Batman fans owe a lot to Tim Burton’s live action blockbuster film. It returned Batman to his dark and brooding roots in the eyes of the general public (he’d been getting darker in the comics since the 70’s, but the general public doesn’t read comics). It also sparked enough interest in Batman for Bruce Timm and Paul Dini to craft one of the greatest pieces of Batman fiction ever conceived: Batman the Animated Series. As for the film itself, while dated to a degree and despite getting a few Batman fundamentals wrong, Tim Burton’s Batman remains one of the best adaptations of the character out there.
Gotham City is a cesspool of crime and violence. The police department is so overwhelmed and corrupt they can’t even hope to put a dent in all the wrong-doing. However, criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, and word has begun to spread among them of a “Batman” who punishes evil-doers. Little do they know, the Batman is really millionare playboy Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) who spends his time fighting crime to avenge the death of his parents. While pursuing the gangster Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) through a chemical plant, Batman unintentionally causes the foe to drop into a vat of acid. Napier survives, though his sanity doesn’t quite make the trip. Scarred horribly and incurably insane, Napier dons the identity of “the Joker” and makes it his unending goal to destroy Batman and Gotham City just for the shear fun of it. Complicating matters is the sudden appearance of news reporter Vicki Vale, who wants to learn the secrets of the Batman. However, the Joker has taken a sick interest in her.
Tim Burton does an unforgettable job capturing the dark, gothic spirit of the Batman comics. Gotham City is a strange fusion of modern technology and 1940’s asthetics, a trait that would be passed down to the Animated Series. Batman is now a creature of the night and the Joker a homicidal madman. A startling shift from what the public was comfortable with, as the last live-action interpretation of Batman was the Adam West series. And, with this being a Tim Burton film, the mandatory Danny Elfman score is all-present. Of all Elfman’s musical accomplishments, the Batman theme remains my favorite to this day. With it being used for a decade in the Batman animated series as well as its subsequent spin-offs, like Justice League, the theme has become synonymous with the character.
Michael Keaton is one of the best actors to portray Batman in any live action outlet, getting the separation between Bruce Wayne and Batman down to perfection. Really, the only other actor who can match Keaton’s skill at the part is Christian Bale, who played the character in the recent franchise reboot, Batman Begins. However, Jack Nicholson really steals the show as the Joker. While at times the “Jack Nicholson”-ness overshadows the fictional character, for the most part, he really embodies the psychotic humor of Batman’s archnemesis to a tee.
Tim Burton’s Batman is not without its faults, I must confess. There are a few fundamental character traits that get left out of the final product, which really betrays the source material. First and foremost, Batman does not kill. Even more, he absolutely will never ever use a gun. During one action sequence, while piloting the Batwing, Batman unleashes a fury of machine gun fire while aiming directly at the Joker’s head. The worst moment of mis-characterization in the entire film. I’m also not a big fan of the Joker’s identity being revealed, as it’s been a carefully guarded mystery in the comics for decades. Still, I suppose it was necessary for the film to flow coherently, but I’m really not fond of how they shoe-horned him into Batman’s origin, as well. Then there’s the bit where Alfred betrays Bruce by revealing his secret to a certain character. These moments don’t ruin the movie, especially if you’re not a reader of the comic, but the fanboy in me just can’t look past them.
Aside from some mis-characterization here and there, Batman is really one of the best comic book films in history. While Batman Begins may be a bit truer to the source material, the original film is just timeless (well, save for the soundtrack by Prince. Ugh).
Grade: B+
Dragonball Z movie 7: “Super Android 13!”
“Super Android 13” doesn’t appear to be one of the more popular Dragonball Z films, though it’s one of my personal favorites in a “guilty pleasure” sort of way. I find it rather underrated and enjoy it mostly for the reasons people seem to hate it. “Super Android 13” is cheesier than other Dragonball Z films (if you can comprehend that), but at the same time it’s pretty self-aware that it’s so goofy. It’s not one of the best installments in the series, but I always have a fun time watching it.
The mad Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army may be dead, but his evil lives on within a super computer of his own design. The computer crafts three new killer robots, Androids 13, 14 and 15, respectively. Their primary function: Kill Goku. The androids waste little time tracking Goku down and quickly engage him in a fierce battle. Goku’s comrades, Gohan, Krillen, Vegeta, Piccolo and the Super Saiyan from the future, Trunks, all pop in to lend a hand.
