This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Dreadfully Boring

A Masterpiece!

'Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)' is more of a continuation of 'Batman: The Animated Series (1992)' than a proper stand-alone feature and, as such, doesn't introduce or even really develop any of its characters. They're all close to their usual incarnations, though, which means even those unfamiliar with the show should find their footing fairly fast, if they know at least one previous version of these players. Mr. Freeze is really the star here, as the antagonist is given a clear motive and some nice characterisation that makes him more than the typical 'bad-guy' fare. This is usually the case, as the cold character has a clear driving-force that means he is just as likely to team up with the caped crusader as try to freeze him solid, and he has consistently been one of Batman's better villains - aside from in 'Batman & Robin (1997)' - ever since his character has been fully figured out. The overall narrative is a little messy, however. It's marred by frequent and long fade-to-black 'chapter breaks', from the piece's original television airing, and leans a little into the 'damsel in distress' cliché, though this 'damsel' does fight every step of the way aside from in the initial kidnapping sequence. It also features bizarrely little of the dark knight for a picture that bares his name. Emphasis is placed on the set-up and subsequent detective work, making for an unconventional structure that doesn't really feel so much a feature as an extended television episode. Still, the unconventional approach and less focus on fisticuffs is slightly refreshing; the piece remains and intriguing and entertaining watch throughout. The consistently noir-ish and sometimes awe-inspiring animation brings our hero, his friends and his foes to life with a beautiful verve that's only sometimes besmirched by odd and out-of-place, if occasionally slightly effective, 3D elements. This makes the flick a feast for the eyes even with its basic, slightly 'Scooby-Doo', art-style and adds a lot of value to the already engaging adventure. 6/10

It was a miracle that the first animated Batman movie was released theatrically, but unfortunately we didn't get another one for the second animated Batman movie. This film once again has the trouble of being too short. For something based on a TV show, that can be a problem. It was great to see Barbara Gordon appear in this unlike the Phantasm movie, but unfortunately we barely see her as Batgirl at all! Phantasm was a tough act to follow, but this is still a good movie. You could technically consider it a direct to video sequel. If so, it's easily one of the best of its kind ever made.Weird to have a Batman movie with the villain's name in the title. It's great to see this awesome animation again, although by this point the show had actually changed its animation, but it still had the feel of the classic Fleischer cartoons. As a huge fan of "Justice League" it's great to see the DC Animated Universe in all its glory. The best part is probably at the end where Batman and Mr. Freeze actually help each other. Freeze's wife ends up surviving and he more or less got what he wanted. We want to see a great tragic villain be redeemed in any way possible. Oh, and nice to see Robin here too. ***

I remembered finding this animated movie really great as a kid, but the last time I watched it I did find it enjoyable but it ultimately left me wanting, and a little annoyed as the credits rolled.. Maybe it was the fairly predictable and weak plot that never went anywhere except exactly where I was expecting it to, or some of the visually impressive but not very exciting action sequences, but whatever the case to me it just falls noticeably flat somewhere, lacking any real depth or intrigue. It's not even that long of a movie but the pacing of it is horrible, it's so damn slow! The focus is all over the place and it just feels sort of dull and listless, continuously going back and forth between scenes of Batman investigating, and Barbara Gordon attempting to escape her captors. There's too much action and not enough meaningful exchanges between characters. And some of the animation techniques that were new at the time didn't work at all in my opinion. 'We have the CGI environment rendered and darn it, we're going to use it!' I hated it, I thought it was ugly, it completely stood out from the real animation, and it would just take me straight out of the story whenever I would see that. However, there are one or two things I do like about it, it has its redeeming qualities and doesn't miss the mark completely. I like how Barbara Gordon gains a little sympathy for Freeze's plight once she learns why she's been abducted, and how Batman still feels compassion for the character even after all that he's done, and then deep regret that he couldn't save him from his assumed demise. And what I most appreciate about this picture is the way that it so perfectly wraps up Mr.Freeze's story arc in the bittersweet and memorable final scene. It's very moving to see Victor shed tears of happiness, and that in itself is a very beautiful and poignant moment, but to me it alone isn't enough to make this a very good movie. ::: It always seemed to me that whenever they would use Freeze in the animated series they would always try and fail to duplicate the magnificent lightning in a bottle that was "Heart of Ice", and sadly this too botches the recipe. Mr.Freeze is distinctly a little 'off' somewhere in this. He seems to seriously lack the deep pathos to his personally and bearing that he so effortlessly had before, and he was a lot more angrier this time around. And I know that's easily explained by the way that the situation is more urgent, there's no time, his wife is at death's door, but I found it a little hard to sympathise with a Mr.Freeze who's perfectly fine with killing a young girl, even if it is to save his beloved. I mean jeez, they couldn't even manage to give the guy one great line!? I mean he says one decent sentence right at the beginning when he compares his wife's frozen beauty to a flower he has found on the tundra, but that's it! It's the tragic and Shakespearean dialogue that made the character what he was and elevated him so beautifully in the series in the first place! I think the character would have greatly benefited if the movie had took the time to show a couple of flashbacks of he and his wife in happier times, as well as a moment where he has some kind of realisation that all he had to do all along was to just ask Batman for help, and therefore learn that the world just possibly isn't the cold heartless place that he's come to believe it is. But that never happens, and so he just feels underdeveloped and stretched-thin in his appearance here. Something was lost in translation... This animated feature almost succeeds but it just about falls short. Anyway, as always watch it and judge for yourself, and please stay chilly!

Batman Subzero is what Batman and Robin should have been. This movie, like Mask of The Phantasm, is a animated movie based on Bruce Timm's animated series. This movie is one of my favorite batman movies both animated and live action. It's in the top 10. Compare to Mask of the Phantasm, this film is kind of underwhelming, but a good film nevertheless.Subzero is based on an episode of the animated series called Hearts in Ice, which centers around the villain Mr. Freeze. Like many incarnations in this universe this Mr. Freeze is my favorite incarnation of the character. In the old comics and in Batman and Robin he was a generic bad bad bent on world domination. In this movie, he is more of a tragic character. Freeze's wife has an incurable disease, and he is trying to come-up with a cure. This plot element is the driving factor for the film.The other main characters were good as well. Kevin Conroy as Batman is always great. He is my favorite Batman. Robin was okay. Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is okay as well, though she is mostly the damsel in distress in this film. Her relationship with Robin was pretty nice.The art and animation is great as usual. The score is good as well. Most of the music is from the animated series.The problem that I have with this film, and that others might have as well, is that it is basically a rehash of Hearts in Ice. If you have watched the series and seen that episode, you might be a bit disappointed. It basically has the same plot as the episode except extended. This movie is not in the same league as Mask of the Phantasm. However, it is still a fun and entertaining movie. This movie did take itself seriously and treated the viewers like adults, unlike Batman and Robin.Overall, this film is an example of what Batman and Robin should have been. I think it is criminal that this went straight to video, and Batman and Robin got into theaters.