Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

That SUB-ZERO should come on the HEELS of BATMAN & ROBIN with George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell and Arnold Schwarzenegger is a blasphemy. This movie should have been released first to give Joel Schumacher an idea of how his film should have been. SUB-ZERO uses much the same plot as B&R, but with way better results. SUB-ZERO also does it without relying on heavy camp humor as the live-action film did. Like BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, SUB-ZERO can stand alongside those Max Fleischer SUPERMAN cartoons from the Forties.

Mr. Freeze's wife needs an organ transplant and Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, is the only acceptable blood match. So Freeze kidnaps her while she's on a date with Dick Grayson, aka Robin. Batman and Robin race against time to rescue Barbara before it's too late. Very good animated movie that's miles better than Joel Schumacher's craptacular movie that also featured Mr. Freeze and Batgirl, released not long before this. What might surprise some is that Batman is largely absent from the first half of this. It still works, though, due to the great characterizations and writing. Although this is nowhere near as strong as the award-winning "Heart of Ice" episode of Batman: The Animated Series. That episode was the best Mr. Freeze story ever told in any form of media. This is still a very enjoyable movie, hampered slightly by some sloppy animation. The story does feel like it could have been a two-part episode of the TV series but since the series was excellent I fail to see how that's a negative.

To start with, the animation is fantastic. The story is exciting and fast paced. Not as dark as the previous animated film, but it was like the way Batman acts in the comics and show. He solves the crime, looking for clues and has a great fight with the bad guy. This could have been a big screen contender but because Batman and Robin failed, Warner Bros. said no and released it to video. But this is still great and superior to Batman and Robin. They have to make another animated Batman film, and not that Batman Beyond film they're talking about. Recommended for all.

Batman & Mr. Freeze tells a fun tale of Batman and Robin chasing down yet another looney from Gotham and using their detective work to race against the clock. The movie makes Mr. Freeze not only a sympathetic villain but in the end almost redeemable. The only real problem with the movie is a few minor hiccups in the animation here in there, particular in the 3d scenes, and some of the clues Batman finds being a little bit deus ex machina. Other than that it's a solid animated Batman adventure.

This isn't the live action Batman, but much like Mask of the Phantasm, is an amazing animated Batman! So amazing in fact, that they should've made it Batman and Robin! It is so much what the last Batmovie Batman and Robin should have been. Totally amazing.