When Funimation first began dubbing Dragonball Z I was very displeased. Gradually, the voice actors grew on me with their own individual character quirks and I came to accept them. Still, I wasn’t suitably impressed with their efforts…until I saw this movie. This is one of the cheesier Dragonball Z films and the people at Funimation knew it, so as a result, the voice acting reflects it. And it’s a total riot. They had me snickering when the diminutive Android 15 showed up speaking gangsta jive, but I nearly erupted with laughter once the title villain appeared, spewing a heavy redneck dialect (“the Red Ribbon Redneck”, as Trunks calls him). They have a lot of fun with the voice acting in this film which really adds to the entertainment value. I probably wouldn’t like this movie as much as I do if it weren’t for the voice gags.
I’m also not typically a fan of the new music recorded for the English dub, but I rather like this one. They play this funky track for Androids 14 and 15 when they first enter the city and it just adds to the humorous tone. They also dub in a few “extra” lines that make me snicker, like that last bit between Vegeta and Piccolo at the very end. “Is it over?” “Not until the fish jumps.” *fish jumps* “Okay, it’s over.” *roll credits*
The fight scenes in “Super Android 13” aren’t really the best in the franchise, though they do manage one effect in this film which outdoes all the others: the ricochets. Characters are getting tossed around and sent bouncing off the surrounding environments like ping pong balls. The animation is good, though not really theatrical quality. I noticed a few errors here and there, but nothing too distracting.
As for the villains, aside from the humorous dubbing, I suppose they really aren’t that special. Android 15 is pretty funny with his gangsta voice and alcoholism, though his outfit is pretty stupid. Android 14 comes out the weakest of the lot, with no notable character quirks of any kind. Android 13, the lead villain, steals the show with his trucker appearance and heavy Southern drawl. The bit where he goes “Super Android” for the final battle is one of the lamer transformations in the series, with him just turning blue and sprouting orange spikey hair. He didn’t really have any impressive special attacks, either.
While the dubbing won me over, I can’t ignore some of the lamer parts of the movie. I’m getting pretty sick and tired of the Spirit Bomb Solution. They manage to use it in a slightly more creative fashion in this film, with Goku absorbing the energy into his body rather than just lobbing it at the enemy in the form of an energy ball. Still, it’s getting boring. I was also damn annoyed by the amount of comedy relief humor involving Krillen. It’s embarrassing to watch one of my favorite characters get turned into such a panty waist.
In all honesty, this is a pretty bad Dragonball Z flick but dressed up with a lot of self-parody and cheesy dubbing to mask the poor story and less-than-stellar animation. To its credit, they mask the set-backs rather well. I give “Super Android 13” a C as far as Dragonball Z movies go.
Grade: C
The Batman vs. Dracula
First, let me say that I’m not a fan of “the Batman” animated series. It’s not solely because I prefer Bruce Timm’s and Paul Dini’s Batman: the Animated Series, it’s because I’m not big on the art design and the intentionally campy plots. There are elements of the show which I like, though. Much to my amazement, “the Batman vs. Dracula” features all the elements from the TV series I liked and practically none of the things I hated.
The Joker and the Penguin simultaneously escape from Arkham Aslyum, both having their sights set on a treasure hidden within a crypt in Gotham Cemetary. The Batman moves into action, singling-out the Joker. Penguin makes it to the cemetery but accidentally unearths the wrong crypt. Within the vault he finds a coffin chained-up and figures it’s the one containing the treasure. Bad move. The Penguin reawakens Count Dracula, who immediately begins amassing his army of the night. The Batman has his work cut out for him, as an army of vampires soon lay siege to Gotham City. Complicating matters is Bruce Wayne’s relationship with news reporter Vicki Vale, which is being strained by his alter ego. It also would seem that Dracula intends to resurrect his former bride, Carmella, and Vicki Vale just happens to be a dead-ringer.
The plot may sound a bit cheesy, but it actually carries itself quite well. The Batman vs. Dracula is a very loose adaptation of “Red Rain”, a Batman graphic novel in which the Dark Knight faces off against Count Dracula. This film and Red Rain only share a few similarities, but the homages are more than welcome.
Also, this film rarely goes out of its way to soften up the presence of vampires or their blood-sucking origins. As a matter of fact, this is quite easily the goriest pieces of Batman animation ever produced. Gallons of blood are spilled during the course of this movie, though they manage to work around people getting killed rather well. There’s a scene in which the Joker (now a vampire) breaks into a blood bank and begins guzzling viles upon viles full of the sticky red plasma. And it gets even messier from there (I won’t ruin one of the darkest scenes in the movie for you).
