"Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" Feature Talkback (Spoilers)

[Bird Boy]

Can Batman uncover the mystery behind the new vigilante Batwoman?

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Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
October 21st, 2003 - Direct to Video/DVD Release.

Story by: Alan Burnett
Written by: Michael Reaves
Music by: Lolita Ritmanis
Produced and Directed by: Curt Geda

Synopsis: The Dark Knight is back in this all-new feature-length thriller featuring the voices of Kelly Ripa (Live! With Regis and Kelly), Kyra Sedgwick (Born on the Fourth of July) and Hector Elizondo (The Princess Diaries). The Penguin and Rupert Thorn are criminal cohorts with a scheme to sell illegal weapons? But there's a new super hero in Gotham City who has other plans for the evil entrepreneurs - Batwoman!

Comments?

Note: This thread is only for discussing the feature. Please see the other threads listed below for discussion on the home video release and the "Batman: Chase Me" DVD-only short.

Related Threads:
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman DVD Talkback (Spoilers)
Batman: Chase Me Talkback (Spoilers)

 

[Stu]

It was all right. It's nowhere near as good as Phantasm or Return Of The Joker, but I don't think it was ever intended to be. The mystery kept me guessing, but it was set out in a way where there was no real logical way of finding out who it was.

Still, it was great seeing the Bat-crew again, Robin, Alfred, Gordon and Bullock. Could have done without Batgirl, it felt very out of place.

Overall it was ok film, but some of the stuff wasn't needed, like the shopping scene for starters. The final fight between Bane and Batman was very flat, I was waiting for a great smack in the mouth shot, and a bit of blood, but never got it. Dissapointing, because the previous Bane fights have been highlights of the fights in the series.

And I kept wondering when the 'over-seas' investoer was going to pop by, I was thinking that we might have a nice Ra's cameo, but alas no.

And, as a final note, that song when they where in the Iceberg Lounge was annoying.

***

 

[Dr Kain]

Bane is in it? I'm definitely buying this this weekend. ANy sales going on?

 

[Bird Boy]

Bane is in it? I'm definitely buying this this weekend. ANy sales going on?

Yeah. There's like, this this thread I made on Sunday that listed the cheapest deals.



Anywho, my DVD came today--I'll try to have everything up by the weekend--by that I mean DVD page, review, screengrabs...

-BB

 

[JTurner954]

I was pretty satisfied. Yeah, it isn't as good as ROTJ but I wasn't in the mindset that it better be or else.

The movie felt different than the other movies, specifically because there was more of a focus on Batwoman and the new supporting characters than on main villains like Rupert and Penguin (who sounded better than the previous VA,IMO). Alfred was great ("As they say on the streets, I ain't touching that one") and Robin acted like his usual self and not like his Teen Titans persona. The story was of typical "he did me wrong and I want revenge", but I liked the twist halfway through (instead of having it at a formulaic finale) with the revelation (I thought for sure it was Rocky only) so the whole story didn't seem drawn out to me.

Even though I still prefer the B:TAS over this new style and I wanted Rupert Thorn and Penguin to have some more screen time, I'm happy with this purchase overall. Summary: B

I haven't looked at the extras yet (I'll reply later on it), but I did notice a "easter egg" of sorts: On the back of the case, it says the movie is only in English. But when you go to "Languages", you will see that you can also watch the movie in French.

EDIT: Ok, I finished the extras and I am very pleased that they included some of the recording sessions AND interviews with the cast. I also liked the roundtable discussion about the movie. The bios were somewhat forgettable and I kind of liked the DVD commercials (though it was odd to see a X-Men commercial on a Batman disc).

P.S.: "Chase Me" was better than the actual movie. It felt like a classic BTAS episode (minus dialogue of course) and I would love to see more of these shorts in the future (I hope they include "Gotham Girls" shorts in any future discs; more Catwoman is always a good thing). Summary: A

 

[John6777]

It was all right. It's nowhere near as good as Phantasm or Return Of The Joker, but I don't think it was ever intended to be. The mystery kept me guessing, but it was set out in a way where there was no real logical way of finding out who it was.

***

I actually picked it up pretty quickly. When they were introducing all of them i was like there is only one way it could work and that is if they worked together. Me and my Brother both felt that way and we were right =).

