2
(nothing substantial)
7
(some mild superhero violence)
4
(might be worth seeing for fans)
Batman and Superman: best of the best and polar opposites in so many ways yet both dedicated to the preservation of life. As much if not more than any other DC heroes these two are defined by their unwillingness to take a life even in the face of their own deaths or in reaction to the most heinous crimes.
Other than that they have few similarities. Batman is human by which I mean he was both born on Earth and is mortal like any regular man. Superman is alien and super human. One is linked to sunlight, the other exists in the shadow of night. One is millionaire fending off reporters (OK that may be stretching it a little) while the other is a reporter fending off millionaire industrialists (as in Lex). In "The Batman Superman Movie" (sometimes called “World's Finest”) they come together to fight the same villains…. and each other.
Working off the Bruce Timm style this follows the continuity of Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as Joker, and Tim Daly as Superman with Shirley Walker music. The style is a little more corny than what I prefer – less dark than "Batman the Animated Series" despite being more or less a continuation of that series (“extension” might be a better word to use). There are silly jokes and slapstick humor some of which made me laugh and some which made this feel decidedly like a kid's show (which of course it is).
The story can't compare to "Mask of the Phanstasm" or "Return of the Joker." However, it is fun in the way that it mixes up the character interactions. Lois falls for Bruce Wayne who faces off against Lex Luthor while Superman has to deal with Joker. How do they all get involved? It starts with Joker who has a plan to kill off Superman if Lex will pay him to do it. Batman gets wind of it and heads to Metropolis.
It's the heroes teaming up to face the combined might of the villains, but neither team really gets along. The conflicts, particularly between Batman and Superman, are pretty fun. Superman uses his his x-ray vision to discover Batman's true identity not counting on the dark knight's resourcefulness to figure out who Clark Kent is. From there it's a back and forth with each one coming to the others rescue but not allowing him the upper hand. It's easy to feel like Batman is overpowered at first, but Supes gets an opportunity to show his worth.
My primary problem is with the villains. I love Mark Hamill's Joker as much as any toon villain ever, but looking back on the major Batman stories that have come out since the 90's it seems like too few of the other villains get any screen time. I've felt that way about Lex for as long as there have been Superman movies. Can't we get someone else in a Superman story every once in a while? Even with movies involving Zod and Doomsday Lex seems to have to be with them in the forefront. When we did get another villain in "Superman 3" we still got a Lex wannabe.
Aside from my desire to have some other villains used, I have no real complaints about Joker and Lex or any of the other characters in this. This acting team has not stuck with these characters for so long for no reason. They all do a great job. The voice talent is one of the best elements of this movie.
The animation is not as somber as what I'm used to, as I said before, but that's purely personal preference. I'm partial to darker movies and like Batman more than Superman in general. Even so, the animation occasionally feels like Looney Tunes which is out of place.
Morality
Like any comic book action related project this has violence in the way of fighting. It's true comic book, style though: nobody gets seriously injured.
There is no strong language, sex, or nudity. It's kid-friendly.
Spirituality
I would be surprised if any real spirituality actually appeared in a show like this. We're dealing with heroes who I feel are good examples for kids since we are supposed to care about and want to help others. They do so in the name of justice. While that is a limited view of what is good without God in the picture it is still universally noble.
Final Thoughts
It's an OK movie. I guess if we're going to have a Batman Superman cross-over it stands to reason that we would have their biggest nemesis along for the ride. Still, I'm not all that impressed with the story compared to the others I mentioned or the quality. I would prefer something a little deeper and more complex, but at the same time I enjoy putting this in for kids in the family to watch.
Buying Guide
"The Batman Superman Movie" (AKA “World's Finest”) is available on DVD with few buying options.
Basically you can get the movie on DVD by itself or as a double-feature with "The Batman vs. Dracula." I have not seen a Blu version available.
As far as I can tell the version of the movie that came with my double-feature is exactly the same as the stand-alone release. The only difference is that there's another movie on the reverse side of my disc.
Final Recommendation:
This is not a must-have on any front, but it's a cheap addition to any Batman or Superman collection especially if you're including Bruce Timm animation. The double-feature gives the most bang for your buck since it includes all the extras from the original release.
The double-feature with "The Batman vs. Dracula" is a single double-sided DVD with 1 movie per side. Both movies have a compliment of extras and appear the same versions you would get if you bought each one individually.
Video
1.33:
This is the TV standard ratio. The picture is surprisingly trashy and even a little shaky at times. I might expect that from something older, but I thought this would be cleaner. I mean it's not awful, but it's noticeable.
Audio
2.0 Dolby:
It's clean but not particularly strong. There is at least some fill in the back channels which helps.
Packaging
The case is standard plastic.
The interface is simple using only a static image and music loop.
Extras
-Cast & Crew: A list of the primary actors. It only covers the main heroes and villains as well as some of the crew. It doesn't even list Bob Hastings as Gordon.
-The Joker's Challenge: This is a game. Start by choosing either Batman or Superman. From there you will search scenes for clues selecting what you think is the most important. With each selection you are treated to a clip from the show. If you remember the events of the story the game is quite easy. There's no reward for winning other than another show clip.
-Conversation with Producer Bruce Timm (5:08) Bruce talks about getting to work with Batman and Superman.
-The Art of Batman (2:58) A few minutes of art as a music video showing off storyboards and concept art along with the final product set to some upbeat techno music. The art flashes by far too fast to really enjoy it.
-Get the Picture Batman (1:42) A music video style view of a high-speed closeup as an artist sketches Batman. It's kind of cool but is not actually the “how-to” kind of feature the product listing makes it sound like.
-Get the Picture Superman (0:59) Another music video style drawing feature.
-Trailer (1:11) Showing off the teamup and villains and DVD extras. We get a trailer for this movie.
-Previews: Check out a variety of other Batman projects as well as Scooby-Doo presented in a menu.