"Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs Mutants" Animated Release Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

Discuss the Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs Mutants animated feature and home media release!

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Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs Mutants
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Release Date: August 30th, 2016 - Digital; September 13th - DVD

Synopsis: The Dark Knight is back doing what he does best – protecting the citizens of Gotham City – in the third installment of the Batman Unlimited series, Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants. When evil scientist Mr. Freeze activates his latest invention on two of Gotham City’s most formidable criminals – Killer Croc and Bane – things go from bad to worse. Turning them into super-sized mutant monsters, the Super-Villains start bashing through the streets of Gotham City with no end in sight. It’s up to the Caped Crusader and his Super Hero team to save the day by putting the giant robot mechs in their place – but it will be an uphill battle as they face off against enormous foes.

The heroic voice cast features Roger Craig Smith (Batman: Arkham Origins, Assassin’s Creed games) as Batman, Chris Diamantopoulos (Episodes, Silicon Valley) as Green Arrow, Will Friedle (Batman Beyond, Boy Meets World) as Nightwing, Charlie Schlatter (Diagnosis Murder, Kick Buttkowski) as The Flash, and Lucien Dodge (Pokemon, Bleach) as Robin. The villainous voices are led by Oded Fehr (The Mummy, Resident Evil: Apocalypse) as Mr. Freeze, Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) as The Penguin, Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911, Handy Manny, The Fairly Oddparents) as Bane, John DiMaggio (Futurama, Batman: Under the Red Hood) as Killer Croc, Dave B. Mitchell (World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor) as Clayface and Troy Baker (Batman: Assault on Arkham) as Joker. Phil LaMarr (MAD TV, Futurama) joins the Batman Unlimited series as Dr. Langstrom.

DVD Release: Includes bonus Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode!

Discuss the Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs Mutants animated release here!

Please note this talkback is for both the Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs Mutants animated feature and home video release. Discussion for both are now housed in one single talkback discussion thread.

Related Threads:
-Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman Unlimited: Animated Instincts Feature Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman Unlimited Digital Shorts Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman Unlimited Subsite (Spoilers)

Note: Remember, we appreciate and encourage discussion, but please keep your posts civil, relevant and insightful. Please do not post any improper or inflammatory material, as we will issue warnings if we believe it necessary. And remember to keep the discussion ON-TOPIC!

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I will be purchasing the digital copy of this, but I have never bought a digital movie because this is the first one they haven't released on Blu Ray. I am curious, what does everyone else around here use when buying digital HD movies? Itunes? Amazon Video? UV? I just want a site where I can download a copy to a flash drive and play it off my Blu Ray player. Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

[Jordan Valdés]

I liked the first two Batman Unlimited films, but for me, Mechs vs. Mutants is easily the best of the three!

First off, it had the most unique plot. The first two were pretty standard villain team-up films, but this one felt like there was actually a reason for specific villains to team up (based on their scientific make-ups). The idea of mech suits vs. giant versions of Batman's rogues was also unique (to a Batman film anyway). The movie also felt more like a true sequel (to both it's predecessors) than Monster Mayhem did, thanks to the inclusion of villains locked up after their defeats in Animal Instincts and Monster Mayhem along with establishing a Robin continuity.

Mechs vs. Mutants went above and beyond with world-building and fan service, and I've gotta credit the new writers they brought on for this one, Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt. HUSH MADE HIS ANIMATED DEBUT!!! I'm still geeking out about that! Yes it was just a cameo, but this is one step further to us getting a Hush movie. Not only that, but we got allusions to Ra's al Ghul, the Teen Titans, and Bane breaking Batman's back.

And for the first time in the series, it didn't feel like it was just trying to sell toys. Not every scene turned into an action sequence. While it wasn't on the level of one of the DCAU animated movies, we did get some really good character moments. Robin having a dream about Ra's al Ghul at the beginning first clued me into the fact that we might get to see a little bit further into characters' thoughts and feelings in this one, and then it got followed up later in the movie by the quote from Oliver Queen about how Batman actually cares more than anyone else. That is just a fantastic quote about Batman from the point of view of a fellow hero. Love it!

