Batman, la Relève: Le Film

In the past, Bruce Wayne, as Batman, attempts to stop a gang who is holding a woman for ransom, but after suffering heart issues during the fight, which nearly leads him to use a gun, one of the things he swore against using, Bruce hangs up the new Batsuit he wore, swearing never again to wear it. 20 years later, Gotham City is now a futuristic city, with one Derek Powers running it, as the GCPD (with Barbara Gordon, who was once Batgirl, as commissioner) are in his pocket while criminal gangs like The Jokerz run free to terrorize innocents. Terry McGinnis, a troubled teenager, meets Bruce after having an argument with his father, and kicked out when he discovers the Batcave, he returns home to discover his father was killed by what looked like The Jokerz. After failing to get Bruce to help, and the disc he found at the scene of the crime being sought out of Derek Powers himself, as it has info revealing he is making illegal chemical weapons, Terry steals the Batsuit Bruce last wore to exact justice.

This movie combines the two part series premiere "Rebirth" into a almost hour-long film, this is a good start. Right off the bat, the series does not waste time getting into dark territory, as this future Gotham still has the crime problem (and even goes as far as to have characters killed), which continues the trend of Batman: The Animated Series (and its sequel series, The New Batman Adventures). As Kids' WB was less strict than Fox Kids was, this cartoon was allowed to do certain things its predecessor was never allowed to. Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Bruce Wayne, while the series introduces new characters like Terry (voiced by Will Friedle), The Jokerz (who appear throughout the series), and Derek Powers (voiced by Sherman Howard), who would become Terry's archnemesis. This is a good start to a sequel series that, despite being flawed, has gained a cult following, with the characters even appearing in other DCAU shows like Static Shock and Justice League.

Sometimes, I don't know what is going on with TV shows. But this movie, which was the beginning of a next-generation Batman, was something I liked. Even though I was in high school at the time time this came out, it was pretty good.

Gone is the caped version of Batman. But in his place is a stealthy, higher firepower version. But then again, so are his enemies. So it all fits in. Will Friedle plays the teen who accidentally becomes the next one. He puts on the suit and plays the Batman. The old man, old Batman, tries to stop him, but lets him go and lets him be Batman, with his help.

Of course I am leaving some things out. Lauren Tom, notable for her incarnations in other shows like "King of the Hill" and "Futurama", plays Batman's squeeze, and does a good job of it. New faces, a few old, and nice acting. "B"

I have always been a fan of Batman, from the first Batman movie(1989) to the recent film (Batman Begins)< so it was natural that I would follow the adventures of this new batman....I have mixed reviews.

First and foremost, this a very cool series and it deserved more respect that it got. Though I have to admit that I was just as concerned as many "Bats" fans when I heard the first cut of the title, "Batman Tomorrow"....."Batman Tomorrow"? Even the name sounds stupid and badly planned. Well, with a much needed name change and some well-placed faith(on my part at least), the show came on and I was impressed.

Though, I did like the series and the very cool animated movie that followed, I did think that the series reminded me too much of the "Spider-man" TV series that came on FOX just a few years before(now that show was cheesy). I mean the protagonist got away a bit too much and the series seemed a bit cookie-cutter like that( no real drama). In the end of it's run, the series got a lot better at catching you by the sack and keeping your interest.

The movie, like the series' final seasons, did not disappoint and the uncut version made it even better(if you buy the movie, buy that version).

So, if you haven't seen "Batman Beyond" because you did have the KidsWB network then or because you're just being stubborn, then take a look....I guarantee you will like it....at least a little.

This Batman movie isn't quite as good as Batman mask of The Phantasm and Batman and Mr. Freeze subzero But it is still a good installment to the Batman cartoons. And Another reason why it is not quite as good as the other two is because that there is a new character taking on the role of batman but he still does it pretty good so that does not really matter and Bruce Wayne is still in it so that good. This movie is good for all the same reasons The storyline is good not quite as good as the other one's but still pretty good it has lots of action in it The Cartoon effects are good The voice of actors are really good such as Kevin Conroy as Batman/ Bruce Wayne, Will Friedle as Terence "Terry" McGinnis/Batman. The villains are good such as Michael ansara as Mr. Freeze etc. So I am sure you will not be disappointed with batman beyond the movie. So make sure that you rent or buy batman beyond the movie because it is really good.

Overall score: ******* out of **********

*** out of *****

I don't know about you, but I like my superheroes to be a bit dark, and my animated programs to be more than kiddie fare. This 2-part intro to the Batman Beyond series excels on both counts.

The animation won't win any awards, but it is consistently stylish and interesting. There is plenty of action and humour. But what really makes the show great is the real human drama it portrays. The show introduces us to Terry McGinnis, the new Batman, a headstrong teenager of the near future who takes up the cowl after a personal tragedy.

But the real focus of this episode is the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, now a lonely old man. For those of us who are fans of the Batman (especially those of us who loved The Dark Knight Returns, which should be animated into a nifty movie), this makes beautiful sense. The characters are well realised and, even better, well acted.

If you're afraid of anything that isn't classic Batman, I still urge you to check out this show. It has an engaging story, believable characters, and enough face-kicking to keep everybody happy.