Review: Superman/Batman Public Enemies

While Batman and Superman investigate an on-coming meteorite big enough to destroy the world made completely of Kryptonite, Lex Luthor, now President of the United States, devises a plan to frame Superman for murder and puts a 1 billion dollar bounty on his head. As the 2 heroes continue their attempts at stopping the meteorite, they are forced to fight a number or heroes and villains all looking to stop the now criminal duo.

Another in what will be a long line of DC animated movies, Bruce Timm and company continue their fantastic portrayal of the DC Universe in animation form. In tow is the original voices of Lex Luthor, Superman, and Batman from Timm's first television series, Clancy Brown, Tim Daly, and Kevin Conroy respecitvelly. Kevin Conroy especially. He is easily the most recognizable Batman performer, but hearing Tim Daly, who was unavailable to play Superman in the Justice League spin-off of his show. His replacement, George Newbern, went over smoothly, but it was not until this video I realized how great Daly is as Superman. He brings a certain gentle strength needed for the ultimate boyscout with super strength. The cast is surrounded with various other slightly familiar voice actors like John C. McGinley, Levar Burton, and Allison Mack all of which were ultimately underused leaving most of the dialog to the 3 stars. Corey Burton, a long time Timm collaborator, provides the voice for Captain Marvel, but seems very out of place. It is hard to put your finger on it.

The animation was much different than what Timm fans would be used to. The muscle is much more defined, and other little details were also much more apparent as opposed to the tv series. The design overall were mild improvements, but some things dropped the ball. Captain Marvel was given comedically squinty eyes and Amanda Waller was drawn more like Violet from willy Wonka than your everday overweight lady. And even though everyone had ridiculously inflated muscles, Captain Atom's looked the most strange.

The story itself does what Superman/Batman comic series does best. It spotlights the relationship between Superman and Batman. Two heroes from incredibly different backgrounds and powersets getting along like some of the best partners in fictional history a la Butch and Sundance or Han and Chewy, never more so than in the scene where both are injured and helping each other back to the Bat-cave. The two call each other by their real names, and volley quips back and forth with eachother like two co-workers carpooling. But it also balanced the side-story of the obsessive Lex Luthor and his attempts at being both President and super-villain (some would say that is very familiar). The ultimate flaw of this movie is that the large cast, the dual storylines of Superman/Batman and Lex Luthor are crammed into little over an hour. A cynical bunch have claimed foul on 2+ hour movies that have become popular, but usually the time is needed for proper character development and good plot pacing. So many interesting characters are just glossed over.

Superman/Batman is one of the better DC animated movies, but they have yet to make a lot of them so who knows.

8/10

Review: Batman Arkham Asylum

During what was supposed to be a routine inmate drop off, The Joker gets loose and turns Arkham Asylum into his own personal theme park with a little help from his friends. Quickly subduing Commissioner Gordon and the other inmates, it is up to Batman to stop the riot and save the remaining doctors and guards still alive. Little does Batman know that Joker is planning something bigger than a simple inmate riot.

Starting with the aesthetics, the graphics are really great. The design of the game combines the industrious elements of Nolan's films and the gothic elements of Burton's with the voice cast of Timm's cartoon most notably Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil as Batman and Joker respectively. So many, including myself, consider them the definitive voice of their characters. Arleen Sorkin, the voice of Harley also returns.

The story is well-paced, and you get the feeling that the villains were chosen for what they bring to the story instead of forcing the more popular rogues into the movie. Noticably not present are the likes of Two-Face, Catwoman, and Penguin, but all the villains used are used very effectively except for maybe Killer Croc, which I think they could have used better.

The gameplay is great. As with any Batman game, you get a mix of batarangs and grapples to work with, all of which update as the game goes on as you would expect to happen in a video game. At times it seems like push-button fighting, but the high number of thugs and the use of batarangs, counters, and jumps make for an almost ballet-like fight scene that allows for some strategy to get involved. There are even stealth strategies you can use, making the game feel like the next-gen versions of Metal Geat Solid and Splinter Cell. Detection mode is an interesting addition, allowing key items to stand out and forensic tools to be used, allowing the gamer to see things only Batman would.

