Batman contre Dracula

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 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

This was a most unexpected twist to the series "The Batman." The series was dark, edgy, and had lots of new twists to the classic characters of the world of Batman. Then this film came around, pitting Batman against the original creature of the night. I remember reading a comic book of Batman vs Dracula, which has two sequels, that was definitely not meant for kids. This movie is right near the boundary of not being kid-friendly either and it's a warm welcome to the franchise.

Plot: Joker and Penguin escape Arkham Asylum (big surprise). While Batman battles Joker, Penguin searches for treasure in a cemetery, accidentally awakening the one and only Dracula. With Penguin as his new hypnotized servant and countless people transformed into vampires, Dracula seems to be Batman's greatest challenge. With news reporter Vicky Vale and Joker caught in the middle, can Batman conquer the deadly Dracula and save his transformed victims? Its modern technology vs supernatural power as these dark knights battle it out for the fate of Gotham City.

From start to finish, this movie is pretty darn impressive. I like how both Joker and Penguin play into all this chaos. Vicky Vale, in her first appearance in the series, remains ever so persistent and attractive, something neither Batman or Dracula can resist. Dracula is especially interesting. He has some of his classic features like being tall, dark, and mysterious while having nice twists to his character and his dialogue with Batman is loads of fun to watch.

With great action, creepy moments, a nicely-written story, and surprising amounts of blood, this is arguably one of the greatest match-ups of all time. I give this movie a seven for entertainment and an extra point for not being too afraid of getting a little dark. So fly in and enjoy.

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.