Flist

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003) dir. Curt Geda

Gotham City is once again the scene of crime. In this case, Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot, Rupert "Boss" Thorne and Carlton "I've Been Here All Along" DuQuesne, three crimelords, have joined forces in an arms smuggling deal. It's perhaps not surprising when a bat-winged silhouette falls on the truck carrying a shipment of advanced weaponry, but it is a bit of a shock that it's not Batman, but a new vigilante known as the Batwoman. The Caped Crusader is just as baffled as the criminals. Although it's admirable that she is fighting crime, Batwoman is not as careful as she should be about endangering human life. Like, it's pretty clear she's willing to kill criminals.

It's quickly established that this is not Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon in a new costume, as she's out of town. And Bruce Wayne instantly rejects the suggestion from Tim "Robin" Drake that it might be Selina "Catwoman" Kyle, as she's also not the "uses guns" type. Batman begins investigating the mystery of the Batwoman as she's too dangerous to leave running around on her own.

We are quickly introduced to three suspects. Cathy DuQuesne, bitter daughter of Carlton; Roxanne "Rocky Ballantine, brilliant but clumsy scientist; and Detective Sonia Alcana, Harvey Bullock's new partner on the police force. Each of them is about the right age and build, each has a motivation to take down at least one of the criminals, and each is offstage at least some of the time when Batwoman is present. And you're not going to figure it out from the voice, because Batwoman has her own voice actor.

This animated movie takes place in the Batman the Animated Series continuity, somewhere shortly after the television series ended as Tim Drake is visibly older, but no one else seems to have changed much. (There's a small continuity glitch with Barbara, but we'll ignore that for now.)

Interestingly, because this Batwoman was going to be a harsher, less heroic character than the long-dead comic book Batwoman, Kathy Kane, DC Comics asked that she not be used. Instead, one of the suspects has a similar name. (In 2006, the comics would reboot Batwoman as Kate Kane, a harsher character than Batman, at least at first.)

The mystery is decently set up, but comics savvy viewers will figure out the truth pretty quickly, even if they didn't have it spoiled for them. We as the audience have clues that Batman does not, after all.

There's some decent action, especially once the Penguin hires Bane as additional muscle. The romance angle is...okay, but we all know it isn't going to last past the ending credits. The voice actors are on target, and Kevin Conroy does an excellent Batman.

The DVD version comes with a dialogueless short, "Chase Me", in which Batman chases Catwoman after a robbery, and the sexual tension is high. Or is it just Bruce Wayne's memory/daydream? I like the sax music.

Content note: Comic book violence, including gunfire. Some minor injuries, a little blood. Deaths have occurred in the backstory and are discussed. Batwoman is willing to kill, but no one actually dies during the movie. (Okay, sure, Bane falls into flames. But like that's going to kill him? And if you've seen Batman Beyond, which aired before the movie came out, he turns up alive there.) Some younger children might need adult guidance.

Oh, and this movie has one of the smartest criminal goons in the franchise.

This film matches the high quality of the TV series it's based on (and there's a couple of scenes with even better animation) and has a satisfying plot. Recommended to Batman fans (though maybe not to Batwoman fans as this is not any of the comic book versions.)