The high point of the game were the Scarecrow scenes. Occasionally being hit with fear toxin led to Silent Hill inspired scenes into Bruce Wayne's worse nightmares. They were eery and atomospheric, truly some of the better scenes in the video game.

The Riddler was also fun. Throughout the course of the game, Batman patches in to Oracle, former Batgirl Barbara Gordon. The Riddler hacks into the line from time to time to taunt Batman with riddles and side missions that are entertaining to say the least, but easily skipped if you want to focus on the storyline.

Like any game it is clearly not perfect. Batman's facial hair and suit damage stay throughout the game, which on paper seemed great, but I ended up with 2 big tears on my cape. The camera being afixed the way it is meant I was staring at them for a little under half the game. It was annoying and destracting. The final boss battle against the Joker was very anti-climatic, and may have been one of the easier fights in the whole game. I was also unhappy to see that Bob Hastings did not return as Commisioner Gordon. His voice in my opinion has become as iconic to the character as Conroy, Hamil, and Sorkin's. I was also surprised to see that the majority of the cells were empty, and the opportunity for cameos was never taken advantage of. Although Scarface, Clayface, and Ra's Al Ghul make intereting cameos if your are paying attention.

Good Batman video games are hard to come by. They have been infamously bad even though most elements of Batman should adapt well to video games. This game finally does that. Written by Paul Dini, one of the minds behind the critically acclaimed cartoon series, it captures everything great about Batman and makes an incredibly fantastic video game regardless of its faults.

9/10

Top 10 Rogues for the Next Batman Movie

These are my favorites for the next Batman movie.


10. David Cain
With Batman on the run, the mob and the law will both be looking for him. Prime spot for a hired gun.
Chances: None. The character is devoid of a lot of the eccentricities that a Bat-Rogue usually entails. In the hired gun department there are simply better choices
Casting: Too hot of a commodity especially with comic flicks, but Mickey Rourke all the way.

9. Killer Croc
Nothing to challenge a hero like a freak with brute force. Probably too dumb to carry a flick like The Dark Knight though
Chances: Pretty good as a henchman, but do not expect too much.
Casting: Kevin Durand



8. GCPD
Gotham City Police Department will surely be following the Bats considering the end of Dark Knight. But do they pose a big enough threat especially considering their boss is on his side
Chances: 100% they'll be involved, but not in the capacity this list is emplying.
Casting: Michael Madsen as Bullock please!


7. Talia Al Ghul
Batman's eternal love interest come back for revenge for her father's death with the entire League of Shadows behind her.
Chances: 50/50. Great character with full circle appeal but I feel her direction does not correspond with the ending of The Dark Knight.
Casting: Kate Beckinsale. Uninspired but she'll do for now.


6. The Penguin
After the shake-up the mob got from the Joker, there is a huge hole left. Fill it with the Penguin. Frankly, I do not think he is a big enough threat to carry an ENTIRE movie.
Chances: 50/50. Nolan and Co. seem hesitant on continuing if characters already portrayed. If seen I think he should be in a role similar to Eric Roberts' in the last one.
Casting: David Suchet. Spitting fuckin' image.

5. Ra's Al Ghul
By nature, he is ripe for a return. By nature, he is also pretty much the perfect Batman Rogue. Strong, skilled, intelligent, and has intimate knowledge of Bruce's psychology.
Chances: I have no clue. I think Nolan likes the character but he has stayed away from the unrealistic nature of Batman.
Casting: Liam Neeson of course.

4. The Riddler
Too good to pass up. Fights Batman with his mind instead of with violence. Allows Batman to do some detective work, something the series has lacked.
Chances: Pretty good in my opinion. He may have already been used but his potential for noir atmosphere and crossover to the "Nolanverse" pretty well.
Casting: Casey Affleck. Or anyone but that Mr. E guy from Dark Knight.


