Batman Animated Movies Discussion

[Shark_Blade]

Let’s talk about batman animated movies too because some of them are just so amazing and even better than the live action.

My ranking:

1. Batman vs TMNT
2. Batman: Son of Batman
3. Batman vs Robin
4. Batman: The Killing Joke (disregarding the batsex bs at the beginning. I refuse to acknowledge its existence)
5. Batman: Under the Red Hood
6. Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders
7. Batman vs Two Face
8. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part 1 & 2)
9. Batman Year One

I havent seen the others wow theres a lot to see apparently. I should check Mask of Phantasm one day.

[ABrown]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

I should check Mask of Phantasm one day.

Um, yeah. If you're wanting to have a discussion about Batman animated movies, you NEED to go watch that. Like immediately. Get off The Technodrome forums, and go watch it RIGHT NOW. It's pretty much unanimously considered the best Batman animated movie. And it's considered by some to be the best Batman movie period.

[Leo656]

I haven't seen 'em all, so I won't do a list. But "Mask of the Phantasm" is still probably the best one.

Which is strange in a way, because to expand upon a point being made in other threads, when "Phantasm" came out, it did NOT set the world on fire. Many people ignored it or gave it a harsh review because "It was really just a long episode of the cartoon show" and therefore wasn't worth the price of admission. Critics, even in fanboy mags like Wizard, weren't as kind as you'd expect given the movie's reputation nowadays. "It's literally no different than what you see on free TV every afternoon at 3," people said. It took a few years for the consensus to swing towards the movie's favor. Now everyone loves it.

And that's cool, I always thought it was really good. I *think* it was underrated upon release because at the time, the "New Disney Renaissance" was happening and the standards for animated films released in theaters was thus skewed a bit too high, and "Phantasm" wasn't treated fairly. The only proof I have of this is that the contemporary reviews generally said that the animation "was not feature-film quality", and the only studio releasing a lot of animated films theatrically was Disney, at that time. So it was being compared to Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and stuff like that even though that wasn't fair at all. It *did* originally begin as a multi-part episode of the show, after all.

That's why I laugh when any movie comes out, gets a mixed response, and people start going, "Oh, yeah, didn't you know 'everyone' hates that movie? That it's 'officially' terrible, according to consensus?" Because guess what? People are kinda stupid, and they change their minds a lot. "Mask of the Phantasm" is a perfect example; ignored upon its birth, hailed as a triumph 20+ years later. Happens alllllll the time, even in reverse.
---------------------

I have to check which ones I've actually seen before I have more to add. I know I missed a lot of the more recent ones.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by ABrown

Um, yeah. If you're wanting to have a discussion about Batman animated movies, you NEED to go watch that. Like immediately. Get off The Technodrome forums, and go watch it RIGHT NOW. It's pretty much unanimously considered the best Batman animated movie. And it's considered by some to be the best Batman movie period.

Pretty much agreed on that one.

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Let’s talk about batman animated movies too because some of them are just so amazing and even better than the live action.

My ranking:

1. Batman vs TMNT
2. Batman: Son of Batman
3. Batman vs Robin
4. Batman: The Killing Joke (disregarding the batsex bs at the beginning. I refuse to acknowledge its existence)
5. Batman: Under the Red Hood
6. Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders
7. Batman vs Two Face
8. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part 1 & 2)
9. Batman Year One

I havent seen the others wow theres a lot to see apparently. I should check Mask of Phantasm one day.

I think much of your list represents what I consider to be some of the worst Batman animated flicks. It is what it is.

Batman vs TMNT was an absolute highlight of Batman animated movies though. I couldn't believe how well done it was. The Killing Joke made for an amazing graphic novel, but not so much in animation. I'd be so verbose in explaining why that I don't want to bother.

Under the Red Hood was fine I suppose. I was surprised at how bored I was with the Batman '66 flicks. I loved that show on re-runs growing up. Loved it. I bought the Batman '66 omnibus and could barely get through three issues. That's how I felt about the animated flicks too.

Batman Year One was decent. TDKR was a tragedy of animation that just didn't work. I'm sure that Peter Weller thought he was doing the right thing, but never before has there been such an emotionless Batman lacking in inflection or delivery in every conceivable way. The "These Men are MINE!" page of the comic is one of the most iconic in the story and Weller delivers it like he's stoned or something. Terrible, terrible Batman animated flick there.

Mast of the Phantasm is a Batman masterpiece in every way. The other Timmverse animations are all pretty good. I couldn't believe how crazy the content of the Batman vs Harley Quinn one was. I'm not saying that one was great, but it was definitely a crazy movie, right down to when the Swamp Thing just sinks back into the swamp, lmao!

Hush was pretty good. Batman Ninja was terrific nonsense. Public Enemies and Apocalypse were great.

