Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero (1998) Review:

Warner Bros. DC animated series of Batman and Superman are known for being a part of the best adaptations of said characters. Very few people who are fans of the characters would have a negative opinion of these renditions because of their quality storytelling and production. This is also the reason why the theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) was created as well. It was just that popular and well regarded. So with that, it’s no surprise another production would be made. Maybe not as high in scale but still very good. There was one major drawback though and that was its release date. This was all thanks due to the poor performance of Batman & Robin (1997). Which it’s likely true many also are aligned with their feelings on that production too.

Directed by Boyd Kirkland, and co-writing with Randy Rogel who both worked on Batman: The Animated Series, the story is mainly about Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara). The chilly villain that is more tragic than just insane. The film is an important link between the first two seasons and the later rendition of the show. Without this, what happens to Mr. Freeze doesn’t make much sense. After sinking under the ocean with his wife Nora, Freeze lives a life of solitude before being disturbed once again by outside forces. Almost losing his love again, Freeze captures the financially desperate Dr. Greg Belson (George Dzundza) to perform the needed organ transplant. Being that Nora is a rare blood type, the two do some back alley digging and find Barbara Gordon (Mary Kay Bergman) as the perfect match for the job.

What this film puts on display is truly the last amount of humanity that Mr. Freeze ever had. He’s just one of those villains that really doesn’t hurt for the sake of chaos. He causes chaos, but out of his desires that are of course to most, seen as selfish but he sees out of love. There will always be that moment where the viewer will say to themselves “If only he had done…he wouldn’t have to do what he’s doing now”. Again, not seeing this feature creates a gaping hole in the next story to focus on Mr. Freeze in the TV show. Unfortunately, for someone who wants to watch things in which they were released will cause this issueIt was probably the right move to not to release this feature alongside the financial blunder that Batman & Robin (1997) ended up being, but still.

It also doesn’t help that the later series had differing designs for all the major characters. It’s truly not the biggest problem considering the story arc does not change but it is jarring either way. The feature itself still maintains the original series design and look, no complaints, just observation. Although there is one added addition and that is the use of CGI in various shots. Some of which is okay, while others are a bit rough. That’s not to say the rest of the animation doesn’t hold up. It’s also very difficult to tell (except for the CGI) that the budget wasn’t the same as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). All the scenes animated and colored look great and provide a lot of visual entertainment for the audience. The action sequences also help a lot in that too.

The same could be said for the voice acting which has always been top notch in quality. Because the focus is more on Mr. Freeze, Michael Ansara really had time to shine and in his final acting role. Additionally, George Dzundza had voiced Scarface in other episodes of show. As for Mary Kay Bergman, she sadly passed away a year after but voiced several other characters in shows like South Park and The Little Mermaid. Finally, the music had the right idea too. Surprisingly not composed by Shirley Walker, the score to this picture was handled by Michael McCuistion. However, the reason why the music still works is that he too supported the TV show. While Batman’s theme isn’t really heard, it all sounds like its cut from the same cloth. Additionally, there are other themes related to Freeze’s wife Nora. With almost an hour of music, it is definitely something to have with the collection.

Some will be scratching their heads when seeing the animation revert to old designs and filling in missing story elements if going by release date, but that shouldn’t be a big deal. The CGI can be iffy at times but the story is still good, as is the acting, music and animation.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012) Review:

The Pokémon franchise has made quite a habit of using their film entries to introduce new legendary Pokémon to their seemingly unlimited roster. One thing though that would be nice is to try something different in structure. Sometimes very slight alterations were made which helped, but very much the overall execution was the same as before. It really could be that the director and writer pair Kunihiko Yuyama and Hideki Sonoda are running out of ideas, or this is what truly satisfies the fan base. For a franchise to go on like this however, there should be something to keep feeling new and nostalgic about it, once time passes on. The earlier films might retain more of that feeling for varying reasons. As for the latest films to come out after the new production company took over, the entries just haven’t been as unique.

The plot for this film does actually take another approach as what is being asked here. It’s not enough, but credit should be given where a request is fulfilled. The story is about Keldeo (Vic Mignogna), a Pokémon looking to become a sword of justice, which is a group of other noble Pokémon that consist of Cobalion (Tyler Bunch), Virizion (Emlyn Morinelli) and Terrakion (David Manis). All of whom are telepathic, can create a sword-like horn of light out of their head and fight for those in need. In order to become a sword of justice, Keldeo is to train and battle Kyurem (Marc Thompson), the strongest dragon in the world who contains the power of Zekram and Reshram. Oh and it’s also telepathic. Really this is Keldeo’s movie and character story. Ash and his friends are in this movie too, but are definitely not the focus. Team Rocket just has cameos this time!

So the change in focus is different, that’s fine but the amount given is a little drastic. It almost feels like Ash and friends don’t even really need to be involved. Can’t there be a balance? It can’t be all Ash or nothing. As seen in the film though, there really is no development among the recurring characters. So what’s their purpose other than to move things along? One thing that’s definitely been overdone is the whole telepathic Pokémon aspect. Thankfully, Keldeo is also nowhere near the same design as others like Victini, Mew or Celebi, but the design feels closer to that of My Little Pony. That’s not an insult, it’s more of how the design fits in with other characters. Even more strange is that Keldeo shoots geysers from the bottom of his hooves. That just doesn’t look very useful other than for jet propulsion.

Voice acting can’t be knocked here. All the voice actors in their recurring roles do just fine now that they’ve established themselves well. Even the voice actors who voice the swords of justice and Kyurem match what is on screen in energy. It’s just weird seeing a bunch of telepathic Pokémon talking to each other with no humans involved. Vic Mignogna is known for voicing Broly in Dragonball Z. Marc Thompson voiced Duke Devlin in Yu-Gi-Oh. Tyler Bunch has also worked as a muppet performer. Emlyn Morinelli has played miscellaneous characters in some Pokémon episodes, while David Manis hasn’t done much voice acting at all let alone Pokémon. The right cast members are here to get the job done, it’s just the quality of the script that is lacking unfortunately.

Visually the animation is also competently handled. There aren’t any noticeable spots that looked unfinished or needing touchups. Cinematography which is again this time taken care of by Shinsuke Ikeda is unclear for what reason. There are some scenes that look like realistic photo backgrounds were used…perhaps that’s what the cinematography was needed for? Finally, the film score by Shinji Miyazaki is stock at this point. There really isn’t a whole lot to his music right now as it feels like very much the same from entries before. The only good thing is that the runtime on this entry is the shortest of all so far, which makes the viewing experience somewhat painless. Too bad, because that’s not how a film should be seen as.

Right now it seems like the franchise is on autopilot with its entries. The production continues to be good whether it be the voice acting or animation. But the music and variety in how the story is executed has been one too many of the same kind presented before. The difference here is, it’s about a Pokémon’s journey, not Ash and his friends.

Points Earned --> 4:10