User Reviews

I remembered finding this animated movie really great as a kid, but the last time I watched it I did find it enjoyable but it ultimately left me wanting, and a little annoyed as the credits rolled.. Maybe it was the fairly predictable and weak plot that never went anywhere except exactly where I was expecting it to, or some of the visually impressive but not very exciting action sequences, but whatever the case to me it just falls noticeably flat somewhere, lacking any real depth or intrigue. It's not even that long of a movie but the pacing of it is horrible, it's so damn slow! The focus is all over the place and it just feels sort of dull and listless, continuously going back and forth between scenes of Batman investigating, and Barbara Gordon attempting to escape her captors. There's too much action and not enough meaningful exchanges between characters. And some of the animation techniques that were new at the time didn't work at all in my opinion. 'We have the CGI environment rendered and darn it, we're going to use it!' I hated it, I thought it was ugly, it completely stood out from the real animation, and it would just take me straight out of the story whenever I would see that. However, there are one or two things I do like about it, it has its redeeming qualities and doesn't miss the mark completely. I like how Barbara Gordon gains a little sympathy for Freeze's plight once she learns why she's been abducted, and how Batman still feels compassion for the character even after all that he's done, and then deep regret that he couldn't save him from his assumed demise. And what I most appreciate about this picture is the way that it so perfectly wraps up Mr.Freeze's story arc in the bittersweet and memorable final scene. It's very moving to see Victor shed tears of happiness, and that in itself is a very beautiful and poignant moment, but to me it alone isn't enough to make this a very good movie. ::: It always seemed to me that whenever they would use Freeze in the animated series they would always try and fail to duplicate the magnificent lightning in a bottle that was "Heart of Ice", and sadly this too botches the recipe. Mr.Freeze is distinctly a little 'off' somewhere in this. He seems to seriously lack the deep pathos to his personally and bearing that he so effortlessly had before, and he was a lot more angrier this time around. And I know that's easily explained by the way that the situation is more urgent, there's no time, his wife is at death's door, but I found it a little hard to sympathise with a Mr.Freeze who's perfectly fine with killing a young girl, even if it is to save his beloved. I mean jeez, they couldn't even manage to give the guy one great line!? I mean he says one decent sentence right at the beginning when he compares his wife's frozen beauty to a flower he has found on the tundra, but that's it! It's the tragic and Shakespearean dialogue that made the character what he was and elevated him so beautifully in the series in the first place! I think the character would have greatly benefited if the movie had took the time to show a couple of flashbacks of he and his wife in happier times, as well as a moment where he has some kind of realisation that all he had to do all along was to just ask Batman for help, and therefore learn that the world just possibly isn't the cold heartless place that he's come to believe it is. But that never happens, and so he just feels underdeveloped and stretched-thin in his appearance here. Something was lost in translation... This animated feature almost succeeds but it just about falls short. Anyway, as always watch it and judge for yourself, and please stay chilly!

this film was sort of film that you find difficult to describe as a good or a bad film, it was an okay film with both okay story and action scenes, But my biggest problem with this film was the story line which is the same story line in every film or TV episode the MR. Freeze starring in it . And i kept asking myself the whole time while watching it why producers decided to made it even it was released a year after ( Batman & Robin) which was made exactly a year before this one ( maybe the wasn't happy about because it was a big flop). Anyway i only recommend this film if you're a Batman fan, it's a fine film with fine action scenes but please don't except to watch a great film such as Batman Make of the phantasm.

Batman Subzero is what Batman and Robin should have been. This movie, like Mask of The Phantasm, is a animated movie based on Bruce Timm's animated series. This movie is one of my favorite batman movies both animated and live action. It's in the top 10. Compare to Mask of the Phantasm, this film is kind of underwhelming, but a good film nevertheless.

Subzero is based on an episode of the animated series called Hearts in Ice, which centers around the villain Mr. Freeze. Like many incarnations in this universe this Mr. Freeze is my favorite incarnation of the character. In the old comics and in Batman and Robin he was a generic bad bad bent on world domination. In this movie, he is more of a tragic character. Freeze's wife has an incurable disease, and he is trying to come-up with a cure. This plot element is the driving factor for the film.

The other main characters were good as well. Kevin Conroy as Batman is always great. He is my favorite Batman. Robin was okay. Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is okay as well, though she is mostly the damsel in distress in this film. Her relationship with Robin was pretty nice.

The art and animation is great as usual. The score is good as well. Most of the music is from the animated series.

The problem that I have with this film, and that others might have as well, is that it is basically a rehash of Hearts in Ice. If you have watched the series and seen that episode, you might be a bit disappointed. It basically has the same plot as the episode except extended. This movie is not in the same league as Mask of the Phantasm. However, it is still a fun and entertaining movie. This movie did take itself seriously and treated the viewers like adults, unlike Batman and Robin.

