Hello, my friends. It’s nearing the end of playing time for the Caped Crusader and his fellow comrades, but there’s still time for one last film-length romp for them to take part in. Not only that, but some new and especially familiar faces will stand up against them in order to provide a towering & chilling terror upon the fair citizens. On that note, I welcome you back to another entry of…
Over the course of the past two movie outings, we’ve seen the Dark Knight and his core comrades go up against different gangs of gathered villains. Whether it was animal-themed and they were hoping to decimate the innocent with a meteor that had a gold-centered core or a group of ghoulish-looking goons trying to take control of the city as well as the world via an A.I. virus, our primary heroes have had their hands full trying to take each of those foes down. As for the kind of looming and frostbitten threat that out main men will find themselves up against, that’s what we’re here to discover and review upon. As such, join me as we tackle a particular entry called…
Debuting at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, 2016 before getting its home video release on August 30, this outing sees a changing of the guard within the key development team. Curt Geda (who also helmed “Ultimate Avengers”) takes over as director in addition to producer while Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt took control of writing the script. As for the kind of conflict that will take hold over this narrative, let’s once again open up the toy chest, dust off the action figures and find out.
We open within Gotham City where an unnatural chill as befallen upon the municipality while the citizens flee for their lives from a gigantic Waylon Jones a.k.a. Killer Croc (voiced by John DiMaggio) who’s also capable of shooting out some Freeze Breath. Barry Allen a.k.a. Flash (voiced by Charlie Schlatter) and Dick Grayson a.k.a. Nightwing (voiced by Will Friedle) manage to save a few citizens from the fiend’s destructive path before they all spot a giant Bat Mech flying in. With Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) controlling it, he proceeds to engage his titanic foe within a colossal clash.
Following the title card, we then shift to two weeks earlier over in the Bat Cave underneath Wayne Manor. The family butler named Alfred Pennyworth (voiced by Alastair Duncan) comes across Damian Wayne a.k.a. Robin (voiced by Lucien Dodge) asleep at the Bat Computer before he snaps him out of his slumber. Despite Alfred reminding him that he still needs some proper sleep time, Damian has been doing some personal studying ever since a bystander recorded a video of him within an embarrassing incident. Specifically, it was during an initial encounter where he recklessly dove for the familiar Clown Prince of Crime on top of a towering crane only to get smacked off and ultimately get saved by Batman. Alfred assures him that while this incident was personally degrading, said adversary is the Dark Knight’s greatest foe. Damian then wishes that he could talk to Red Robin in order to receive some advice from someone who’s previously held the title, yet Pennyworth mentions that Tim Drake has been kept away via the team’s constant work. He then offers for him to talk to Dick, yet Damian feels like Grayson isn’t willing to talk to him at this time. Just then, Bruce returns from an successful patrol over at the Bowery as his adoptive son assures him that he’s been studying his father’s biggest villains. Damian then comes across a certain fiend who used to be a criminal kingpin before his dad tells him that he’s sent him away for a long time.
We then shift over to Antarctica where Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. Penguin (voiced by Dana Snyder) has been stranded for the last year as he bemoans over the Caped Crusader stopping his attempt to rule over Gotham. During his time in frozen exile, he’s even befriended a penguin named Buzz while they hang out within a make-shift laboratory. Just then, its main occupant returns who turns out to be Dr. Victor Fries a.k.a. Mr. Freeze (voiced by Ardeth Bay himself, Oded Fehr). Oswald then approaches him and asks why he’s been grumpy, to which Victor says that simply wants solitude yet humanity is intruding him. Cobblepot then tells him that he would like to be returned to Gotham City if that’s the case, yet Fries assures him that he’s not the problem. In actuality, there’s a new oil drilling platform that’s popped up nearby.
After Mr. Freeze mentions how humanity has personally brought him nothing but absolute “misery”, he then comes across a particular piece of tech. He then explains that it’ll transform a simple creature into a monstrous being. As such, he puts an Isopod in place before powering up his device and begins with the process. From there, the organism gets grown into a towering being while the invention gets attached to it before it takes its leave alongside Victor while Penguin and Buzz follow suit.
They then arrive at the outskirts of the drilling platform before Fries tells the roughnecks to vacate his land. Afterwards, he sends the gigantic Isopod after them as its rampage proceeds to cause some damage to the work area. Mr. Freeze then takes the workers for granted as Oswald warns him that because of the workers’ occupation, they could have something that would help them counter the creature.
