Glen here...

...with another review of Batman Beyond, which debuts this Sunday (January 10) on
The WB. This review is from AICN's friend, operative, and confidant: the roundly abused and
thoroughly under-appreciated ROBOGEEK!

Here's what ROBO had to say about this new incarnation of the Batman animated
franchise. While Robogeek's tastes frequently parallel mine (except in the case of Porko
Rosso(sp?), in which he didn't seem to notice...or mind...that the main character was
(inexplicably) a pig-man who flew airplanes, while everyone else around him was human).
Therefore, you'll see some similarities between HREF="http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=2759"> my initial review of Batman
Beyond and his.

Reversely, Robo is an extremely intelligent and hyper perceptive entity,
sometimes more so than even myself (I know, I know - that's hard to imagine...ahem). He's got some
interesting and perceptive points and questions here - I hope you enjoy them.

So, without further meaningless intrusion for me, here's ROBOGEEK's review of Batman
Beyond!

Greetings from the West Coast branch of the HREF="http://www.banzai-institute.com">Banzai Institute, where I've
been vacationing for the holidays and getting my annual tune-up. I've
had quite a few adventures here in the past month -- mainly involving
potatoes, but I can't really talk about that until I get the okay from
Reno.

Anyway, the other day I was undergoing an upgrade session in the
cybernetics lab when Scooter raced in with a look of giddy glee on his
face. Firmly clutched in his hand was a videotape.

"Guess what I got?" he asked with exuberance, shaking with such
excitement that he almost knocked over one of the potato experiments.

After exchanging a mystified glance with me, Dr. Hikita turned slowly to
face our zestful visitor. Gazing up over the rim of his spectacles, he
cautiously queried, "A... videotape?"

Scooter sighed in exasperation, rolled his eyes impatiently, and
actually stomped his foot. "The premiere of Batman Beyond! Right here,
baby!"

"Shugoi!" Hikita exclaimed, grabbing me by the arm and leading me to the
screening room with surprising haste. Once there, we paged the rest of
those available, and Mrs. Johnson even brought out a batch of her famous
cinnamon buns, fresh the oven. Oh, how I love Mrs. Johnson and her buns!

Soon, we were all sitting with childlike anticipation as the tape
entered the VCR.

"Who's the man?" Scooter trumpeted enthusiastically as he pushed "play."

"You're the man, Scooter," came the familiar response from Reno. Perfect
Tommy stifled a giggle, but Buckaroo just smiled, zen-like.

As most of you no doubt know, I am an enormous fan of "The New Batman /
Superman Adventures" on Kids WB, from Warner Bros. television animation.
In fact, I think it is one of the ten best shows on television (though
technically, I suppose, it's three distinct series -- the original
Batman animated series, the new Superman animated series, and the
new/revamped Batman animated series).

For some time now, I and many fellow fans have eagerly awaited a new
show from this brilliant team of storytellers, led by Paul Dini, Bruce
Timm and Alan Burnett. Originally we heard it was to be called "Batman
Tomorrow," but it was ultimately dubbed "Batman Beyond" -- a title which
still confounds me, and defies logic at least as much as, say, "Batman
Forever."

You may have seen the new character design at the end of the fantastic
(and highly recommended) new "Batman Animated" book, or seen the opening
title sequence in a tiny HREF="http://www.quicktime.com">Quicktime movie online at HREF="http://www.batman-beyond.com">www.batman-beyond.com. And this
Sunday, you'll finally get to see the two-part, hour-long series
premiere on the WB -- in prime-time.

Simply put, this show is really pretty cool, and you should definitely
check it out for yourself. It puts Warner Bros.' recent feature film
efforts to shame -- though, for me, it doesn't quite match the level of
work being done in the current/redesigned Batman animated series.
Watching it, I couldn't help but think "This is a worthy _companion_ to
the current Batman animated series, but not quite a worthy
_replacement_." It's a treat to get something new and fresh -- but I
wouldn't dream of trading it for the Batman I know and love.

And that's the inherent dilemma facing anyone attempting to review this
new series -- and why it took so long to write this. I know that what I
_should_ do here is review "Batman Beyond" purely on its own merits, on
its own terms, separate and distinct from the Batman Animated Series.
However, I simply can't do that. I can only examine it in _context_,
using the show I know and love as a frame of reference. And while that
may not be fair (which I freely admit), that's what it comes down to.
And that means this new series has a lofty standard to uphold, and an
imposing legacy to live up to.

The film opens with a fantastic three-minute prologue, obstensively
chronicling a fifty-something Bruce Wayne's last adventure as Batman
(post-Dark Knight?) in a cybernetically-enhanced Batsuit that augments
his strength and, to a degree, counters the limitations imposed by his
age. But even technology has its limits, as Wayne learns the hard way.
And, through this encounter, he comes full circle in a very poetic way;
there are no supervillains, only petty thugs with guns -- kidnappers, to
be precise. To say anything more would ruin it. But it's inspired, with
the help of the familiar symphonic Batman score.

