Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

I sat down in 2020 to watch the 2003 DC animated movie "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman". Now, I wasn't really expecting much, since I am not particularly fond of superhero movies or animated movies, but still, if I haven't seen something, I will if given the chance.

And now that I have seen this 2003 animated movie, I must say that the storyline was actually good and entertaining. There was a good amount of plot, action and character interaction in it. And it also definitely helped that the story had some interesting characters in it as well.

As for the drawing style, then I am not really a fan of the particular style of art and drawing that they used for this era of "Batman". The very art itself is just too edged and cartoonish.

They had a good ensemble of voice actors and actresses to perform the various voices for the characters in this movie, with the likes of Kevin Conroy, Kelly Ripa, David Ogden Stiers and Hector Elizondo to name the most noticable.

I will say that "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" is definitely not aimed at the youngest of audiences, given the violence throughout the story.

My rating of the 2003 DC animated movie "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" is a six out of ten stars. It was enjoyable and good, but it wasn't the best of animated "Batman" movies available.

A mysterious Batwoman has entered the scene & it's up to Bruce to deduce who it is.If one wants to see this expecting another "Mask of the Phantasm", you'll be dissapointed. But it's still good on it's own and if you're a batman fan, it's worth seeing. Bane, the Penquin, & Batgirl are voices by different actors, but i didn't mind that much. I didn't really care for Kelly Rippa's voice acting, but that's more of a personal taste thing.

My Grade: B

DVD Extras: "Chase Me" Mini-cartoon; the making of a mystery; Batman: P.O.V; making of a scene; Batcave profiles; bat gadgets; trailers for various other superhero titles; and a dvd-rom trivia game

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman is not as good as Return of the Joker, SubZero and especially Mask of the Phantasm. Some scenes do feel like filler and Robin for my tastes was rather bland. However, there is still much to like, first and foremost the animation, which is wonderful with everything very detailed and lavishly coloured. The music is full of haunting atmosphere too and never feels out of place, while the writing is sharp and provokes thought and the story even with the filler has great suspense, a sense of mystery and some exciting action. Batman is still the dark and brooding character we know and love, and Penguin, who's always been one of my favourite Batman villains, is a delight to see. The voice acting is terrific, Kevin Conroy can do no wrong, and Kelly Rippa is also surprisingly good. David Ogden Stiers may have inevitable comparisons to Paul Williams, but I think he does do a more than worthy job with Penguin's voice. All in all, a very good movie, while not the strongest Batman animated movie it is hardly bad either. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Mystery of the Batwoman has made quite a bad reputation for itself since its release a decade ago. I'm not really sure why, or if it deserves the fanboy hate, but one thing is for sure - it killed the Bruce Timm/Alan Burnett Batman continuity that began with the TV series back in 1992. Kevin Conroy has returned as Batman in a few video games but there has been no proper Batman animated movie since this one (unless you count the Public Enemies, where he shares half of the screen time with Superman).

The Penguin is in the midst of setting up an arms deal with Carton Duquesne, Rupert Thorne, and Bane when the sudden appearance of a new crime-fighter in the shape of Batwoman causes them all sorts of grief. Not taking kindly to his image being tainted by an unaffiliated vigilante Batman sets out to discover who she really is.

It's a decent plot, but never feels moody or atmospheric. The Gothic pathos of the animated Batman entries that fans are familiar with is strangely absent/muted. However there are some good action scenes and a nice twist half-way through that might seem a little redundant on repeat viewings. The animosity it has gathered since 2003 is a little hard to justify, it's still better than Sub-Zero.

An enjoyable Batman animated film. Not on par with "Return of the Joker" or "Mask of the Phantasm", but solid nonetheless. I liked how the movie kept you guessing as to who Batwoman was. There was nice twist. Nice action sequences. I've always been of the opinion that the Batman cartoons are better then any of the pitiful Batman live action film sequels. The trend continues here.

7.5 out of 10