Sure enough, the roughnecks bring out a Wayne Enterprises drilling laser that hits the being with enough force to launch it back. It then smacks into some mangled metal which ends up shattering the invention, causing the Isopod to shrink down to its original size. The workers then cheer over their triumph before Victor takes his leave in disgust while vowing to smite them with his “next monster”.
This then gives Cobblepot an idea as he tells Fries that he can help him get some “better monsters”. In order for them to carry out said plan, they’ll need to head out towards Gotham. Ultimately, Mr. Freeze accepts his idea before he summons his personal submarine in order for both of them to begin their long-distance trek. Penguin then assures Buzz that he’s also coming with him since he wants his animal friend to help keep a watchful eye on their “madman” partner.
Over in the Bat Cave, Robin continues his research upon his father’s various foes before he and Bruce are met upon by Alfred who reminds them that an obligation towards Wayne Enterprises is about to occur. It turns out that Wayne Tower is about is host a showcase presenting new technology and that it starts in less than 10 minutes. Batman then takes Robin with him in the Batmobile while assigning Pennyworth onto logistical support before the Dynamic Duo head out. As they make their way towards the event, Damian asks his father when he’ll be able to drive this car. Bruce simply tells him “We’ll see” before reminding him that they’ll need to be in proper “costumes” since they’ll be at a Wayne Foundations function.
Soon enough, Damian is wearing a formal suit before he hears some laughter. To his surprise, he discovers that it’s coming from his father and that he’s being far-more facially pleasant than normal. While Damian is stunned by this sight, he’s soon met upon by Oliver Queen a.k.a. Green Arrow (voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos) who mentions that he also had a similar surprised reaction when he initially saw the same sight as well. As the young Wayne bring up his own “rookie mistakes”, Oliver assures him that he’s still learning how to be a proper superhero and that he’s been trained by his tough father. Damian then mentions that their “boss” doesn’t seem to be happy with him, yet Queen assures him that the surface-level grumpiness is part of who he is since he still cares deep inside which he’s able to effectively hide. Back with Bruce, he gets met upon by Gen. Sam Lane (also voiced by John DiMaggio) who’s in charge of the U.S. Military’s technology budget and will potentially invest in Wayne’s upcoming tech demonstration.
From there, the presentation gets underway as the former Man-Bat himself and current head of Wayne Enterprises’ R&D Department, Dr. Kirk Langstrom (voiced by Phil LaMarr) presents the company’s newest machine to further contribute in mining operations that’re in extreme conditions. He introduces a single-person drilling mech as its plasma pincers proceed to melt through a study rock in order to obtain its gem-esque core.
Just then, Bruce and Damian get contacted by Alfred who informs them that a break-in is occurring at Arkham Asylum. As such, they discreetly take their leave before the presentation ends and Sam then notices that Bruce is no nowhere to be found. From there, Ollie proceeds to head out himself.
Over at Arkham, a few armed guards prep themselves for the intruders as they put the central containment area into lockdown. However, they soon discover from their sensors that the perps aren’t smashing through the blast doors before the fiends burst through the floor via their mobile driller. Mr. Freeze and Penguin soon emerge from their vehicle before the former is able to withstand the officials’ opposing gunfire and uses his Freeze Gun to subdue all of them. From there, Oswald proceeds to guide Victor towards the monsters that they can use.
Along the way, they past by some cells containing Thomas Elliot a.k.a. Hush, Jervis Tetch a.k.a. Mad Hatter and Barbara Ann Minerva a.k.a. Cheetah before they arrive at the cell containing Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two-Face. However, he decides via his coin flip that he doesn’t deserve to be broken out.
They then approach a cell containing someone that they intend to free as they break into the unit containing Bane (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) before Fries uses his Freeze Gun to weaken the heavy-duty restraints in order for the venom-powered, muscular fiend to rip himself free before getting recruited onto their ranks. Afterwards, Chemo (voiced by an uncredited Dave B. Mitchell), Killer Croc and Basil Karlo a.k.a. Clayface (also voiced by Dave B. Mitchell) proceed to get busted out and added to the overall team.
As they make their way out, they then pass by a cell containing the Joker (voiced by Troy Baker) as the Clown Prince of Crime grabs Cobblepot and casually demands to join their team since he claims to bring some style to his group. However, Penguin refuses to free him and takes his leave while Joker says that he’ll remember this rejection.
