Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

SubZero is a good movie that plays almost like it was a three part episode of the series but it really doesn't rise to the level of epicness of the Mask of the Phantasm. That's not to say its not terribly enjoyable, because it truly is.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Deep Freeze

 From the return of the cold and calculating Mr. Freeze to the interesting Easter eggs and homages peppered throughout, this was a massively entertaining episode.Who would have thought that anyone would crave Mr. Freeze's curse? But I suppose some would rather live forever than enjoy the life they have. Kind of funny given urban legends that it was a Walt Disney look-alike who wanted to cryogenically freeze himself. The portrayal of Freeze was once again solid. Yes, he is a villain, but only so far as his actions would help save his wife.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman Villain Tiptoes

No, these aren't shows, but these gifs of Bat-foes tip toeing are mighty mesmerizing.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Heart of Ice

I will spare the suspense. This is the finest episode of the series and will presumably be #1 on my "Ones to Watch" list (by the way, Over the Edge is the best of the New Batman Adventures). I suppose there is a chance some other episode will catch me off guard, but my mind is pretty made up by now. Heart of Ice did a few amazing things. First and foremost, it made Mr. Freeze an A-list villain (which has sadly been undone by lackluster depictions in other shows; and lets not even mention Arnold). 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Deep Freeze

 Oddly, this depiction of Mr. Freeze sounded like he was doing a bad Arnold Schwarzenegger impression (with a little Count Dracula mixed in) as he fanned himself with a Popsicle. We even got plenty of ice puns including Batman saying, "Freeze Freeze!" or was it "Freeze, freeze!"

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Cool, Cruel Mr. Freeze

"But what's this? An ice cream man from outer space?" The ice cream man aka Mr. Freeze (making his animated debut) demanded 1 BILLION dollars, Dr. Evil style, or else he would freeze Gotham. Somehow, millionaire Bruce Wayne managed to pony up the billion to bait the trap. But stupidly, Batman and Robin accidentally let Mr. Freeze get the money which started off a whole sequence of inane events.

Onscreen History of Mr Freeze

 

Although initially named Mr. Zero, Victor Fries made his debut in 1959's Batman #121 before claiming the chillier name Mr. Freeze in the 1960s. Freeze is arguably the best known and premier ice-based character among all of DC's characters.

Evolution of the Batman (and Robin) - Batman: Sub Zero

After a delay resulting from Batman and Robin fallout, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero was released direct to video in early 1998. There were a number of parallels between this and Batman and Robin, but this animated and short (67 minutes) movie is vastly superior. Set in the continuity and style of Batman: The Animated Series, the story focused more on Robin and Batgirl and involved Mr. Freeze's great lengths taken to save his dying wife from a rare disease. Definitely worth checking out, even if its not quite as good as the Mask of the Phantasm.

Up Next: Batman Beyond

Batman Serial * Batman and Robin Serial * Batman '66 TV * Batman '66 Movie * Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder * Batman on Scooby Doo * Batman the Super Friend * The New Adventures of Batman * Batman '89 * Batman Returns * Batman: The Animated Series * Batman: Mask of the Phantasm * Batman Forever * Batman and Robin * The New Batman Adventures * Boo Wonder * Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

* Special Musical Edition * Special Christmas Edition *

Evolution of the Batman (and Robin) - Batman and Robin

Thumper (or was it Thumper's mom) used to say, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all). I am going to take that advice and am not going to say nothing about Batman and Robin. Batman Forever lightened things up and did pretty well, so I guess the gang thought, "Hey lets add more neon, more nipples, more sidekicks, more villains, more jokes. That should be good, right?" Wrong. In 1997, Batman and Robin made just $107 million on a budget of $127 million. Not only that, but it put the Batman franchise "on ice" (haha) for nearly 10 years and almost killed the comic book genre before it began. I think it is safe to say, this was Batman's lowest point in his on screen career. It could only go up from here.

Its really hard to pinpoint the worst element of Batman and Robin. There are just so many candidates, but most of the negatives lead to the conclusion that the movie was intended to introduce and sell action figures and toys rather than entertain. Batman Forever had Robin, so of course Batman and Robin needed Batgirl (whose costume was surprisingly nippleless). And each of the heroes had not only their normal ugly costumes, but some silver embossed "special edition" variation.

Then there was Mr. Freeze. Oh my, the one-liners never stopped. Sadly, the movie writers took the reinvented and beloved origin given to Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series, and made it suck.

And since you can only sell so many Freeze toys, we were given Poison Ivy and Bane as well. Poison Ivy on her own wasn't that bad, but watching Batman and Robin fight over her was. And it sure was convenient that Batman had his own Bat-credit card on hand to impress her. He "never leaves the cave without it." Yikes.

Freeze and Ivy were bad, but Bane was ridiculous. The villain was reduced to a moronic Hulk-like stooge that doubled as a driver. This may very well be the worst use of any major super villain in any super hero film.

Its safe to say, fans were disappointed and plans for Batman 5 AKA Batman triumphant were canceled. That film actually sounds interesting, introducing Scarecrow and Harley Quinn (possibly played by Madonna) making Batman think the Joker has returned. But I am pretty sure what we ended up with in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is worth not ever getting that sequel.




There is actually a fan edit of the film called Batman and Robin De-Assified, which literally "deassified" the movie by cutting all the close-up butt and crotch shots., lame jokes, and zany sound effects. The streamlined 66 minute film is reportedly not that bad but some of the bad parts had to stay in to keep the film's continuity. Basically, most of this stuff was cut:

Up Next: The New Batman Adventures

Batman Serial * Batman and Robin Serial * Batman '66 TV * Batman '66 Movie * Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder * Batman on Scooby Doo * Batman the Super Friend * The New Adventures of Batman * Batman '89 * Batman Returns * Batman: The Animated Series * Batman: Mask of the Phantasm * Batman Forever * Batman and Robin

* Special Musical Edition *