing Dracula with just the right smooth menace has an accent that is very inconsistent. However, the animation is really great, much smoother than the show's and has much more atmosphere. There is also a haunting music score, smart intelligent writing that has a much mature tone than the show and some exciting action sequences, though there perhaps could have been more. The story is very dark and compelling, with some both intense and moving moments and perfectly paced. I would have liked to have seen the Vampyric lore element further explored but that wasn't enough to harm the story. The characters are great, Batman is much darker and more brooding, Penguin as always is great fun, he was a bright spot of the show always, and Joker is more menacing and twisted than ever before. Dracula in design may be more Ras Al'Ghul than Dracula, but is still a more than worthy adversary to Batman. The voice acting is very good too, Rino Romano sounds more comfortable and brooding, Tara Strong is a likable Vicki Vale. Tom Kenny voices Penguin with great enthusiasm without ever overdoing it while Kevin Michael Richardson's voice for Joker is in keeping with the character's more twisted personality here, it didn't work in the show for me because that psyche wasn't really explored. All in all, a very good movie and much better than The Batman show. 8/10 Bethany Cox

While this movie and the animation used in this batman series isn't the best; it is still fun to watch. It may not be on the level of Kevin Conroy's batman but I still enjoyed this approach. The fight scenes are good and I also like how swiftly and ninja(yes I know he really is a ninja) like batman moves; along with the depiction of Dracula. Batman still broods, Alfred is still witty and the joker is still a psycho.

I have to say, I was rather surprised by how dark and intense "The Batman vs. Dracula" was. I had heard that there was more blood and the fights were intense, but this was beyond words. All of the characters were terrific, and we see the evil, twisted psyche of Joker that is mostly absent from "The Batman" series; in a way, he's even more insane in this movie than any other I have ever seen.

Anyway, I really enjoyed how this movie flowed. At first it's somewhat fast paced, but to the point and it remains consistent, so the viewer doesn't really get confused at all. Then it mellows out, giving time for the story and characters to develop. Each character has their niche, some of whom will make your skin crawl (this is especially the case for Joker).

All in all, this is DEFINITELY NOT for children. Watching this will give them nightmares for nights on end. Even I have flashes of the most awe- and terror-inspiring points of the film.

Honestly, I'm at a loss of words at how well this movie played out. Normally I'd use better words, but I can't at the moment. I'll just say that this would be a perfect Batman movie for any fan or non-fan.

Although it is rather serious in tone and deals with vampires and the undead, The Batman vs Dracula just seems to childish and too cartoony to be really effective. The color pallet is suitably drab and washed out and it does have a decent amount of atmosphere but I can't help but think that it could have been better if it just didn't seem toned down.

I prefer the 90s series of Batman, which had an overwhelming amount of darkness and Gothic pathos. This new THE Batman series appears to be reconfigured to appeal to kids who weren't even born in that decade. I know it's a cliché to moan that animated shows were always better when my age-group were kids, but it's so true.

The Penguin and The Joker (now looking like a cross between Krusty the Clown and The Predator) escape from Arkham (there's something new) and make their way to a hidden treasure trove in the cemetery. But the bird stumbles upon Dracula's tomb (why he is in Gotham is not explained) and resurrects him by accident.

But The Batman doesn't approve of a Vampireman stalking his streets and a drawn-out conflict with a predictable and hokey ending fills up the rest of the movie. It's fun, it's entertaining, but it's just not the Batman I'm used to.