Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Chad'z Rating: ** (out of 4 = fair/below average)
1998, no MPAA rating, 67 minutes [1 hour, 7 minutes]
[action/adventure]
Starring: Michael Ansara (voice of Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries), Loren Lester (voice of Robin/Dick Grayson), Mary Kay Bergman (voice of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl), Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne); written by Boyd Kirkland, Randy Rogel; produced and directed by Boyd Kirkland; based on the television series `Batman: The Animated Series' and characters appearing in DC comic books; Batman created by Bob Kane
Seen June 1, 1999 on home video (rented) [critic's note: this film was not produced with the intention of a theatrical release and therefore went straight to home video, although it may have been show on television.]
Anyone who knows something about the modern comic book industry knows that no other single character has had more comic series and specials than Batman. Unfortunately, as is the case with a lot of mass production, the quality can't always be pinnacle and the result is often gratuitous, weak meaningless stories told because they can be, which `Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero' is the equivalent of in terms of an animated motion picture. It's a product produced just because it could be and the lack of effort is clear.
There really isn't too much to say about the film because there's hardly anything to it. It's a direct-to-video movie obviously intended for parents to buy their children, but it's also based on a television series which is most certainly not your average kid's cartoon. The show is as dark as an Alex Proyas film with an equal amount of artistic styling and very smart teleplays. But this movie has very little to do with the series itself and at times feels like the producers threw together a bunch of unused clips and added in a few new scenes to tie them all together.
In fact, the movie is so dependent upon the fact it's a spin-off from the show, it doesn't take the time to define any back story which is why it never succeeds for all the reason the show does.
It starts off simple enough, we're shown a man living in the arctic with an Eskimo boy and his cryogenically frozen wife. For the Batman-ignorant, his name is Victor Fries (Ansara), a/k/a `Mr. Freeze' - one of Batman's supervillains whose power is based on ultra coldness, and he has a cool gun that can spray ice for hundreds of feet at anything (that gun never seems to run out of ammo, and they never explain how it's powered either). His secluded home is accidentally invaded by a submarine crew which also destroys the casing of his frozen wife, Nora, who suffers from a rare blood disorder. Freeze winds up in Gotham City and forces Dr. Gregory Belson (voiced by George Dzundza) into helping her. The doctor is a shady character with a serious credit problem and helps out Freeze because he is told he'll be rewarded soundly.
The real problem ensues when it turns out that the only available match of the rare blood type and necessary organs is Barbara Gordon (Bergman), the daughter of James Gordon (voiced by Bob Hastings) - Gotham's Police Commissioner. Also for the Batman-uninformed, Barbara Gordon just happens to be Batgirl and the girlfriend of Dick Grayson (Lester) - a/k/a Robin.
It's not too difficult to tell where this story's going to go and what the net result of mixing all the appropriate characters in such a convenient plot will be. Superhero stories rely on these kind of coincidences on top of coincidences both for story and for comedy, but neither of those is resulted here. Instead, it's just a lot of scenes of Mr. Freeze trying to capture Barbara Gordon, then Mr. Freeze arguing with the doctor, then Batman (Conroy) and Robin trying to locate Mr. Freeze's secret lair while Babs makes several unsuccessful escape attempts.
The film has a very cyclical feeling. To say it's predictable is an understatement. And given the fact it's only a 67-minute-long movie doesn't help much either.
There's just so much more room for expansion here. Why not delve into Mr. Freeze's history a little for those who aren't familiar? Maybe we could feel a little sympathy for him because he certainly does seem to be concerned about his wife who is nothing more than a popsicle the entire film. Why not play up the connection between Freeze and Dr. Belson a little more? Why would such a supposedly respectful doctor be such a goon? And why not actually stick to the title and show Batman [for more than just the ending]? The comic books and the cartoon program have gone to extreme lengths to show that Batman is not just a guy who punches out the bad guys, but that he's an extremely intelligent detective who more often than not relies on brain over brawn. To show him as only the typical superhero who goes against all the odds and performs the fantastic stunts is fine to placate to children, but I don't think children would be too excited watching him do his thing since the story is so thin and light. A climax after only 20-odd minutes of actually storytelling is quite boring.
I hate to rag on `Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero,' because it's not meant to be taken very seriously, at least not by anyone over age 10. It just doesn't seem like something the people behind the show would come up with considering all the material they have to work with. They do succeed in one aspect by making the film absolutely beautiful to look at, but with such resources available at their disposal, why not at least make something worth watching more than once?
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