Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
When Mr. Freeze kidnaps Barbara Gordon, as an involuntary organ donor to save his dying wife, Batman and Robin must find her before the operation can begin.
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- Cast:
- Kevin Conroy , Michael Ansara , Loren Lester , Mary Kay Bergman , Robert Costanzo , Mari Devon , George Dzundza
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Reviews
So much average
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
This movie was definitely better than Batman Mask of the phantom. Mr. Freeze was never really a villain he just wanted to save his wife by finding an organ donor (Barbara Gordon). I even loved the fact that Dick and Barbara take their relationship to the next step and start dating. Which started to cause him to be protective over her. Like when Mr. Freezes goons came to take Barabra but Dick wouldn't allow it and when Barabra was about to go back into a burning building to save a boy but Robin grabbed her arm and told her not to go. But considering there was less fighting in the movie but at least there was still action going on in the background during her kidnap. I also have to say this is a good movie to watch in the winter.
Batman: Subzero is the second film of the Dc animated universe after Mask of the Phantasm and although it is dated a little for toady'd standards, it makes up for it with (a) an entailing story, (b) well made and realistic characters (!) and (c) an antagonist ,who is motivated by love, the real Mr. Freeze. This flick was at first planned to be released in 1997, but due to the massive back lash, which the abomination Batman and Robin received the date went back a whole year! Now Let's dive in to the main components that make it so good. Starting with (a) the story. We follow Doctor Victor Freeze , who is desperate to find a donor of his wife in order to save her and for that he devise a plan in order to find a suitable donor and fast.So he abducts Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl and it is up to the Boy Wander and the Knight of Gotham City to find her. OK, the story may lacks some originality,but its job of make you understand why everyone do what his or her is doing, so we are fine hereTo the (b) realism of the Characters, I want to emphasize here for that animated video movie was more realistic from its live action counterpart. Every character needs are logical and even the design of Gotham feels like an metropolis buzzing around the clock, which is awesome.To the "villain" of the film (!),Mr. Freeze, I am a big fan of this guy and here they show really well ,that his criminal actions aren't due to his greed, need of vengeance or ego ,he does them for his wife .Also the fact that he can' hag her o kiss makes you at times feel bad for the fellow and I was rooting for him to get what he wanted. Final and Bonus fact the animation. Two are the facts that decrease the quality of the movie from an awesome story to a solid, decent one. The first is the unoriginal of the story and the other the animation it isn't as top notes as an animated film of that universe needs to be. The reason for that is that the Bruce Tim's team tried to use some CGI 'in to the designs and remember it is 1998 and cgi is not a evolve as now ,so that is the reason. But it isn't awful at least, it is just fine.In the end although dated, the film is the best interpretation of Mr. Freeze so far and I wish this one will inspire the Warner Bros. to make it in a big Budget live action film, somewhere after the Justice League movies for it is a shame to not give a chance to doctor Victor.
A I even remember the tag line from years ago, and re-visiting the film feels quite good. Obviously, there's much less focus on the Caped Crusader than in "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm", but that's expected. Regardless, Kevin Conroy is a priceless Batman, and Loren Lester is awesome as Robin. Michael Ansara is forever memorable as Mr. Freeze; basically everyone from the show reprising their roles here. It amazes me how some are quick to dismiss an animated film, yet the millions of dollars in Hollywood couldn't save "Batman and Robin" from being the piece of sh*t that it was.The storyline is a continuation of the episode "A Heart of Ice" from the first season, and an extremely good one. As with all Batman films the basis is a mystery tone. The move is tense, well-paced and has superb character direction. The animation is at the peak of the Batman: The Animated Series, and there are several shots that will quite honestly have you on the edge of your seat. Both the action and story development is fueled by Michael McCuistion's score, which is really well done. Each aspect is masterful and a definite must have by all means.
This doesn't necessarily put Subzero, a straight-to-video release about Mr. Freeze's ongoing attempts to resurrect his wife, into the pantheon of great Batman animated movies. When comparing to Mask of the Phantasm or even Batman/Superman, it's nowhere near as ambitious. It's actually kind of run-of-the-mill in its storytelling, with some solid peril as Batman and Robin try and crack the mystery behind Batgirl/Barbara Bordon's kidnapping, but some lackluster animation. When the filmmakers try to inject some computer animation into some sequences, like with some of the chase scenes or the ones up in the arctic, they completely fall flat. And the romantic entangling we see Dick Grayson and Barara get into is weak as well. Only when the animators stick to what works best on the TV series, and when we get a few moments of pure Batman action, does the movie strike any decent ground.It's maybe worth seeing once, mostly if you're big into Batman or the series (hey, who can resist Kevin Conroy voicing Batman?), but its appeal isn't one for repeat viewings, save if you're really young and don't care either way.