sketchyninja

This is worthy addition for the Batman series. The film starts out with the Joker up to his old tricks laughing the whole time as usual and then a few more villains are thrown in as the story continues and the plot becomes a lot more dark and gritty. There is genuine heartache for Batman in this one as we get to feel his turmoil throughout as his past continues to haunt him. Do I miss Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy for the voices? Yes. Yet the voices here get the job done and are believable. I give props to John DiMaggio for the Joker who does sound insane and has a disturbing laugh. The violence and action is superb with some slick moves, dodges and technology that you would expect from Batman. Overall, a well done episode for the caped crusader and the last line in the movie really hits home. He has my respect and condolences in this one.

Batman has a more slick animation in this series that focuses more on style and snazzy moves and action rather than heavy storyline. The Clayface storyline is one villain that is more in depth as far as plot and is well done taking a few twists and turns. Most of the villains he comes across know some martial arts which make for more formidable opponents. It is a change from Batman TAS and manages to have faster paced action and a few reinterpreted villains yet still maintains Batman's struggle to fight crime yet maintain his sanity. As one that loves Batman TAS, i still find The Batman lots of fun as it focuses on the action and gadgets a lot more and i find it quit amusing to even see penguin have a few martial art tricks up his sleeve (he does have an explanation) and i like his cronies. The series later turned a more camp style with an intro that sounded like the 60s Batman TV show which i wasn't too hip on yet the series still had some excellent episodes. I say quit fighting about which animated series is better and just enjoy both for what they give.

This movie has a special magic to it whether its from the music or graphics or storyline i don't know, its one of those special movies that has all three going for it. I saw this movie as a child and remember being glued to the TV for the whole movie. Part of it certainly was the novelty of a sentient computer with feelings, but more than that the story progresses smoothly and you end up falling for the characters despite all of their foibles. You hope somehow that everything will work out to where everyone can be happy, yet as usual love causes complications. The characters give great performances while not taking themselves too seriously, you can tell that they are having fun with their parts. Miles plays the vulnerable lovable geekiness very well. Madeline does very well and is very attractive and knowable. Edgar is an awesome character that keeps you guessing throughout the movie on what it is he is thinking or feeling and you end up caring for him as he learns about life and love.

The music is absolutely outstanding and magical from from beginning to end and is very catchy. My favorite Boy George songs are from this movie. The duel with the cello is wonderful and is one of the best mixes i have ever heard. The animations and graphics are dated by todays standards of course, yet i have seen the movie recently and am still impressed with how much it adds to the movie. It was enjoyable to watch it again in fact to be reminded how far computers have come, what people thought of them, and take a little trip down memory lane and revisit the 80s. I recommend this movie as a love story with a twist, turn and, unlike other love stories, a little bit of electrical shock thrown in.