Anyway the movie was ok nothing spectacular. I liked the animation by D.R. Movie. I also liked the song they played in Penguin's Club.

Am i the only one who hated Bane's voice and script for him. When the heck does Bane say Senor all the time. It was quite annoying.

3 stars

 

[Steven C]

I think this will bea rental for me!

 

[Jor-El]

I gave it 4 stars. Phantasm got 5 stars and ROTJ got 4.5.

Nothing too terrible, nothing mind-blowingly incredible. There were some nice moments in it, and I thought that all of the replacement voice talent did an exceptionally nice job of making me not even realize that they were different. Even Stiers was acceptable as Penguin (still, I'd rather've had Williams.)

But man, that whole scene with Barbara was unnecessary. Cute, but unnecessary and the implications are implications that anger me to the point that I'd rather not discuss them.

 

[Maxie Zeus]

Just a clarifying note on voices which was raised in a now-closed thread:

According to the producers, Henry Silva (the original voice of Bane) was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict, so he was replaced with Hector Elizondo. David Ogden Stiers replaced Paul Williams because the producers didn't think Williams was right for the reconceived Penguin. So, apparently, this was a case of "bah, lets just get rid of Paul Williams."

 

[Randy K. Hassan]

I gotta say, I thought this thing blew chunks. I doubt I'll watch it again. Chase Me rules, though.

Someone here must know: does Dini not get offered these gigs anymore, or does he turn 'em down? I happened to watch STAS "Legacy" the other day, and the difference in quality between that and "Batwoman" made me gnash my teeth.

 

[JTurner954]

Yeah, this felt like something that put the direct in DTV. I don't know how much replay value I will get from the movie since it wasn't super memorable. "Chase Me", however, will get my attention in future viewings.

Spoiler

I put this here so Barry won't get mad, but I took Barbara's appearance as a way to show that she isn't Batwoman (notice the lip stick color?) since she is away at college. Besides, I'd rather see her at college than hear someone say she was at college.

 

[Eddie G.]

I liked the Barbra scene, it was a little nod to Batman Beyond when you think about it.

I gave it ***1/2 stars, it really felt like just a really good episode of Batman. But it wasn't like Return of the Joker or MOTP which took the characters to a new level.

Got one question when, Dukane was talking about Batwoman, did he say the s-word, or did he say hit. I could of swore I heard the S word, and I played it over like 3 times.

I was suprised by the little gay joke, especially that they were completly ackowleging that this woman thought Bruce might be gay. Well more power to them, I loved it.


Oh and chase me ruled!

 

[ClockStomper]

The commercial I saw on CN yesterday gave away that all three suspects were Batwomen. Showed'em all unmasked to. Stupid WB, I'm a chronic spoiler whore, but the one thing I make an effort to avoid, and they put in the commercial.

Anyway:

Animation: Parts looked unatural (Kathy's hip swinging,) the character designs looked slightly simplified. Easily better than all of Justice League, but not as good as TNBA's best animation.

Sound: Nice mix. I'm used to flipping the volume down for action and up for dialouge on the average DVD, but I don't remember doing it on this release. Music was pretty good, I liked the "sexy jazz" variation of the Batman theme for BW.

Story: Pedestrian. It did IN FACT feel like an above average episode of the series. But it was nice to see a "normal" Batman animated story after so long. The plot twists would have been nice if they hadn't been spoiled in the freaking commercial. So I can't comment on them accuratley.

The tone was surprisingly adult-ish considering WB's butchering of ROTJ, sexy visuals and dialouge were there. Nice to see they no who the core fanbase is. I was surprised they let in the dialouge exchange where the Waynetech girl accidently asks Bruce if he's gay.

Another ROTJ hypocricy: WB said Tim using a gun was off limits, but there was nothing but gun play here.

So:

Liked: Adult-ish tone, character parts (the "quiet" moments.)

Didn't like: Everything else was pretty bland. Especially the fight scenes. You could tell they had a weak budget. I'm sure it would look 10 times better with more money thrown at it. It was jarring considering how beautiful ROTJ looked.