The animation for the film was produced by one of my all-time favorite animation studios, Dong Woo. They have such a beautifully fluid style of animation and it really shines in this movie. The fight scenes are some of the best they’ve produced, using the supernatural abilities of Dracula and the other vampires to their full potential. The animation direction is packed with energy and rarely are scenes static or boring.
The voice acting is one of the things I liked about “the Batman” television series, so of course, it’s one of the things I liked most about this film. Batman is voiced by Rino Ramano who manages a youthful and dark voice. Tom Kenny, AKA Spongebob Squarepants, takes on the role of the Penguin. He plays a version more akin to the one seen in “Batman Returns” and less like the stuffy millionare aristocrat from the comics. It’s actually pretty good, as he channels a Mr. Magoo impression for the voice. My favorite voice, however, is easily Kevin Michael Richardson as the Joker. Richardson is most typically recognizable for having a comicly deep voice; he’s the last person anybody would think of to play the Joker. Which is why casting him for the role was a stroke of genius. He ranges from this ugly, angry, psychotic low tone to a cackling hyena at the drop of a hat. It adds a great level to the Joker and only makes him sound even more insane.
Now, this movie wasn’t perfect. I can’t say I like the designs for many of the characters. The art design was done by the same guy who did the Jackie Chan Adventures; his style is very “cartoonish”, and at times, rather ugly. There’s also a scene where Dracula uses the alias of “Alucard” to mask his identity…for all of ten seconds. And, finally, I found it a little too convenient that Wayne Industries had just created a machine that could collect and store sunlight at the same time Dracula rises from the grave. But this is Comic Book Land we’re talking about, and these sorts of “coincidences” are fairly common place.
Honestly, the Batman vs. Dracula takes just about everything positive from the television series and leaves behind most everything that sucks. It’s the one piece of “the Batman” animation I highly recommend people seek out.
Grade: B-
Mazinger Z vs. Devilman
I suppose I should start off by noting that practically everything I know about Mazinger Z I learned from Tranzor Z, the show’s American version which ran on television in the 80’s. I’m an infinitely bigger Devilman fan, admittedly. Hell, I even bought a DVD of that wretched live action movie they made a few years back. Mazinger Z vs. Devilman is a film I’d wanted to see for some time, but now that I’ve finally gotten my hands on it, I must say, I was fairly under whelmed.
Dr. Hell (Dr. Demon in the US) is up to his usual tricks, trying time and again to defeat the giant robot, Mazinger Z (Tranzor Z), and take over the world. Dr. Hell sends a troop of evil robots to attack Mazinger and Koji (Tommy), Mazinger’s pilot, rises to the occasion and thoroughly trounces the opposition. However, during the battle, Mazinger unintentionally frees the giant demon, Siren: an old enemy of the demon-hunter superhero, Devilman. Siren frees a legion of her demon colleagues, but before they can lay waste to human civilization, Dr. Hell intervenes and takes control of them. Devilman catches wind of this unholy alliance, and in his human form as Akira Fudo, sends a warning to Koji and Mazinger Z. Dr. Hell has his sights set on Mazinger’s new power-up, the Jet Scrambler, and with the powers of, well…HELL on his side, things are looking to go in his favor. If the Earth is to be saved, Mazinger Z and Devilman must work together.
This movie probably should have been titled “MAZINGER Z!! …with special cameo appearance by Devilman”. Devilman is played mostly as a chump throughout the film, getting taken prisoner twice and having to be rescued by Mazinger on both occasions. To add insult to injury, he’s taken prisoner by Devileen, the one henchman from Tranzor Z I absolutely loathed. What this flick needed was 100% more Count Decapito (now *he* was a badass henchman). So, of course, as a Devilman fan, seeing my favorite character getting his ass beat repeatedly and being rescued over and over didn’t exactly sit well with me. The demons are also some pretty weak sauce, being defeated by the likes of humans with laser guns. This is a Mazinger Z film at its core and Devilman is treated more as a guest star, much to my chagrin.
Another issue I take with the film is that Mazinger Z and Devilman never actually fight. I came into the film expecting two of Go Nagai’s classic characters to throw-down and all I got was a lame team-up. The only instance in which the two title characters have a competing moment is when Akira challenges Koji to a motorcycle race (which he *loses*, god dammit!). If that’s their idea of “versus” then I’m exceptionally disappointed.
The animation is dated but serviceable. Toei does an *okay* job, but the animation still isn’t up to theatrical-quality, even if this film was made in the 70’s. There are plenty of noticeable uses of recycled animation and the characters, outside of action sequences, aren’t particularly lively, standing around in static poses most of the time.