Meanwhile, Batman and Robin are observing the inside of the compound from a high window as Bruce picks up the perps via his cowl’s scanner before he tells an antsy Damian that they need to use caution and not leap into action unprepared. Just then, Green Arrow makes his presence known as uses a zipline attached to an arrow to reach the window before smashing his way inside via a miniature bomb to which the Dynamic Duo proceed to follow suit.
As our main fiends continue to make their escape, Bane expresses his displeasure of them having Killer Croc on their team since Waylon had previously sold him out to the Gotham Police. This agitates Jones as he offers Bane to fight him, yet Penguin to able to defuse this situation and reminds them that they have to flee before the Caped Crusader shows up. Just then, he gets wrapped up with a Batarang-led cable as Batman, Robin and Oliver manage to surround the perps.
Damian is then confronted by GCPD Commissioner James Gordon (voiced by Richard Epcar) who assures him that he’ll take care of their foes. While Robin is surprised that James had arrived at Arkham so quickly, Bruce and Ollie realize that it’s not Gordon as Queen fires an arrow at the Commissioner. It’s then revealed that Clayface had shape-shifted into James’ likeness before he avoids the shot.
From there, a brief scuffle ensues before Mr. Freeze essentially tells his cohorts to reassemble.
He then uses his Freeze Gun to form a giant ice shield around them before he then freezes the floor in order for Bane to smash through it and allow the group to finally flee.
By the time that Oliver manages to blast through the ice with some arrow bombs, our heroes soon discover that their foes have escaped through the sewers. Robin then blames himself for not recognizing the fake Gordon, to which Queen assures him that he’s still learning.
Later, our heroes are back in the Bat Cave as they attempt to learn about what their perps are up to. Batman mentions how the break-in wasn’t random since several other inmates were skipped over in order for specific ones to get freed. However, he doesn’t see this opposing group as a solidified team since Bane and Killer Croc share a past rivalry. As such, he says that they have to outsmart the fiends in order for them to be stopped. Afterwards, Damian begins to slowly discover a key pattern within their adversaries.
Meanwhile at a makeshift laboratory within a deep sea cavern, Victor has hooked up Chemo, Bane and Clayface to his machine. During this, Oswald gets asked by Waylon if this procedure is going to remotely work. Cobblepot assures him that aside from several traits that he doesn’t like about Fries, he still sees the chilly doctor as a “genius”. From there, Mr. Freeze powers on his machine as the painful process commences.
Back in the Bat Cave, our heroes are still searching for a possible connection amongst their foes yet Bruce isn’t able to find any definitive angle. Robin then asks if Oswald and Victor chose their devious allies not for who they are, but for what they’re made of. His father gets curious of this notion and convinces him to share this discovery, to which Damian explains that three of the fiends each have “unusual chemical compounds”. Bane has his strength-increasing venom, Basil is made of expansive shape-shifting mud and Chemo literally has “super toxic sludge” within him. Oliver then mentions that Jones isn’t like those perps, yet Robin mentions that his own constitutional strength would allow him to be a test subject. In addition to that, Fries is a scientist and he could be doing some experimentation. While Queen thinks that it’s a stretch, Batman actually agrees with his son since he was focused too much on their enemies’ individual skills and didn’t think to consider “their physical composition”. As such, he compliments his Boy Wonder for this insight. Bruce then says that in order for those various chemical make-ups to come together and interact, there would have to be notable signs within the “chroma-spectral scans of the area”. Fortunately, the Bat Computer is able to detect a significant spot before the Dynamic Duo head out to Gotham Harbor.
Back within the sub-sea level cavern, Chemo, Bane & Clayface each get some of their genetic make-up extracted and contained with the machine’s storage space before they mix together in order to create a new compound. After the process finishes up, Mr. Freeze proceeds to gather a small batch of the newly-made formula before he injects it into Killer Croc. Shortly afterwards, it begins to take hold as Waylon winds up growing into a titanic sized figure.
From there, the devious plan gets set into motion as Jones swims his way towards Gotham before he slurps up some ocean water in order to power his Freeze Breath and cause it to initially snow upon the city. He then drinks up again and fires another blast which causes a fierce snowstorm to take hold upon the municipality before he mostly encases the buildings within ice as the citizens are forced to seek shelter.