In the same vein of the character moments, they did something very interesting with Mr. Freeze. They didn't include anything about his origin or Nora, but they still managed to make him a sympathetic villain. I wish the reason for him wanting to be in solitude would've been fleshed out, but his story of redemption in the final part of the movie worked quite well for me. He's an under-utilized villain in general, and I think it's because some writers don't know what to do with him beyond his origin story with Nora, so I think the way he was portrayed in Mechs vs. Mutants has to be commended.

One more thing I loved: the Batmobile/Batwing combo! Reminds me of a Batmobile toy I used to have based on the Batman: TAS Batmobile, where you could slide the Batwing out of it. The idea made for some very cool action.

Onto a couple complaints I had about the movie, because although I really liked it, it wasn't flawless. For starters, Damian Wayne didn't feel like the Damian I'm familiar with. The word I would typically use to describe Damian is "arrogant", but this iteration gives off more of a vibe of simply "inexperienced". However, I did enjoy the arc that trait made for, which was him earning Batman's trust. That's another example of how this movie felt like it had more character development than its predecessors. I was really hoping that Batgirl would make an appearance in this one though, since she debuted in the Batman Unlimited iOS game, but alas no. Another issue I had was with Batman not being the one able to figure out a pretty simple connection between the villains Mr. Freeze chose for his plan. I mean c'mon, he's the world's greatest detective! Also, The Penguin's semi-anthropomorphic pet penguin was just a little too silly for me, and I wish we would've seen Clayface actually use his main power and not just be reduced to muscle.

It seems to me that the Batman Unlimited line of films has been DC's alternative to having a Batman animated series on the air right now. While, as I mentioned before, I thought the first two films in this line were good, to me this one was quite a bit better! Even though we're getting Batman in Justice League Action this fall, I would love it if DC were to continue this franchise as well, especially after having been so impressed with this latest installment.

I am curious, what does everyone else around here use when buying digital HD movies?

I've gone almost completely digital with my movie purchases, and I use Amazon Video. I often watch movies on my Kindle Fire, so Amazon Video is what works best for me. Unfortunately, sometimes the movies don't come with the bonus features on that service.

 

[Spider-Man]

I will be purchasing the digital copy of this, but I have never bought a digital movie because this is the first one they haven't released on Blu Ray. I am curious, what does everyone else around here use when buying digital HD movies? Itunes? Amazon Video? UV? I just want a site where I can download a copy to a flash drive and play it off my Blu Ray player. Any help would be great! Thanks!

I get mine off iTunes and then stream it through my Apple TV. That is the method that works best for me. Check to see what files your player can play and if iTunes are one of them then it should be okay. I'm about to watch the movie in a little bit once the download stops. I'll be skipping the DVD which is disappointing.

 

[Yojimbo]

I just want a site where I can download a copy to a flash drive and play it off my Blu Ray player. Any help would be great! Thanks!

I don't know if anyone offers that download option anymore, sadly. Maybe CinemaNow.

 

[Troy Troodon]

Ngh... It was harmless at best. The animation varied between decent and choppy, and the heal turn with Mister Freeze felt contrived. I did enjoy most of the film for it's action, and even it's whit, especially with GA (Got a Tony Stark vibe from him)

Although I would have loved for them to reference Nora to give Victor more depth. The sam Lane bit went nowhere sadly, but if there's plans for a sequel with Superman involved, I'd be interested.

But again DC, story not gimmicks, that's what makes a good animated flick! That's all I ask for.

All in all, the film like the other two is okay at best, even pulling kudos to nods to other Arkham inmates like Cheetah...


Actually something else has been bugging me, both Cheetah and Silver Banshee are Arkham inmates in this universe?! Why?! They're not crazy, and a plead for insanity is rather tricky to file, but hey let's just say for the sake of argument both Cheetah and Silver Banshee did go through a trial where they were declared legally insane...