As for someone's question about Dini:

He and Timm split over the ROTJ thing (he thought Timm should hold out instead of submit to WB's demands. Which I agree with, since WB had payed major bucks into ROTJ, so they would have had to release it eventually if the creators stuck to their guns. But now I'm going on and on.) Anyway, since then, he hasn't been working on DCU animated projects, but I guess that's changed since he's doing one eisode of Justice League. Gotta say I miss the guy, he's got a gift for writing and dialouge.

Bottom line: Buy this DVD. While it's hardly a masterpeice, it'll entertain and hopefully get us MORE DTVs in the future. It was excellent to see Bruce being himself again, as well as Barbra, Alfred, and the others.

 

[CadaverousEyes]

I thought it was pretty darned good. It's a nice change of pace to get a DTV that isn't horribly depressing. Like Barry, I didn't care for Barbara's appearance, but hey, Bruce got together with Kathy at the end so I can just ignore that. I also didn't like Bane's Spanish-isms. "Senor Batman"? Eck. I believe everything else was golden. Especially Chase Me. Good shallow fun.

 

[Maxie Zeus]

The commercial I saw on CN yesterday gave away that all three suspects were Batwomen. Showed'em all unmasked to. Stupid WB, I'm a chronic spoiler whore, but the one thing I make an effort to avoid, and they put in the commercial.

Oh, man, that sucks. The way you described the commercial, I thought they were only showing one face. That would have a been a clever way to fool people. Well, damn.

At least you can blame WB. I was an idiot and started watching one of the featurettes first.

Another ROTJ hypocricy: WB said Tim using a gun was off limits, but there was nothing but gun play here.

Hmmm. Well, it was also a kid using the gun. I think that was the problem WB had with ROTJ.

As for someone's question about Dini:

He and Timm split over the ROTJ thing (he thought Timm should hold out instead of submit to WB's demands. Which I agree with, since WB had payed major bucks into ROTJ, so they would have had to release it eventually if the creators stuck to their guns. But now I'm going on and on.) Anyway, since then, he hasn't been working on DCU animated projects, but I guess that's changed since he's doing one eisode of Justice League. Gotta say I miss the guy, he's got a gift for writing and dialouge.

I don't know what the current status and exact back story are (I remembering hearing a long time ago that it was the other way around on who was caving and who was holding out, which should tell anyone else looking at this to be careful about what you believe). But it's been a long time, and I think at some point there should be a statute of limitations on blaming what happens now on something that happened then. But I don't know.

One thing, though: if you look at the end credits you will see Dini listed as a "consultant" on "Batwoman" (not "Chase Me"). Doesn't tell us the significance was of what he did on the film, but it's interesting that he's got a credit.

 

[Orange Brat]

It was a major disappointment and major step backwards. It's so bad, I'm dumping my series DVDs off on eBay. This is the last straw. Bad animation, Akomish squiggly lines at times, terrible voice direction, computery fake coloring, outrageously bad music, and the world's worst Penguin imposter. That..that music on the Catwoman short was the final low blow. Unless the boxed set is just stellar, no more $$$ goes towards the Animated Series. What a way to go out. Just stop making them unless you can do it right, WB!

What could Henry Silva possibly be doing? Nothing. Same with Williams.

For God's sake there was a piece of reused animation from BTAS in the opening credits. The profile shot of Bats in the Batmobile is the exact same cel used in whatever episode that was. The only difference, now, is that instead of a cool fully painted cel, it is computerized.

The only possible positives would be that the backgrounds seemed to have a bit of BTAS in them and the fact that it eventually ends.

 

[The Detective]

Well Subzero won't have to worry about being on the bottom of the totem pole anymore. Not to say that is was bad, I mean when you're in a family that includes the MIND BLOWING Mask of the Phantasm and Return of the Joker bottom on the pole is pretty good. Nor did I turn this movie on expecting a dark Gothic epic or a sweeping grandscale movie. I've read enough reviews. I'm glad I did. It had me braced for this movie. It was pretty good. Probably about on level with an above average TNBA episode. Probably three stars.

This was as much Bruce Wayne's movie as it was Batman. They say that in the commentary and it's true. For that reason I wish they had changed his design a little. Don't make him look so emotionless and cold. Geez. Just give him the BTAS hair. If they had just done that I would have been happy. I also thought his romance with Kathy Kuquesne was way forced and kind of on the contrived side. I've always felt that Andrea Bueamont was his last chance at a real lasting relationship. His chemistry/sexual tension with Catwoman and Talia is enough. I've never thought the Barb angle was needed and I don't think the Kathy romance was needed here either.