Overall, this film is an example of what Batman and Robin should have been. I think it is criminal that this went straight to video, and Batman and Robin got into theaters.

Ever since i can remember Mr. freeze has always been one of my favorite super villains, and the thing is, hes not a traditional villain, like he doesn't just rob banks or kill people for fun he does it with purpose, and that purpose is to revive his wife. In this movie Nora freeze looks like an angel floating in a tube of frozen ice, ever since i was a kid that powerful image always resonated with me, and i understood why freeze was so radical in trying to protect her and save her from her ice prison. But to truly understand this version of freeze i recommend you watch the batman the animated series episodes " heart of ice" and "deep freeze"that perfectly introduce Mr. freeze and his motivations for being a villain and it just flows wonderfully with this movie, i know, if a movie needs to rely on a show to make it better than its not a good movie, right. Wrong, I actually watched this movie before those 2 episodes as a kid, and i thought this was already a great movie to begin with, but if you watch those 2 episodes before this movie, it feels like an epic. At the beginning of this movie you get a glimpse of what Mr. freeze was probably like before his accident, it shows him adopting a little boy, has 2 loyal polar bear friends and taking care of his frozen wife... and then a submarine literally pops out of the ground under them. This movie is also less of a superhero film and more of a dramatic thriller, since it focuses on a desperate mr. freeze trying to save his wife's life.This movie is actually a lot more profound than i remember. For example, in order to save his wife, Mr. Freeze needs to give her an organ transplant from a still living human girl ( A family picture), the tension gets very high as it gets closer to surgery time, also the fighting is a bit intense in this film then in other animated films, it has explosions, gunfire and a truly spectacular boat death at the end. The final showdown is grandiose with explosion after explosion, it feels like you should play opera music over it. Speaking of music, i truly enjoyed the charming 50s-60s soundtrack throughout the film, especially during the romantic scenes between dick gray son and Barbra Gordon, it just makes their relationship the more endearing. The animation is interesting, the 2d looks great ( i love the jazz club scene), the 3d cgi can sometimes look off putting but can look great in certain scenes like the motorcycle chase. A lot of people have told me they don't like this movie because batman is barely in it, and to be fair this is the climax to Mr. freezes story, so it makes sense batman would not be included as much. Mr. Freeze is one of the most tragic villains in fiction, and his portrayal in this movie and the show is one of his best versions, and his dialogue is just so good. ( Freeze is talking to his frozen wife) "I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow, someplace... someplace where a warm hand waits for mine". The ending of this movie is very bittersweet, especially if you have seen the entire batman the animated series and it always leaves me feeling emotional. I hope Mr. freezes story and this movie will thaw the most cynical hearts of ice.

If Mask of the Phantasm compliments the first 70 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, Subzero compliments the 15 episodes that comprise the Adventures of Batman and Robin. Mr. Freeze is one of my top favorite villains in this show thanks to Michael Ansara's magnificent portrayal of a tortured man, who although dead to emotions is more determined than ever to save the life of his dying wife Nora. I love this movie better than Mask of the Phantasm because being a Batman and Robin fan, I was thrilled that Robin was included in this Direct to Video Release. Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester are once again, superb in their roles as Batman and Robin. Regarding Batgirl, I was not exactly happy that she was in costume only briefly, but as Barbara Gordon, she was great as a damsel in distress, but still able to take care of herself, just like in the Heart of Steel 2 part episode. We even see a potential romance develop between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. Dick's wild motorcycle ride after Freeze's van is definitely worth seeing. The animation quality is even better than ever, partially due to CGI, but hey! I'm not complaining.

It's interesting to note two voice overs in this movie, George Dzunda (Scarface and the Ventriloquist and Perry White on Superman) is the voice of Dr. Gregory Belson and Dean Jones (Disney's Herbie the Love Bug movies) is the voice of Belson's Stockbroker.

My biggest gripe about this movie was the fact that WB decided to wait an entire year before releasing it. I felt they should have gone ahead and released it in the summer of 1997 so people could have enjoyed a better "Batman and Robin" movie than the abomination that Schumacher made. By airing the WB episodes first and then releasing this movie in 1998 was a mistake I felt. Why? Because if you saw the WB episode "Cold Comfort" you would already know the upcoming fate of Nora Fries, so WB's decision to bump the release spoiled the surprise of this delightful movie for everyone.

Of all the three animated Batman movies, I felt that Subzero is by far, the best of the three. It's also the last time we see the Batman characters in the Fox style before their revamps on the WB network, plus, with the exception of the "Old Wounds" episode, it's Dick Grayson's last adventure as Robin. And my hats off to the late Mary Kay Bergman, who voiced over Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in this movie. Like Mask of the Phantasm, I highly recommend Subzero for purchase or rental.