Although its been dubbed by fans as "The Lost Episode" the compilation of animated cut scenes from 1995's The Adventures of Batman and Robin Sega CD game lack a complete plot - as significant story points were covered in the gameplay sections. Still, the 16 minutes of animated segments do contain some fun and in fact violent action scenes that are something any fan of BTAS would want to check out. Poison Ivy, Clayface, Riddler, Harley and of course the Joker are all along for the ride making this a somewhat more gratifying series conclusion than the official one.
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Episode Count: 0613
Series Count: (79 of 81)
I always forget about this episode. I don't know why. Its not quite the stand out that the previous two Riddler episodes were, but its still solid and it has a classic ending with Batman stumping the Riddler and it driving him mad.
One of the things that makes BTAS timeless was the retro modern approach to technology. Batman lives in a world with super computers and black and white monitors. Clearly the technology of the world developed differently from our own and that works most of the time. However, the inclusion of virtual reality which was all the rage in the 90's severely dates this episode. Nevertheless, I can roll with the idea that this is just how VR works in the world of BTAS - its based on the failed Nintendo Virtual Boy technology.
It was nearly half way through the series run that we finally got the introduction to one of the big Bat-foes, the Riddler. And once again, the series proves that it knows how to introduce baddies. While I don't esteem this episode as highly as the great origins of Clayface or Two-Face, this is a personal favorite thanks in no small part to the Minotaur's Maze set and the notorious flying hand of fate. No sharps indeed!
Riddle Me This was a bit of a mix-up. The short contained no less than 5 riddles with a DC universe theme and animations to match the punchlines. While I can't really imagine a series of Riddler shorts, this along with the Bizarro short offer a welcome focus on some of DC's underutilized villains. Dare I hope for shorts featuring Black Manta, Larfleeze, Cheetah, Solomon Grundy, or the Shadow Thief?
Making his triumphant post-Legion of Doom return was the enigmatic Riddler. The joy of seeing the Riddler was unfortunately mostly offset by the plot which turned the Super Friends into baby brains idiots. Lots of baby talk does not make a good episode.Also, a more accurate title would have been around the world in 2 riddles. Anyway, what does it say about the Riddler if he was still bested by the group of dummies? Its hard to feel too bad for Riddler. If he didn't want to lose he would drop the whole Riddle shtick.
Low prices were the law at the Canadian department store Zellers in the late 80's. A series of four animated advertisements were made for the store featuring an uber-exagerated Batman and the "nabbed four" most famous of his rouges (thanks to Batman '66): Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and Riddler. These are some of my favorite of the animated commercials that have been made over the years thanks to the high energy combined with classic designs. All four are a lot of fun though I would have to say the Catwoman is probably my favorite owing to her purple outfit and green cape. Stylish!
From this point on, the MAD shorts are probably going to continue dipping in quality since the best have already been used. At least the DC Nation version of this MAD short cut out some of the weaker material for time including a Joker subplot and I will admit, Batman's answers were funny. "Name something a penguin does?" I really don't like the designs of this sketch either which doesn't help my distaste. Still, its not a complete waste (ala Worlds Funnest) though I would still prefer other original material.
Taking a page out of Clayface's book, Riddler made his animation debut impersonating Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon. Though calling this 1001 Faces of the Riddler is a bit of an exaggeration, maybe 3 or 4 Faces of the Riddler would have been more accurate.
According to FirstShowing.net, a casting sheet reveals that El Riddler will in fact be dropping into Gotham in Batman 3. I expect this wont be a repeat of the Jim Carey pink haired take. This could be a good opportunity to showcase Batman's detectiving skills. If this turns out to be legit, it wont be too surprising. I think Riddler is pretty much the biggest name villain left for Nolan to use that lacks any superpowers. Now, add in the Black Mask or Catwoman and I'm sold (well, actually even with Crazy Quilt I would still be lining up for Batman 3).
In 2000, OnStar launched a successful ad campaign featuring Batman, Joker, Penguin, and Riddler to shill their product. Sure this wasn't an official "show," but the production value was decent and the inclusion of Alfred from the 90's Batman films convinced me to include this in the ongoing feature on Batman's history. Enjoy the clip featuring the six commercials edited together.
After the odd and dark nature of Batman Returns, The Brothers Warner pushed the pendulum back toward light and campy. Enter Jim Carrey, Robin, and lots of neon. The tone of this film was just a hint of what was yet to come.
In 1995, Jim Carrey was all the rage and his addition to the film as the Riddler helped pave the way toward a profitable $184 million box office take. Overall, the film was fairly well received. I don't know, I think people were just happy to get the taste of Batman Returns out of their mouths, they didn't realize how sour this new entry was, nor did they realize that an even sourer course was in the works.
In the movie, The Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder made acquaintance forming the Dynamic Duo. Although Robin's costume consisted of body armor, his comic book outfit was teased with his circus garb. Batman Forever also recast Batman with Val Kilmer. So, not only was the film given a lighter tone, but Batman himself got a new face. In fact, if it weren't for Alfred the Butler's consistent casting, this movie could easily be seen as a different continuity from the Tim Burton Batmen.
While some people complain about "too many villains" in Batman Returns, I think Penguin and Catwoman were balanced a bit better than were Two-Face and Riddler. I guess Riddler has a bit of a character arc, but Two-Face just seems like a stupid Riddler imitator. In fact, Two-Face in Batman Forever was one of the biggest wastes of a super villain in any movie (aside from Bane in Batman and Robin). And to think this was Two-Face's big screen debut. Still, I guess there are some things to like about this movie. First of all, Riddler's Edward Nigma persona is a very interesting mirrored take on Bruce Wayne. In fact, there is a lot about Riddler to like. His performance was over the top, but at least he made riddles, keeping fairly true to his comic book character (as opposed to Two-Face).
Unfortunately, the film also suffered from some last minute edits- scenes that among other thins would explain the movie's title. In the end, I would say this entry was an improvement on Batman Returns, but as over correction often leads to tragic traffic accidents, Batman Forever set the franchise into a frightful free fall.
Too many villains ruining your superhero movie? Then 1966's Batman movie, featuring FOUR big name super villains may not be for you. After the smash success of the first season of 1966's Batman live-action series, a feature film was "bat-apulted" into theaters. Its pretty crazy to think that they used to make movies so quickly, but to be fair, in a lot of ways (including actors and style) its just a long episode.
This first Batman film saw Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman teaming up to take on the Dynamic Duo. Good thing they wore masks, or their identities may have been compromised... Their nefarious scheme involved dehydrating members of the UN Security Council. Batman got plenty of chances to flex his wits, to use his utility belt-luckily it was stocked with bat-shark repellent- and to bust out a fleet of bat-themed vehicles (bat boat, chopper, and of course mobile).
The movie was a moderate success which led into two more seasons of the campy series.