WHY WOULD YOU SEND THEM TO ARKHAM ASYLUM?! They don't even live anywhere near Gotham! As a Superman villain, Banshee resides in Metropolis, while Cheetah comes from Boston, where Wonder Woman used to have residence. While both cities are East Coast cities, I'm pretty sure there are other, even better mental housings close to home wherever they live, rather than the, Worst mental facility in the DCU.

Arkham is already a bad enough place as a revolving door system for Batman's regular rogues gallery like Mister Freeze, Penguin (Occasional inmate), Killer Croc, and Bane; but Arkham itself has generally been depicted as gothic, and somewhat medieval environment, even run by very shady doctors and security who are just as morally derived as the rogues themselves. Okay to be fair Arkham does look more modern and serine here, but even then there's also the obvious account that these are enemies of both Wonder Woman and Superman, two of DC's most powerful heroes, especially compared to Batman, who has no superpowers. So again I ask, what judge and jury in the right precedent would send two super powered metahumans, foes of two other super powered beings more powerful the Bat, to the same place as the Joker?!

 

[Yojimbo]

Your clutching comic canon too much and that is hampering your viewing of this movie, imo. The Unlimited canon is far removed from traditional comics. For instance, this Cheetah may not be from Boston nor Banshee from Metropolis. We don't know much about the world beyond Gotham, but considering this is set a bit more into the future and Gotham is very tech dependent. Not much emphasis on corrupt officials either. This Arkham may not be as inept and corrupt and could be the most advanced in supervillain and metahuman containment across the nation.

 

[Jordan Valdés]

The sam Lane bit went nowhere sadly, but if there's plans for a sequel with Superman involved, I'd be interested.

I almost always appreciate when they use an established DC character even in just a tiny role, rather than just some generic character instead. To me, Sam Lane is just another example of the world-building that this film executed far better than its predecessors. And Superman is already in the Batman Unlimited action figure line, so I think it's very possible we could see him if they make another one of these. I'd be very interested to see that as well!

WHY WOULD YOU SEND THEM TO ARKHAM ASYLUM?!

I didn't notice Silver Banshee shown in Arkham, only Cheetah. I probably just missed it. Anyway, my best answer is that even if they don't live in Gotham in this universe (which, as Yojimbo mentioned, isn't established), they were arrested in Gotham for crimes committed in Gotham in the previous Unlimited films, so I think it makes sense that they would be locked up in Gotham.

 

[Troy Troodon]

Your clutching comic canon too much and that is hampering your viewing of this movie, imo. The Unlimited canon is far removed from traditional comics. For instance, this Cheetah may not be from Boston nor Banshee from Metropolis. We don't know much about the world beyond Gotham, but considering this is set a bit more into the future and Gotham is very tech dependent. Not much emphasis on corrupt officials either. This Arkham may not be as inept and corrupt and could be the most advanced in supervillain and metahuman containment across the nation.

Sorry, that's my inner fanboy off the leash. It was suppose to be a nitpick but I got carried away. My main issue with the movies in general is the lack of complexity in the story, otherwise they're harmless and still entertaining.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I really enjoyed this one. I think it's my fav. Unlimited title. A lot of cool moments, epic action and sweet cameos like Hush which just makes me want to beg WB for an adaptation of that storyline. I had a lot of fun with this film and am loving the new character designs!

 

[James Harvey]

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a new clip from Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants to promote the title's release to DVD. To check the clip out, and to read The World's Finest review of the new animated feature, click here.

 

[Jordan Valdés]

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a new clip from Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants to promote the title's release to DVD. To check the clip out, and to read The World's Finest review of the new animated feature, click here.

Really agree with the review! I liked the first two Unlimited films, but this one felt like an improvement thanks to actual character arcs for Robin and Mr. Freeze, as well as a ton of Easter Eggs. The review mentioned that Red Robin wasn't referenced other than when Damian was referred to as "the new Robin", but I'm pretty sure that it was implied he was with the Titans when someone mentioned he was with his new team, because I remember geeking out about that lol.

