Cheap Batman Beyond - The Movie (DVD) (Dan Riba, Butch Lukic, Curt Geda, Yukio Suzuki) Price

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Customer Reviews of Batman Beyond - The Movie

I remember the night when 'Rebirth' (aka BB: The Movie)premired. I had a history project due the next day, but I made sure to block out an hour to watch the new series. I was definitely NOT disappointed. Unfortunately, the series didn't always live up to the high quality of that first night, or the quality of the shows before it. Fans who have watched all three seasons of Batman Beyond know that while the episodes have been good, only a third of them really harkened back to the spirit of the original series. Most of season 2, for example, was wasted with teen angst plots (a tough love boarding school, a psychotic robotic girlfriend) underdeveloped villains (a father is laid off, builds a power suit and turns to crime, a terrorist organization with a new ripped from GI Joe), and the character Max, the annoying sidekick who more often than not robbed Terry of character development by doing things for him. Granted, the episodes were always fun to watch, but they never really had the emotional and intellectual impact Batman: TAS was famous for. On the plus side of things, most of the episodes in the 1st season were excellent, and this DVD manages to deliver six of those.

BB: The Movie starts out with an intro that manages to develop the original Batman (Bruce Wayne), and set up why he gave up the cowl. It's a breathtaking opening, and features the new Batsuit in a not-quite futuristic world. The story then moves on to introduce Terry, the new Batman, his chance meeting with Wayne, and his motivations for donning the suit. There are lots of classic moments in this two-parter: Bruce beats off a gang of Jokerz, smirking at their attempts to imitate the original clown prince of crime; Terry banging on the gates to Wayne Manor, demanding for Bruce to let him in because he has vital info concerning a viral plague; Bruce and Terry talking about the death of Bruce's parents and how Terry's situation is similiar. All in all, a nice self-contained movie that sets up the characters and villains well.

The other four bonus episodes on this disc are just as great. One episode is a teen angst episode about a boy and his robot, but it's well done in the way that it focuses more on the boy than Batman, which is how the majority of the villains in the original series were introduced. Another episode has the return of Mr. Freeze (need I say more?). The third episode features a romance similiar to the Batman/Catwoman relationship of the past, and, though melodramatic at times, is fun to watch. The weakest episode is The Winning Edge, which features someone selling Bane's venom formula to kids on the street. The 'say no to drugs message' becomes overly obvious, and the surprise villain isn't really that great. However, six episodes still means two hours of entertainment, which makes it just as long as any feature length film.

I'd give this disc a solid recommendation except for one problem: One of the episodes, Black Out, is missing. Not only was this a fantastic episode, it also ruins the chronological order of the episodes on this DVD (all the episodes are in order, with the omission of Black Out). Because of the new DVD's, petitions have been created to release all Batman Beyond episodes on DVD. This might mean if you buy this disc now, another edition might come out later with the missing episode on it. This is nowhere near definite, but it's something to consider.

Based solely on this disc, not on what special editions the future might bring, I recommend Batman Beyond: The Movie. Great animation, music, and acting make this a must-have.

A Very Good Beginning...
This pilot for the popular WB cartoon does what long-time fans of the Batman animated series hoped it would. It took the legend of Batman to the next level as well as to the future and created a new hero that builds on the old without lessening the old's impact. A strong script, anime-influenced art and good voice work propel the tale of the new Batman's arrival at breakneck speed. And Kevin Conroy is excellent as an old, somewhat surly Bruce Wayne.

Too bad the series has not lived up to its promise since. Watch this and then try the rest of the series with some trepidation, and wait for this fall's "Return of the Joker" video.

Refreshingly Different Yet True to the Original
A few years after the end of Batman: The Animated Series, I saw an ad for a new series that featured a new Batman in a future Gotham City. And, horrors - Bruce Wayne/Batman was an OLD MAN, unrecognizable from the form BTAS fans are accustomed to. I refused to watch it, thinking it was kind of a travesty.

But when I mentioned my concerns to a friend, he said it was good. So I checked it out, and am so glad I did. BB is the continuation of the Dark Knight and the city he protects. Bruce Wayne has become quite old, and even more stubborn. Alfred has passed away, so the only companion for the old man is a dog, Ace. Ace is no ordinary dog. I happen to remember buying the comic when Ace was re-introduced in the 1990's. Ace is Wayne's intelligent guardian and helper. Bruce Wayne is secluded in his manor, all the memoribilia of his crime-fighting days lovingly displayed in the now unused Batcave. Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, is now the aging commissioner of police, taking her father's former position. The elder Gordon has also passed away.

Enter Terry McGinnis. A brash, handsome young man with the same black hair and blue eyes as his predecessors, he stumbles upon Wayne and his secret. Wayne and McGinnis clash, and through a touching series of events and flashbacks, there is a new Batman, with the original Batman at the helm.

Batman Beyond is proof that Batman lives, that his legacy is enduring and what he stands for will last forever, even if he will not. Criminals will still look up at the night sky and shudder with fear just by hearing his name.