And then, after the prologue ends, we enter a whole new world --
introduced by the new series' exceedingly cool, heavily anime-influenced
opening title sequence, which features some really nice 3D CG, and a
pulsating techno-rock theme. It's certainly an attention grabber.

We fade in to Gotham City which bears a striking
resemblance to Neo-Tokyo. Then we get an all-too-Robocop-esque news
cast, which feeds us some expositional narrative; mega-industrialist
Derek Powers has taken over Wayne Enterprises through hostile takeovers.
This is interrupted by the awkward appearance of one of the members of
the "Joker Gang," who holds up a passenger on some sort of
tram/bus/elevator thing -- only to be dissuaded by Terry McGinnis, on
his way to school. Against this scene is decidedly less cool music than
we heard in the main title -- self-conscious electric guitar to match
the self-conscious dialogue. "Uh-oh," I thought.

In fact, the entire show blatantly exhibits the influence of anime (i.e.
"Bubblegum Crisis" and "Akira" in particular) and films such as
"Robocop" and "Blade Runner." And while that sounds cool in concept,
being brought face-to-face with its execution is pretty disorienting and
distracting. This just doesn't _feel_ like Gotham City anymore. It's
different. In fact, it fits more closely to what I'd imagine a
futuristic, hyper-evolved Metropolis would look like, not Gotham. I'm
not saying it's a bad thing, just that it's... very _there_. The Gotham
City of the original Batman animated series is a triumph of production
design, exceeded only by the revamped Batman animated series. This new,
future Gotham struck me as being inconsistent with its roots -- not just
the strict architecture, but the whole color palette. Fans of the
current Batman series may find it jarring and disorienting.

Anyway, after a brief scene of Terry in a high school wrestling match,
we cut to Wayne Powers Industries, where Terry's dad gets an urgent call
from an associate. They meet, and just after the
mystery-sickness-stricken associate hands over a disc, the two are
interrupted by Mr. Fix, Powers' Odd-Job-evoking henchman (voiced
unmistakably by Captain Sulu), whose goons drug and cart off the
stricken associate.

We then meet Derek Powers, who comes across as Lex Luthor by way of the
Robocop School of Neo-Corporate Fascism. The plot continues to unfold in
an almost utilitarian fashion, as Terry's dad uncovers the secrets
contained in the disk -- and confronts the challenges of being a single
dad to Terry. Up through this point, it's all distressingly ho-hum. Then
we follow Terry out on a date into Neo-Gotham's nightlife, and _it_
happens. While standing in line outside a club, the Joker Gang appears.

Let me explain. Ever seen Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira"? Well, the Joker
Gang is a blatant and lame watered-down rip-off of that film's Clown
Gang biker terrorists. I was stunned. My heart sunk. "This sucks," I
thought -- which is something I almost _never_ think while watching the
Batman animated series. (Although I do remember thinking while watching
the "Livewire" episode of the Superman animated series, but I
digress...)

After a paint-by-numbers motorcycle chase sequence that doesn't even
approach those found in anime works such as "Akira" or "Bubblegum
Crisis," something finally happens. The chase dead-ends at the gates of
Wayne Manor -- disturbing a none-too-pleased seventy-something Bruce
Wayne's midnight walk.

Wow. Once Wayne is on screen, everything changes. It's very, very cool.
Kevin Conroy's performance as the aged, reclusive, embittered Bruce
Wayne is absolutely fanastic, and the character design is perfect. And
while I won't give away the scene, there's something _so_ cool that I
just can't keep it to myself. The only other resident of Wayne Manor is
a doberman called Ace -- as in ACE THE BAT-HOUND! YES!!! That is so
COOL!!! Of course, most people won't get it, but for hard-core Bat-fans,
it's a great detail. "Okay," I thought, "this made up for the previous
ten minutes."

I love the whole reclusive, mysteriously embittered old Bruce Wayne,
hidden away at Wayne Manor like Charles Foster Kane, with enormous
wealth, technology and resources at his fingertips. I couldn't help but
think he was sort of like a good Lex Luthor, in a way.

Anyway, I'll resist the urge to give away too much more about the
pilot's plot, but here's the main point -- it comes alive once Bruce
Wayne appears, and he meets Terry. After this moment, Terry suddenly
emerges as an interesting character, sort of somewhere in between the
Dick Grayson Robin and Nightwing. Also, the plot actually starts moving
here, and the second half emerges as solid stuff -- though it's burdened
by the distracting techno-rock score that just doesn't quite fit.