3. Bane
Bane CAN be interesting. He's got a lot of potential miles beyond the Batman and Robin portrayal. It would be a great one on one for Batman. Just like Cain and GCPD, he can also be used to go after the now fugitive Bat.
Chances: Slim. Slimmer than my liking. He's been used before, but poorly. And his nature is a tad unrealistic, but could be easily adapted.
Casting: Put some big dude in the mask and have Javier Bardem voice him Darth Vader style.

2. Catwoman
Joker and Two Face are done. Rachel is done. Batman is out a nemesis and a love interest. Who better to fill both roles than Catwoman.
Chances: Slim as main villain. Damn good as part time rogue, full time love interest.
Casting: Michelle Monaghan. Spunky attitude, slinky build. How can you say no?


1. Deadshot
In my opinion, Deadshot is the best candidate for "The Hunt for The Bat." Lots of attitude. The antithesis to Batman (sorta). The character is really charismatic, and can be portrayed as both anti-hero and rogue if necessary.
Chances: Almost zip with WB planning a Suicide Squad flick with 'shot as a member of the team.
Casting: Timothy Olyphant. Think Go not Hitman.

Top 100 Comic Characters Part 2

Part 1


50. Morph
49. Toyman II
48. Captain America II/ Bucky
47. Gambit
46. Human Torch
45. The Question
44. Medusa
43. Hellboy
42. Cannonball
41. Nick Fury
40. Darkhawk
39. Deathstroke
38. Beast
37. Red Devil
36. Star Lord
35. The Thing
34. Cyborg
33. Rorschach
32. Metamorpho
31. Joker
30. Green Arrow
29. Torick Brown
28. Cal MacDonald
27. Spiderman
26. Captain America I
25. Plastic Man
24. Two Face
23. Robin III
22. Thor
21. Wonder Girl
20. Martian Manhunter
19. Emma Frost
18. Bullseye
17. Lobster Johnson
16. Nite-Owl II
15. Nightwing
14. Green Lantern Guy Gardner
13. Nightcrawler
12. Iceman
11. Superman
10. Alfred Pennyworth
9. Red Arrow
8. Firebrand (I don't know why he's so high)
7. The Flash/ Wally West
6. Iron Fist
5. Wolverine
4. Madrox
3. Hitman Tommy Monaghan
2. Batman
1. Deadpool

This Week in Movies 2/1-2/6

-The Superbowl ads were played. We got a sneak peek at G.I. Joe, Transformers 2, Monsters vs Aliens, Star Trek, Angels and Demons, Year One, Fast and Furious, Land of the Lost, and Race to Witch Mountain. I'm probably looking forward to Monsters vs Aliens the most, but I will certainly see everyone of them before I see the dreadful looking Land of the Lost



- Scorsese picks his next, Silence. Set in the 17th century about two Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they go to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro, top-notch talent. Day-Lewis is pretty picky to so it must be one hell of a script.

- The Flash gets a writer, Dan Mazeau, who recently passed in a draft of Johnny Quest to Warner Brothers.


- John Carpenter picks his next, The Ward, about a women stalked inside an insane asylum. Hopefully he keeps the quality of his Masters of Horror episodes rather than the quality of Ghosts of Mars

- Slap Shot might get a remake. Not ideal in the least. Just go watch the original

- We got a first look at The Black Freighter addition to Watchmen


- People still don't know who Rourke is playing in Iron Man 2. :)

- Bale's temper got the best of him on Terminator: Salvation. Internet nerds are torn between hating and loving the talented actor who's planning on rebooting and improving every beloved film franchise ever. ;)

- Green Lantern gets a director, Martin Campbell of Bond fame (Goldeneye and Casino Royale)


- Disney is actually attempting to adapt Candyland to film.

- Jeff Bewkes, CEO of WB, says they'll make Batman movies until people stop paying. Could this be the next Bond, a franchise with 23 installments and counting.

- This week's releases: Coraline, Push, He's Just Not That Into You, Pink Panther 2, and in limited release Fanboys and Chocolate. If I had to see one, it would be Fanboys, a cool looking comedy that the Weinsteins bounced around for far too long.