 

[farmer44]

can someone please tell me if the dvd release comes with a slipcover? thanks.

 

[ashleesmach1]

Good movie!!!! Fun to watch!

 

[RoyalRubble]

I liked the movie, it was another fun adventure set in the Batman Unlimited universe. I probably enjoyed it a little more than the previous installments even if I'm not really a huge fan of giant robots. But the action scenes and animation are good. And while the plot is simple to follow but there are some neat character moments that make it an entertaining feature.

Mr. Freeze was an interesting character, him only wanting solitude was a neat idea though I would have liked if they hinted more at his backstory or origin. His plan to create giant monsters sounds a little silly but I think they managed to pull off a decent story out of it. His redemption towards the end of the movie was handled well enough, even if it was kind of predictable. Still, I liked how they portrayed him in the movie, including his design and voice.

Penguin wanting revenge on the Caped Crusader and turning against Freeze was to be expected, and his army of giant monsters was pretty cool. The main thing that bugged me about Penguin this time was his pet penguin Buzz, who was a little too silly. I get they probably added him to appeal to the kids some more and I guess he was harmless enough but I thought his scenes were kind of pointless.

Clayface, Bane, Killer Croc and Chemo all had nice looking designs, once they were turned into giant rampaging monsters and the ensuing action scenes between them and the heroes were great, with some nice animation and choreography. I also liked how Clayface mutated even further and turned into a lava monster, but other than that there weren't really any surprising twists to the story since all fights played out as one would expect but I have to admit they didn't feel tedious or anything and I enjoyed them. The icy background also made for a nice change of scenery and made the colorful monsters and robots pop out more.

Damian's inclusion was another interesting angle, since I wasn't really expecting a new roster after two movies with Red Robin in Batman's team. He was a pretty good character here and I liked how they alluded to his heritage and how he's the newest member and not yet all that familiar with the stuff Gotham has to offer. He wasn't exactly like Damian is in the comics, but I think it worked. It's kind of funny how newer animated movies (like this, the Lego projects and of course the main DC DTV movie line) are trying to include Damian in them, yet each one portrays him differently. As a side-note, I would have liked seeing Batgirl in the cast as well.

Also, I really liked the villain recruitment scene from Arkham Asylum with cameos from all those rogues - including some who haven't been featured before. The Joker appearing again was predictable but I am glad he didn't end up being the main villain in this movie as well. Him getting revenge on Penguin made for an amusing way to end the story. All in all, a fun movie with some nice action, good character interactions and fun moments spread throughout.

 

[Troy Troodon]

Actually another thing just hit me regarding Arkham. Why are all the inmates in their regular clothes and not in prison uniforms?!

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Actually another thing just hit me regarding Arkham. Why are all the inmates in their regular clothes and not in prison uniforms?!

Experimental therapy? Remember that Arkham is a hospital, not a prison.

 

[Troy Troodon]

Experimental therapy? Remember that Arkham is a hospital, not a prison.

Even so, asylums also some form of detention attire.

 

[Yojimbo]

Upon first viewing, I thought this was the best of the 3 movies.

While count me as disappointed there was no Red Robin, at least they 'furthered' his story and Damian stated he was busy working with the Teen Titans (well, he just said the team or whatever but we all know...). Of all those cameos, Hush. Wow! And I was waiting to see who Buzz would inevitably bite in the movie. lol.

can someone please tell me if the dvd release comes with a slipcover? thanks.

No, it does not.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

So upon a second viewing I have a couple more observations and notes:

- The action/spectacle is some of the best in DC animation IMO. We haven't seen that type of epic, destruction eye candy in a long time.
- I believe that Hush cameo is a possible tease for a Hush adaptation down the line.
- General Sam Lane meeting Bruce Wayne could very well be hinting at the next Unlimited film which could possibly feature Superman.
- Could the Teen Titans feature in a future film?
- How many more of these movies do you think they will make? Have sales been good? The lack of a Blu Ray for this one concerns me.