[CyberCubed]

The B:TAS had 3 canon movies, Mask of the Phantasm, Sub-zero with Mr. Freeze, and Mystery of the Batwoman. They all take place in different runs of B:TAS.

[Leo656]

I liked "Hush" until I re-read the comics 5 minutes afterwards. Oof. And it only takes about ten minutes longer to read the comic book version versus watching the film, except the comic version actually has subplots, nuance, character depth... a f*cking point... y'know, stuff like that.

It's pretty clear that the filmmakers loved the Superman fight, Batman trying to kill Joker, and either didn't read or didn't care at all about the rest of the story. And those parts were ultimately just fanservice-y bits that had f*ck-all nothing to do with the larger story. So it's like they threw out all the good stuff, and kept the pointless crap. Not that those bits are "crap", just... they're only there because the "Hush" story needed an action beat here and there, no other reason.

Should've been called "Batman & Catwoman In Love (Loosely Inspired by Batman: Hush)", because that's what it actually was. I saw a lot of stuff that was way worse than the comic version, and not one thing that was better. Hard "nah" from me, dawg.

My biggest problem with bad adaptations like Hush and Killing Joke, is that they often actually "scare people off" from ever reading the far-superior book versions. And that's tragic.

Public Enemies is a huge personal favorite, though. That one came out back when the DC animated films had way more Hits than Misses. Now it's all about 50/50.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

The B:TAS had 3 canon movies, Mask of the Phantasm, Sub-zero with Mr. Freeze, and Mystery of the Batwoman. They all take place in different runs of B:TAS.

Well... maybe four. There's some debate as to whether or not Batman vs Harley could fit into the Timmverse somewhere, as I mentioned above. It would definitely be the odd man out as far as adult content is concerned, but other than that.....

There's also the anthology animation that serves as a prequel to TDKR movie, ala "The Animatrix". That one had some great moments in it.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Should've been called "Batman & Catwoman In Love (Loosely Inspired by Batman: Hush)", because that's what it actually was.

This is absolutely true.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Public Enemies is a huge personal favorite, though.

One of my absolute favs too.

[Leo656]

Ah, yeah, "Gotham Knight". That one is pretty much forgotten - although it was much-hyped at the time of its release, because they were pushing it as a "kinda-sorta in-between-quel" taking place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (despite the fact that it contradicts those films quite a bit and doesn't slide neatly into their canon) - but it's pretty good, from what I remember. I own it, but I haven't watched it in a long time. But I remember liking it partly because it was completely different from every other animated Batman project that had ever come out up to that point.

Nobody talks about it anymore, though. Very strange.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Ah, yeah, "Gotham Knight". That one is pretty much forgotten - although it was much-hyped at the time of its release, because they were pushing it as a "kinda-sorta in-between-quel" taking place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (despite the fact that it contradicts those films quite a bit and doesn't slide neatly into their canon) - but it's pretty good, from what I remember. I own it, but I haven't watched it in a long time. But I remember liking it partly because it was completely different from every other animated Batman project that had ever come out up to that point.

Nobody talks about it anymore, though. Very strange.

I totally dug the Killer Croc portrayal in Gotham Knight. Awesome stuff.

[Voltron]

Mask of the Phantasm was really well done. All the TAS stuff was. Hats off to those guys.

I've been trying to hold off on watching Batman and the TMNT until I got the comic. Is this one of those things where I should?

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Voltron

Mask of the Phantasm was really well done. All the TAS stuff was. Hats off to those guys.

I've been trying to hold off on watching Batman and the TMNT until I got the comic. Is this one of those things where I should?

I never bought the comic. The flick was surprisingly good. As soon as the first Batman / Shredder fight went down I went from passively watching it (like I do all animation nowadays) to glued to the TV for the rest of the flick. It was nearly perfect fan service in every way.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Fond memories of Phantasm and Sub-Zero as a kid. I rented Sub-Zero on VHS from a grocery store and watched it the day I got my braces on or off... don't remember which...

Red Hood is damn good.

Haven't bothered with any of the others. WOULD have watched Killing Joke except they shat all over that one.

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Of the one's I've seen, my ranking would be something like this:

1. Mask of the Phantasm (my favorite comic book movie of all time)
2. The Dark Knight Returns 1&2 (ranking them together as they're one story. If I ranked them desperately, part 2 would be further down the list)
3. Gotham by Gaslight (period settings are real great to watch)
4. Under the Red Hood (it was OK)
5. Gotham Knight (haven't watched this in a long time)
6. Year One (not a fan of this one of the graphic novel it's based on)
7. The Killing Joke (botched)

[ABrown]

Originally Posted by Voltron

I've been trying to hold off on watching Batman and the TMNT until I got the comic. Is this one of those things where I should?

