Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 3.1/5 stars
Halloween is a scary enough night as is, but it's double the terror in Gotham City. As the locals occupy themselves with trick-or- treating, that clown prince of crime known as the Joker (voice of Troy Baker) launches his latest campaign of terror. With the help of such monstrous miscreants as Silver Banshee (voice of Kari Wuhrer), Solomon Grundy (voice of Fred Tatasciore), Scarecrow (voice of Brian T. Delaney), and Clayface (voice of Dave B. Mitchell), the Joker turns all of the city's technology against its citizens and declares himself supreme ruler. Thankfully, Batman (voice of Roger Craig Smith) is on the hunt, recruiting Nightwing (voice of Will Friedle), Red Robin (voice of Yuri Lowenthal), and Green Arrow (voice of Chris Diamantopoulos) to see justice served before it's too late.
With this year's colorful but unexciting "Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts" proving such a bummer, my hopes for its follow-up, "Monster Mayhem", tripping any triggers were fairly dim. Luckily, this futuristic take on the Dark Knight is a marked improvement in terms of humor, action, and overall style. It has a far less rocky go at making sure its tone isn't too gloomy for kids but still flashy and chaotic enough not to give older viewers a lame impression. Using monster-themed members of Batman's infamous rogues gallery seems a novel way to do just that, allowing the movie to have fun while still retaining a freaky edge. Even the Joker comes out looking pretty good, remaining off-kilter and intimidating despite having some of his scarier traits played down.
The film still experiences some of the tired quips that plagued its predecessor, and while all of its crazy sci-fi imagery appears cool for the most part, I'd be fibbing if I said the story doesn't get too hokum in the second half or that the Caped Crusader's climactic virtual reality showdown against the Joker didn't absolutely go off- the- rails. Overall, "Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem" isn't among the be- cowled one's most sterling adventures as far as DC's animated, direct-to- video universe goes, but for something that will be dismissed by many as a glorified toy commercial, it's more lively and inventive than it lets on.
Rating: 3.1/5 stars
Halloween is a scary enough night as is, but it's double the terror in Gotham City. As the locals occupy themselves with trick-or- treating, that clown prince of crime known as the Joker (voice of Troy Baker) launches his latest campaign of terror. With the help of such monstrous miscreants as Silver Banshee (voice of Kari Wuhrer), Solomon Grundy (voice of Fred Tatasciore), Scarecrow (voice of Brian T. Delaney), and Clayface (voice of Dave B. Mitchell), the Joker turns all of the city's technology against its citizens and declares himself supreme ruler. Thankfully, Batman (voice of Roger Craig Smith) is on the hunt, recruiting Nightwing (voice of Will Friedle), Red Robin (voice of Yuri Lowenthal), and Green Arrow (voice of Chris Diamantopoulos) to see justice served before it's too late.
With this year's colorful but unexciting "Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts" proving such a bummer, my hopes for its follow-up, "Monster Mayhem", tripping any triggers were fairly dim. Luckily, this futuristic take on the Dark Knight is a marked improvement in terms of humor, action, and overall style. It has a far less rocky go at making sure its tone isn't too gloomy for kids but still flashy and chaotic enough not to give older viewers a lame impression. Using monster-themed members of Batman's infamous rogues gallery seems a novel way to do just that, allowing the movie to have fun while still retaining a freaky edge. Even the Joker comes out looking pretty good, remaining off-kilter and intimidating despite having some of his scarier traits played down.
The film still experiences some of the tired quips that plagued its predecessor, and while all of its crazy sci-fi imagery appears cool for the most part, I'd be fibbing if I said the story doesn't get too hokum in the second half or that the Caped Crusader's climactic virtual reality showdown against the Joker didn't absolutely go off- the- rails. Overall, "Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem" isn't among the be- cowled one's most sterling adventures as far as DC's animated, direct-to- video universe goes, but for something that will be dismissed by many as a glorified toy commercial, it's more lively and inventive than it lets on.