I figured out that it was all three of them after a while. They all had a spot on motive and added something to the whole motif that wasn't hard to see. Plus, they all were at one time or another alibied so it wasn't that hard to figure out. I guess it was lucky for them they all were the same height, weight, body type, bra size etc. considering how form fitting that suit was.

Oh the suit! I deplored that design. I know they were trying for something different but silver and pink? Could those colors have clashed any worse or hurt my eyes any more? Uggg just...ugly looking.

The voice recasts: The Penguins recast didn't bother me at all. In fact, after about three sentences I practicly forgot about it. I wouldn't complain if he took over the role again some time. What does make me mad is that the recast him for no reason at all. His other VA was great in the role. Robin recast, hardly even noticed. What did bother me was Bane's recast. His normal actor may have been busy but surely they could have gotten someone else. I mean, the actor they had just didn't fit the role at all.

And speaking of Bane. I was disapointed with is fights. Come on, he has had some awesome fights with Batman, the climax to the episode that bairs his name, and OVER THE EDGE just to name a few. Here it was just kind of...blah.

Not to say that it was all bad. The idea of having three Batwoman's is a welcome twist on the beat to death among the DCU movies of having several suspects and they're all red herrings but the one you're not supposed to think. Most of the animation seemed pretty good. This was definately something different and it wasn't unwelcome overall.

 

[Icer]

Echoing what other people said, nowhere near as good as Mask of the Phatasm or Return of Joker but it wasn't bad.
Like a 3 part episode from the New Batman & Robin adventures with new animation.
Rupert Thorne felt out of place.

 

[The Detective]

Echoing what other people said, nowhere near as good as Mask of the Phatasm or Return of Joker but it wasn't bad.
Like a 3 part episode from the New Batman & Robin adventures with new animation.
Rupert Thorne felt out of place.

He actually kind of did but that is more than likely do to the fact that this is his first appearance in TNBA style.

 

[Joker85]

Well, I'll be in the minority here and say that I loved it! I thought it was every bit as good as Subzero(which I also loved!). Sure it was no MOTP or ROTJ, but it never tried to be. It was just a fun movie.
Likes:
-Alfred!He was in this a good bit and I really enjoyed seeing him again. And his dialogue..."I ain't touchin that one!" was hysterical!
-The Goons comment.."I miss working for the Joker"
-Bruce "going through the tunnel" to cut Barb off. Hehe. One of the great things about this movie is that it showed the playful Bruce we haven't seen much of since the BTAS. And like someone said, this was as much his movie as it was Batmans.
-Gotham City looked awesome as always!
-Gordon, Bullock, Robin. Always great to see these guys again. I was particularly surprised and pleased that Gordon and Bullock were in it so much.
-Rupert Thorne, how we've missed you! We haven't seen this man since, what, '95? It was great to have John Vernon and Rupert Thorne back
-Barbs' cameo was fun and cute. Nice hearing from her. Shame they couldn't arrange a cameo for Dick.
-I really liked the Batwoman Costume actually. Sort of a take on the new Batgirl outfit in Mainstream
-Seeing Blackgate Prison again...it's the little touches like that, which harken back to the earliest BTAS episodes that I enjoy.
-The Batman/Bane fight was great! So, is Bane dead? Somehow, I'd have to doubt it.
-Believe it or not, I liked the song. THe one that girl was singing at the Iceberg Lounge. A nice change of pace type scene for a Batman movie.
-I liked all 3 Batwoman. Very interesting characters and great voice talent behind them. I especially enjoyed Kelly Ripa's klutzy Rocky.
Dislikes(and there weren't many):
-Penguin's voice! OMG, now I'm sorry, but Paul Williams has been doing this voice for years, and the character just isn't the same without him. I got used to it after a while, but it just lacked something.
-Bane's voice. The new guy, I dunno, just seemed off to me.
-Ok, I know they had to have Sonja be a cop, but they could have put Montoya in there too. I mean, with so many old faces returning I was shocked that Montoya was missing.
-I wish we could have actually seen Barb as Batgirl, and expanded her role in the movie a littel bit. But, maybe next time.
Overall I really enjoyed it!
****