More Mr Freeze sub Zero
Published at: Jan. 9, 1998, midnight CST by staff
Since I posted my review of "Batman And Mr. Freeze: SubZero" (on Monday December 29), I have had a lot of people asking me when this straight-to-video animated adventure will be hitting video stores. The answer is - "Batman And Mr. Freeze: SubZero" has a street date of March 17.
I don’t think you need to be a fan of animation to enjoy this movie. Why? It’s enough of a *real movie* to overcome whatever "it’s just a cartoon" prejudices you may have. What do I mean by "real movie"? A movie with heart and soul and character development, that manages to be entertaining without sacrificing depth and dimension.
"Batman And Mr. Freeze: Subzero" is movie with several affective action sequences (thanks in large part to crisp and sensible editing by Al Breitenbach, and some computer-generated enhancement by Foundation Imaging - not always perfectly blended with the organic animation but good enough so you stop noticing rather quickly), a powerful and evocative score by Michael McCuistion (the score ranges from huge, propulsive action motifs to dreamy, tragic music a la "Edward Scissorhands" haunting, choir-based elegance).
Randy Rogel and Boyd Kirkland (who also directed) have crafted a screenplay / teleplay that makes you *understand* what the antagonist in the film is up to, and makes you feel his pain and dedication to his cause. He’s not out to destroy the world or conquer Gotham City. He’s on a mission to save someone he loves, and damn anyone who gets in his way. Anyone who has ever loved can understand this orientation. Anyone who has ever wanted to save something - be it a person or relationship - can *feel* this character. It’s a sensibility so profound even the "good guy" characters in the plot line know where this antagonist is coming from. As I said above, heart and soul and dimension is a film whose second-half is primarily action-based.
MH3>If you have any interest in Batman whatsoever, consider giving "SubZero" a try. Even if you’re not really a fan, but have seen all the live-action films and found them "lacking" in some way (the ways are too numerable to enumerate herein), I think "SubZero" might help make-up for a multitude of sins.
"Batman And Mr. Freeze: SubZero". In stores March 17.