Just then, Batman and Robin drive onto the scene as they notice the sudden weather shift before Damian offers to drive the Batmobile in order for his father to come up with a plan to defeat Victor. However, Bruce says that there’s no time before they spot the massive Killer Croc stomping through the city.
Back with Waylon, he continues to terrorize the civilians who haven’t reached shelter already while also causing some physical destruction along the way. Just then, he spots the Batmobile speeding towards him just as the Flash also dashes in to provide support (which he quickly explains that he saw the newscast of this sudden event while he was in Paris).
However, Jones uses his Freeze Breath to make the road slick with ice. While Batman is able to activate the spike treads in his car’s tires and help his vehicle gain some traction, Barry ends up sliding all the way to a dumpster before his rapid momentum forces him to fall inside of it.
As for the Dynamic Duo, Bruce fires some missiles from the Batmobile yet they only succeed in briefly disorienting Killer Croc. Afterwards, he picks up the opposing car before throwing it towards a building. Fortunately, Batman is able to convert his car into a Bat Jet and avoid disaster in time.
He then tells his son that the only way their current climate will revert back to normal is if they defeat the “monsters”. Damian is puzzled as to why his father mentioned that there’s more than one monster, to which he then discovers that Chemo has also become a giant and is using the ocean water to fuel his own Freeze Cannon. From there, Bruce tells his Boy Wonder that Victor intends to transform Gotham into his own arctic landscape.
Afterwards, we shift over to the undersea cavern as Fries oversees his plan being carried out on holographic screens. He then mentions that eventually, he won’t need to wear his bulky suit in order to remain properly cooled. Cobblepot then proceeds to compliment him for “thinking big” with his scheme, which turns out to be a distraction since he secretly gives Buzz an empty vial before the flightless bird manages to extract some of the compound from the machine before slipping away with only Bane and Clayface noticing this.
Back over within the frozen landscape of Gotham, some citizens are making their way through the icy streets before some massive ice falls off a building and causes some adjacent snow to plummet down towards them within a surprise avalanche. While the people are able to run away, a young man and woman soon find themselves trapped amongst the approaching snowfall. Fortunately, Green Arrow is able to use an arrow and cable to pull them away to safety. From there, an elderly woman is about to get consumed by the massive amounts of snow. Thankfully, Nightwing is able to swing in and save her.
Afterwards, Dick asks Oliver how Mr. Freeze could’ve remotely gotten the massive power to encase the city within this icy grip. Queen mentions how the Dynamic Duo can fill him in on that before they both spot the giant-size Waylon making his way through the municipality. Meanwhile, Victor, Oswald, Bane and Basil drill their way to the surface before Fries thanks Cobblepot for convincing him to turn all of civilization into his own “ice world”. Penguin then tells him that he doesn’t intend to cover the whole planet into his own eternal winter, yet that’s exactly what Mr. Freeze has in store since he thanks Oswald for convincing him to “think big”.
Back with the Dynamic Duo, they proceed to fire some missiles at Chemo which not only doesn’t remotely damage him, but also doesn’t get his attention. As such, Batman decides that they need to “drop the subtlety” as he proceeds to fly up above their toxic foe before shutting off the jet engines at a particular height. Once our heroes fall right in front of Chemo, Bruce turns his plane’s engines back on as the flaming exhaust gets shot right into the fiend’s face. With Chemo finally noticing them, he fires a swirling blast of arctic wind from his Freeze Cannon which forces the Dynamic Duo out of the sky. Fortunately, Batman is able to convert his Bat Jet back into the Batmobile as they ultimately slide to a safe landing.
Meanwhile, Jones is approaching the Gotham City Police Department as James orders his fellow officers to fire at the opposing fiend. With none of their laser rifles or even police tanks being able to remotely slow the perp down, Killer Croc begins to set his sights on tearing the building down.
Fortunately, Gordon is able to reach the Bat Signal and temporarily blind the fiend. Waylon then proceeds to make some sightless swipes, yet Allen is able to zip in and save a few officials from harm. Afterwards, Dick arrives in time and saves the Commissioner from Jones’ strike.