But, I suppose the film wasn’t all bad. I’m a sucker for crossovers, and just seeing Devilman interact with Tranzor Z was enough to get a sense of satisfaction out of me. There is also a sweet moment where they play the Devilman theme song as he rushes into battle which invoked an “Alright!” out of me, since I love that theme song. Additionally, I thought it was pretty cool to see Siren, one of Devilman’s trademark villains, again. She actually faired rather well in battle and got a good chunk of screentime, unlike most of the other demons, which were defeated with relative ease.
Mazinger Z vs. Devilman is short, about 45 minutes long, and I’m not sure whether that’s a *good* thing or not. Perhaps if it had been longer Devilman might not have been slapped around quite so much. But I guess we’ll never know. As it is, Mazinger Z vs. Devilman doesn’t live up to its own title. And, as a Devilman fan, I’m a little bit pissed. I suppose it’s fun if you’re a huge Mazinger Z buff, but I just couldn’t get into the film.
Grade: C-
Dragonball movie 2: “Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle”
Maybe it doesn’t have the best title, but “Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle” is my favorite of the three original Dragonball films. While the first installment, “Curse of the Blood Rubies”, retold the origin of Goku and how he met all his friends, this installment retells how he met his best friend, Krillen, and how they earned the privilege of training with Master Roshi. So, if you’ve already seen that arc of the television series you’ll be pretty familiar with the story here. However, unlike “Curse of the Blood Rubies”, “Sleeping Princess” adapts the storyline to a more original plot so it feels much more fresh and isn’t quite a blatant rehash.
Goku returns to Master Roshi’s island and asks to be trained by the Turtle Hermit. However, at the same time, another young martial arts master named Krillen shows up desiring the same thing. Master Roshi sends them both out to a dark region called the Devil’s Hand to retrieve a sleeping Princess for him; the one who brings her back earning the right to become his student. So Goku and Krillen race to rescue the Princess while their other friends, Bulma, Yamcha, Puar and Oolong, head after them. Once they arrive they discover the Devil’s Hand is ruled over by the sinister Count Lucifer who intends to use the power of the Princess to destroy the sun. Further complicating matters is the sudden arrival of ultra-violent treasure hunter, Launch, who wants the Princess for her own greedy reasons. So who’ll end up with the Princess?
I actually prefer this telling of Goku and Krillen’s first encounter and their test to become Roshi’s students over the original version presented in the manga and the TV series. “Sleeping Princess” has a little more substance to it while the original version just had Roshi send them out to essentially kidnap a hot chick for him. This one also involves the whole colorful cast of Dragonball, a cast I prefer over the one from later Dragonball Z. I just find the likes of Yamcha, Puar, Oolong and Roshi more interesting and entertaining than the bland Saiyans like Trunks, Goten and yes, even Vegeta.
The animation provided by Toei Studios is a bit underwhelming, only providing a few moments of outstanding fight choreography. Other fight scenes have the characters sort of just “floating” about and looks very awkward. Still, the some-what stiff animation is helped along with charming character designs, background art and a very eccentric cast of heroes. However, Count Lucifer isn’t the best villain, honestly, and I found his big pink General to be far more exciting a bad guy. Still, Dragonball is a much more jovial series than its successor, Dragonball Z, and it gets its kicks with lots of humor, most of which hits the mark. So you can’t expect the most epic story-telling, here.
The English dub for the film was done by the Funimation cast rather than the Ocean Group and I really can’t find myself complaining about any of the voices. I really like their version of Master Roshi; he’s just such an over-the-top, goofy perv. Evil Launch’s voice is also quite nice, though her Good version can’t quite decide if she wants to sound like a feather-brain of a Southern Belle. This movie, as well as “Mystic Adventure”, also features Funimation’s alternate Dragonball-voice for Goku. For the television series they simply chose the voice actor for Gohan to do Goku, a choice I was never really fond of. I greatly prefer this actor for Goku as the voice is much less coarse and grating.
Not too much else to say about the movie. The only version available on DVD is the uncut version which maintains a few of the more perverse jokes and a couple seconds of male (child) nudity, but it’s totally harmless so don’t get the wrong impression. While the perverted gags with Roshi are maintained, they’re honestly rather tame and will fly over the heads of most kids. I’d say the film is suitable for most children.
“Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle” gets a B-. It’s a good flick but not something I watch on a regular basis, and again, if you’ve seen the TV series the story won’t totally excite you.
Grade: B-