See, the music just feels too forced, too self-conscious. What the show
needs is a timeless score, but what it has sounds dated. But I'm
speaking overall. There are some moments when the music kinda works, but
those moments are few and far between. Now, if the music were say, on
the level of Eric Serra's "The Fifth Element," Vangelis' "Blade Runner"
or Yamashiroh Geinoh's "Akira," it would be stunning and brilliant. But
it's not there. Maybe it can get there. However, while watching the show
it occurred to me that the series should at least partially retain the
"classic" Shirley Walker symphonic Batman score, for one simple reason.
This show is about Batman -- the real Batman, Bruce Wayne.

Now, bear with me here. It's hard to judge the entire new series on its
first hour, but something clicked so solidly I just couldn't help but
extrapolate the following. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, maybe
it's just wishful thinking, but knowing the previous work from Paul
Dini, Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett and company, I have a feeling...

There are a lot of people concerned and upset over a "new" Batman, who
feel that there is and always will be only one Batman -- Bruce Wayne. I
share that opinion. But after watching "Batman Beyond," it occurred to
me that Dini/Timm/Burnett had struck upon something inspired.

Just because Bruce Wayne isn't in the Batsuit doesn't mean he isn't
Batman. And just because someone else is wearing the suit doesn't mean
they're Batman. You'll pick up on this once you see the show. See, what
comes across to me is that Terry is, basically, sort of in between Robin
and Nightwing. And by wearing the Batsuit, he becomes an incarnation of
Batman -- an instrument of his will, an extension of his identity.
Another tool in his arsenal. It's an extremely clever approach, one
enabled by the technology that's integrated into the plot as well as the
cyber-Batsuit.

And the dynamic of this relationship between Bruce and Terry is an
intriguing, inventive twist on the whole Batman and Robin relationship,
and in a way is a logical extension of it, creating a rich source of
conflict. And it's also,I think, a natural evolution of the
relationships we've seen between Bruce and Dick, Barbara, and Tim. Bruce
has had a _lot_ of experience at this point with sidekicks, from the
original Robin to Batgirl to the new Robin. And with each successive
partner, he has gotten better at handling the relationship. With all
that under his belt, I think he has the potential to know exactly what
to do with Terry. I think so, anyway. I'm anxious to see.

However, I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the design of the new
cyber-Batsuit. While I like the concept of turning the entire costume
into a utility belt, it's "look" is just a tad... radical. I mean, you
need look no further than the last page of the (damn cool) "Batman
Animated" book to see it described as a "hood ornament" or "an Emmy."
Simply put, it doesn't look like Batman.

I've been trying to put my finger on exactly what I don't like about it.
It comes down to a few things. First, it's not _imposing_. It's too
lithe. To me, it looks more like Spiderman with big ears -- ears which,
to my eye, seem out of proportion with the overall design. And I think
the main reason the suit isn't imposing is the lack of a cape. I mean,
how can you have a Caped Crusader without a cape? I like the idea of
wings, but these wings are... puny. The look kinda wussy, actually --
more like Spidey's underarm webbing than true wings. Now, if the design
had gone back to the old original Bob Kane Batman design, and adapted
those big kick-ass wings, it would look damn cool. (But, I suspect,
would be harder to animate.)

Other nitpicks about the new Bat-design... the color palette. A black
and _red_ Bat-suit just doesn't quite feel right. And the full-face mask
is a little confounding; it perpetually begs the question "how exactly
does the mouth work?" and, at least for me, is distracting.

Another element that causes me some concern is the decision to give the
suit flight capability. I worry that it crosses a line, violating a
basic element of the character. Giving him too many powers makes him too
much like, say, Superman.

Another tidbit... we're told that this new Batsuit is now twenty years
old once Terry dons it. Hopefully, this is a perfect narrative "escape
hatch" that the show's producers will take advantage of so they can
design a new and improved suit at some point.

Overall, however, that's a relatively minor issue compared to what I
view as the primary problem/opportunity faced by "Batman Beyond" -- the
fact it faces a virtually blank slate (except for the rare exception,
like Ra's al Ghul, for instance, and anyone else who may have managed to
stay alive this long). One of the defining hallmarks of the Batman
animated series is its Rogue's Gallery -- which this new series has its
work cut out for to match. But I have no doubt that the producers
wouldn't have started down this road if they didn't think it was worth
travelling. I just hope they wow us with villain creations as brilliant
as Harley Quinn, rather than as lame as the Joker Gang.

This may read like a fairly critical piece, but please don't get me
wrong -- I absolutely worship Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, et al. I enjoyed
"Rebirth" overall, and was impressed by its prologue and second and
third acts; my main problems with it are contained in the weak first
act. And I realize it's not fair to judge an entire new series based on
one episode, but this episode is all I have to look at so far, and this
is my honest reaction to it.

Check it out and decide for yourself.

P.S.: ATTENTION MACINTOSH USERS! Got OS 8.5? HREF="http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1836/">Download the Official AICN
Sherlock Plug-In, courtesy of El Cosmico and the HREF="http://www.banzai-institute.com">Banzai Institute! (Not a Mac
user? Then head over to www.apple.com
and find out why you should be.)