Batwoman DTV -- Where's the Controversy?

[Karkull]

I was returning home from buying the flick last night when I realized that there was something missing from this DTV. Something seemed...out of place. I compared it to the other three films, and I realized something: there was no controversy surrounding it at all. Well, arbitrarily replacing Paul Williams as the Penguin was something, but it doesn't hold a candle to the others:

Mask of the Phantasm

Originally planned to be a DTV, Warner Bros. decided that it was good enough to be released in theaters. However, they shot themselves in the foot when it came to actually doing it.

First, no ads ran for it, save for the ones on FOX during their kid's shows. Second, the film was released on Christmas Day, which is the kiss of death for any film (I can only think of one film that managed to break this curse). The film made about only a million in theaters, and was barely a blip on the radar -- Siskel and Ebert didn't even do a review.

Sub-Zero

Not as big a deal, but still mildly amusing. Made to coincide with Batman & Robin, the movie was shelved for over a year until it was released quietly after the Batman-backlash died down. I remember hearing that the WB execs did this because they were embarrassed that Sub-Zero was a much better movie.

Return of the Joker

We all still remember this one. Weeks before this film was to be released, the WB execs got cold feet over the subject matter and forced the creative team to make changes to it. It took over a year of fan backlash to get the "director's cut" released.

***

By comparison, Mystery of the Batwoman came out with no trouble at all. It almost seems strange in a way -- as if I would have appreciated it more if there was some sort of problem with its release. Go figure.

[Simpler Simon]

I don't think Mask of the Phantasm would've done well financially either way - American audiences are just slow to pick up on feature animation thats not geared towards children - something that's true even today. And wasn't the film also given a very limited release? I think it's actually really cool that the movie even made it to the big screen.

Sub-Zero's an odd one. Except for a small paperback which I noticed on a bookstore one day, I had no idea there was even going to be a 2nd animated Batman film. I don't know how big the internet fan base was back then or how quickly the news of the delay would've got around, but being shelved for a year feels likes less of a deal than it would today - because I didn't even know about it.

ROTJ - nuff said.

Haven't seen Batwoman yet, but I think recasting Penguin is definitely grounds for controversy, so there we go. Maybe the less controversy, the better - it'll encourage WB to crank one of these out every year.

[Adam Tyner]

The film made about only a million in theaters, and was barely a blip on the radar -- Siskel and Ebert didn't even do a review.

Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=batmanmaskofthephantasm.htm) and Worldwide Box Office (http://www.worldwideboxoffice.com/index.cgi?order=worldwide&start=1900&finish=2003&keyword=mask+of+the+phantasm&links=amazon.com&popups=yes) both list a domestic theatrical gross of $5.6 million. Box Office Mojo also claims it was seen on 1,506 screens.

[ClockStomper]

What's annoying about Penguin's recasting is it sounds just like the original voice, only a bit more bland. Just stupid.

[TimTwoFace]

What made MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN not live up to the standards set by the previous three stories is simple: nothing major is going on. It's just another run-of-the-mill story. It's a decent story, but nothing that would stand out in Batman's career, like the other three stories did.

MASK OF THE PHANTASM had a very deep story that linked to Batman's origin, the present, his truest love, and most bitter enemy.

RETURN OF THE JOKER was another monumental story, in that one of Batman's worst foes comes back to terrorize Gotham City 50 years in the future. Had it not been for the awesome flashback scene, this movie would have been little more than an extended crossover and glorified special appearanceby the Joker. But because of what happened that one night, it's immediately deemed as something major.

SUB-ZERO is regarded by many as just a "drawn out episode". True, it doesn't have much to do with Batman's life, per se - of the four major characters, I'd actually say that he's the least important. It's a showcase of Barbara and acts as a graduation of sorts, but most importantly, it originally concluded the Mr. Freeze saga - an ongoing twisted romantic storyline that nearly every Bat-fan holds in very high regard.

MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN, really, is just a bunch of stuff that happens. Run of the mill crime spree, shipping weaponry, a few big fights with Bane, and three women flying around in mock-Batsuits.

-Tim

[Cyber E.]

Kelly Ripa is in it.

There is your controversy right there. =D

[Nick K.]

True, no real controversy. But its more of a laid back dtv compared to the other 3 darker ones, so i dont rly see y there should be. In the next dtv, if its dark, therell be.