Back with the rest of our central perps, Mr. Freeze decides to discard his massive suit in order to take in his chilly surroundings. Despite him also thanking Penguin for being “instrumental” towards his plan, Victor then aims his Freeze Gun at him and says that their partnership is officially terminated. He then mentions that Oswald only wanted to return to Gotham in order to rule over it and that this frozen city isn’t something that Fries is willing to share. However, Cobblepot reveals that he’s already gotten the upper hand since he’s shared the formula with both Bane & Clayface as they both take it and also become colossal titans. Mr. Freeze chastises Penguin for this decision since while Waylon was “a durable test subject”, their devious comrades will become unstable as a result. However, Oswald doesn’t care about what he’s done especially since he’s convinced Victor to discard his proper suit. From there, Basil grabs Fries and throws him across the city. Afterwards, Cobblepot acquires the Freeze Gun and tells Bane & Karlo to bring Batman to him since he wants to personally make the Dark Knight pay for putting him in his artic exile before he finally takes full control over Gotham. While Clayface agrees to this, Bane says that he wants to take care of a personal score first before they both head out.
Later, Grayson is helping James and several officers guide the civilians to the shelter. Flash dashes in with another citizen before they all notice Killer Croc approaching them. Suddenly, Bane charges in and attacks Waylon as they proceed to fight each other. Nightwing then contacts Bruce about this sudden turn of events, to which Batman confirms with him since he also sees the giant-sized smackdown occurring from afar.
Just as Bruce says that those two must be stopped before their tussle destroys Gotham, Robin spots an incoming Clayface who’s about to strike them and dives out of the way alongside his father. Just as Basil is about to attack again, the formula begin to mutate him before he suddenly shoots some molten lava from his mouth. Batman realizes that Karlo is becoming unstable as a result of the new compound. As such, he trusts his son with driving the Batmobile since he wants him to distract their foe and prevent the perp from wrecking Gotham while he sets their ultimate plan up.
From there, the already-summoned Bat-Cycle shows up as Bruce proceeds to head out upon it. Afterwards, Damian hops into the Batmobile and begins to evade Clayface’s heated strikes. During the chase, Robin finds himself driving towards a dead end yet he’s able to convert the car into its Bat Jet mode in time. He then fires several missiles at Basil, yet they don’t remotely phase the fiend.
Over at Wayne Enterprises, Batman meets up with Kirk in order for them to reach the “workshop”. Despite Langstrom warning him that “it” isn’t quite ready, Bruce tells him that they don’t have a choice since giant monsters are smashing up the city. Suddenly, Green Arrow arrives and joins them before they descend towards the sub-level workshop. Even though Kirk continues to share his doubts about some mechanical hiccups that he hasn’t thoroughly taken care of, Batman assures him that he can deal with it since he’s also seen those same specs.
From there, they make their way into the main hanger where a giant Bat Mech is at. Not only that, but Oliver has Langstrom reveal that he had also built a mech for Queen as well. Ollie simply tells Bruce that he’s also a billionaire and that he was able to convince Kirk into providing some proper back-up for Batman. Langstrom elaborates that the contract from Queen Industries provides some supportive R&D before both heroes reach their respective cockpits. From there, both mechs get launched before Bruce tells Green Arrow to go after Chemo and stop his freezing process. Not only that, but he wants Kirk to take care of a specific task for him.
Back within the city, Killer Croc and Bane continue their destructive throw down against each other. After Waylon smacks his rival into a wrecked building, we finally begin to catch up to where the film started with a news reporter confirming that a supervillain attack is behind the sudden snowstorm that has befallen Gotham. From there, Batman flies in within his Bat Mech to engage Jones.
Meanwhile, Damian continues his struggle against Karlo as he discovers a function that unleashes the Bat Jet’s supply of weapons as he proceeds to once again fire upon his foe. They manage to strike and shatter Clayface’s legs as the perp winds up melting into molten goop, but he manages to reform himself and shoot some molten lava which manages to hit the Bat Jet and force it out of the sky.
Despite an initial rough landing, Robin is able to convert it back into its Batmobile mode and slide to a stop. Just then, Langstrom contacts him and says that he’s rapidly approaching him. Soon enough, Kirk arrives upon a Bat Buggy before revealing a digital sketch plan for a device that will help them combat Basil despite it only being in the design stage.
Meanwhile, Chemo continues to shoot the city towards a permanently frosty setting. Just then, Oliver arrives within his mech and fires several shots at the toxic titan.