I own the movie and have never seen the comic. I saw nothing in the movie that made me think that I needed to have read the comic first.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Fond memories of Phantasm and Sub-Zero as a kid. I rented Sub-Zero on VHS from a grocery store and watched it the day I got my braces on or off... don't remember which...

Red Hood is damn good.

Haven't bothered with any of the others. WOULD have watched Killing Joke except they shat all over that one.

The Batman TAS Blu Ray set was terrific for this stuff... it included all of the movies, too which was great. What's crazy is that I've had that set since release day and I've barely gotten as far as disc 2. I've watched my DVD sets so many times that I think I just bought the Blu Ray out of principle.

The crazy thing is that while the blurays of the show look probably as crisp as it's going to get, I'm more inclined to put my original DVD's in because my Oppo UDP will upscale them to fill the screen whereas the Blu Rays are stuck, formatted in "old box TV mode". It's the same with the Batman TAS movies.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by IMJ

The Batman TAS Blu Ray set was terrific for this stuff... it included all of the movies, too which was great. What's crazy is that I've had that set since release day and I've barely gotten as far as disc 2. I've watched my DVD sets so many times that I think I just bought the Blu Ray out of principle.

The crazy thing is that while the blurays of the show look probably as crisp as it's going to get, I'm more inclined to put my original DVD's in because my Oppo UDP will upscale them to fill the screen whereas the Blu Rays are stuck, formatted in "old box TV mode". It's the same with the Batman TAS movies.

I love the B:TAS Blu Ray set. I've been slowly re-watching the show, and I'm surprised by how much I enjoy the re-formatted version of the show aka the last season. I've always been pretty sure that I prefer the original look and feel of the show, but I'm starting to truly appreciate the change.
I guess I don't have to choose one or another, but while the new style loses some of that lush, noir feel, it looks much more crisp, and what I've begun to appreciate is that it doesn't miss a step when it comes to choreography, storyboarding, etc. Lots of great shots and sequences throughout.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I love the B:TAS Blu Ray set. I've been slowly re-watching the show, and I'm surprised by how much I enjoy the re-formatted version of the show aka the last season. I've always been pretty sure that I prefer the original look and feel of the show, but I'm starting to truly appreciate the change.
I guess I don't have to choose one or another, but while the new style loses some of that lush, noir feel, it looks much more crisp, and what I've begun to appreciate is that it doesn't miss a step when it comes to choreography, storyboarding, etc. Lots of great shots and sequences throughout.

I also think that the later seasons of Batman TAS - when it was more of a vignette show - laid the very basic groundwork for how DC Animation now handles some panning shots and hand to hand combat in their newer animation.

I'm a Marvel guy at heart, but honestly the animated fighting in DC D2V animation is unsurpassed, even by today's anime standards.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by IMJ

I also think that the later seasons of Batman TAS - when it was more of a vignette show - laid the very basic groundwork for how DC Animation now handles some panning shots and hand to hand combat in their newer animation.

I'm a Marvel guy at heart, but honestly the animated fighting in DC D2V animation is unsurpassed, even by today's anime standards.

I must be watching the wrong DC Direct-to-video movies then, because I can't stand the animation. I'd prefer them to match the animation of either version of B:TAS. It just looks so cheap and uninspired to me. I think The Dark Knight Returns had some nice shots, and the colors improved the look, but the fight scenes looked rather stiff and clunky to me. I'd much rather just read the book, to appreciate the visuals, even if the Blade Runner-esque musical score is pretty cool in that one.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, and I checked out pretty hard on most of those movies, so maybe I'm missing out on some lush animation and don't even know it.

[Andrew NDB]

Saw "Mask of the Phantasm" for the first time like 10 years ago. It was OK, but not at all the Bestest Batman Thing Ever I'd been led to believe it was.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Ah, yeah, "Gotham Knight". That one is pretty much forgotten - although it was much-hyped at the time of its release, because they were pushing it as a "kinda-sorta in-between-quel" taking place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight

I saw "Gotham Knight" exactly for that reason. It was OK, not particularly memorable. I remember Batman fighting Killer Croc in it, I think, and a Scarecrow very different than the one in the movies.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I must be watching the wrong DC Direct-to-video movies then, because I can't stand the animation. I'd prefer them to match the animation of either version of B:TAS. It just looks so cheap and uninspired to me. I think The Dark Knight Returns had some nice shots, and the colors improved the look, but the fight scenes looked rather stiff and clunky to me. I'd much rather just read the book, to appreciate the visuals, even if the Blade Runner-esque musical score is pretty cool in that one.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, and I checked out pretty hard on most of those movies, so maybe I'm missing out on some lush animation and don't even know it.

Once DC established a "shared animated universe" all of the animation was made consistent. Check out some of the JLA stuff.....