Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

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

I just finished watching 'Batman: The Mystery Of The Batwoman' on Cartoon Network, and was very pleasantly surprised! The franchise hasn't strayed from the Original's concept of telling a story well while keeping the tension going. 'Mystery' is every bit as good as the first 'World's Finest', that featured Batman and Superman fighting the Joker and Lex Luthor!

The artwork, detail and sense of era (Love the 1940s Architecture and cars!) are splendid. The characters, solid. Especially Carlton and Katherine Duquenes. The plot, fairly straightforward. And the mystery and mystique of Batwoman is well kept.

There's just enough action. Right where it is supposed to be. Bane makes a surprising and admirable appearance. Though his voice really should be Ricardo Montalban's. The Penguin is just as slippery, sly, and cowardly as ever.

It's also nice to see Bruce Wayne having a little fun, without the Cape and Cowl.

Big explosions. Cool Mini-Jets. Huge cliffhanger ending.

What more could you want?

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman isn't bad. But it isn't good either. It feels like an episode that goes on for far too long, and while the mystery is pretty clever, there's something missing from it.

The biggest problem is the characterization of Batman. Far too much time is spent on Bruce Wayne, and even Batman has a habit of acting more like "Bruce" when he has the mask on. In the regular series, it's always pretty clear that the real mask is the Bruce Wayne persona. Robin is included in the movie, but stands around, makes a few snide comments, and fails to really further anything, making one wonder why he was included.

The movie is a little too light, and feels too much like filler. The verdict: It's a good rental, but not a keeper. This is one that just doesn't live up to its predecessors.

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

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.