Author's note, November 16, 2004: This film represents the end of an era, as it's the last time we're likely to see the Timm-Dini version of Batman. In the fall of 2004, Warner Brothers introduced its latest incarnation of the Batman series, simply entitled The Batman and airing Saturday mornings. So far, the series has yet to live up to the reputation of the Timm-Dini classic series, let alone the film reviewed here.

Mystery of the Batwoman is the latest in a long line of direct-to-video films spun off from the now-classic Warner Brothers’ Batman: The Animated Series. I’ve probably written more words about this series than any other topic on this website, and for good reason – the series is simply the best-animated adaptation of an American superhero comic book. The creators of the series knew, and loved, the history of the Batman comics and consistently delighted their audience. For the first time, however, Warner Brothers has delivered an uneven direct-to-video Batman movie.

The plot of the film, as written by Michael Reeves, is quite strong, and it’s always a treat to hear the voice actors from the original series. Kevin Conroy has played Batman more often than any other actor, including Adam West, and once more he excels at playing the Caped Crusader. In this installment, a mysterious new vigilante named Batwoman appears in Gotham City, and Batman isn’t happy with her reckless brand of justice even as she consistently causes grief for both the Penguin and crime boss Rupert Thorne. Late in the story line, the Penguin recruits Bane as a reinforcement; there’s little dramatic reason for this aside from providing Batman with a physically demanding challenge in the film’s finale.

There actually was a Batwoman in the Batman comics in the 1950s, and the Batwoman in this film resembles the Batgirl in the current comics continuity, so it was nice to see several allusions to the comics woven into the film. Thankfully, there are no references to the unauthorized Batwoman that appeared in an awful Spanish-language knock off of the TV series in the 1960s.

Unfortunately, most of the animation in Mystery of the Batwoman is downright awful. The decision to stick with the more streamlined and cartoony designs of the series in its latter, weaker days was a poor one. The drama and action are consistently undercut by stiffly moving figures, and awkward movement. In the past, the Warner’s direct-to-video product was so good that it could have been theatrically released. This time, however, the animation isn’t even as good as most current TV series. It’s little wonder why this film was released with so little fanfare; almost none of the animation can compare to the wonderful work done on the original Batman: The Animated Series.

Given the poor quality of the animation, this is a film that will appeal only to fans nostalgic for the TV series. I wish that I could more highly recommend Mystery of the Batwoman, but can only suggest that you rent this film, then check out Return of the Joker (reviewed here ) for real thrills.

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