Not only does it not remotely damage him, he still doesn’t pay any attention towards his opponent and goes right back to freezing Gotham. As such, Queen charges in and punches the perp. This finally gets Chemo to strike back as he blasts the mech with his Freeze Cannon. With the building frost threatening to consume him, Green Arrow charges up his mech’s shot and delivers a powerful blast that cripples the Freeze Cannon. Afterwards, both of them proceed to engage each other in a physical tussle.
Meanwhile, Penguin has finally returned to his former building known as the Aviary as he allows Buzz to rule over any other building within the city. Just then, a guard approaches and is surprised to see his boss back. Oswald then tells him that he’ll be running Gotham in addition to having his pet penguin being named the building’s Head of Security before they both take their leave.
Over on the G.C.P.D. roof, Damian and Langstrom are building the powerful laser cannon while Dick brings in some electric cable to help power it. In addition, Barry provides some crucial components that’re only available in his hometown of Central City. Robin then asks the good doctor if this laser cannon will be powerful enough to defeat Clayface, to which Kirk says that “Batman hopes so”. Damian is shocked by this unsure declaration, to which Langstrom mentions how Gotham has never had to deal with a giant lava monster before which is why the device has never been previously tested. During all of this, a certain frosty figure oversees their construction.
Back with Bruce, he fires a rocket-powered gauntlet from his mech which hits Killer Croc before they then proceed to swap blows with each other. During this, Bane regains consciousness and sees the tussle. During the fight, Waylon smacks the Bat Mech towards the recovered Bane who then traps him within a full nelson as Jones takes advantage and strikes away at our hero.
Afterwards, Bane attempts to pry the back of the mech’s neck open in order to reach Batman. Fortunately, it has its own defense mechanism as it fires several missiles at the muscle-bound perp and knocks him back. From there, Bruce has his Bat Mech deliver several strikes upon Killer Croc and ultimately defeats him.
However, Bane is able to recover and proceeds to deliver a severe beatdown. As the formula begins to wear off on Waylon and cause him to shrink back to his regular size, Bane thanks Batman for taking care of Jones himself as he now wishes to instill his dominion upon the city. With the Bat Mech suffering enough damage, it’s forced to shut down and properly reboot. During this, Bruce asks his muscular foe if he plans on ruling Gotham as Cobblepot’s right-hand man. Bane says that the Penguin is merely “a means to an end”, even though the Caped Crusader sees this as Oswald letting others do all the hard work for him. Bane then picks the Bat Mech up and demands to know if he’s a bigger man than Cobblepot. Fortunately, the Bat Mech’s systems have rebooted as Batman uses his second wind to retaliate.
Back on the oceanside, Oliver continues his fight against Chemo as the toxic titan uses its stretchy arms to keep the Emerald Archer at bay. Queen then learns from his mech’s computer system that not only are the nearby buildings completely evacuated, but that some of his own company’s buildings are also close by. As such, he grabs and throws Chemo towards one of Queen Industries’ structures.
Back on the G.C.P.D. roof, the laser cannon has been put together as Kirk powers it on in order to properly test it. However, it malfunctions and powers off. Just then, Mr. Freeze approaches them and says that their device wouldn’t have worked since its design was flawed due to it being unable to “support valence co-sharing between the bonded particles”. Grayson then demands to know why he’s here and if he’s willing to turn himself in, especially since he’s behind this frostbitten scheme. Victor says that even though he’s not surrendering himself, he still wishes to undo his mess since he only wanted to be left alone within his arctic landscape only for Penguin to convince him into laying waste upon Gotham. As a result, he ultimately wound up being manipulated and betrayed. Robin then mentions how it makes sense before asking him how he’s willing to help them, to which he reveals his device which would help their laser cannon properly take on Basil. Langstrom agrees that it can work, but they’ll need Fries’ help in order for it to get set up. Damian then wonders if they can trust him, to which Allen says that they can’t while Nightwing admits that maybe they can. From there, Robin decides to contact Bruce about this.
Back with Batman, he continues his physical fight against Bane. The muscular fiend then grabs onto the mech and attempts to crush its back before Damian calls up Bruce and informs him that even though Kirk’s laser cannon isn’t working, Mr. Freeze has offered to help them get it operational and wonders if they should trust him. Batman tells him to go through on this just as Bane tosses the Bat Mech across the city, to which Bruce says it’s similar to working with Oswald in that it can be incredibly easy to regret. Fortunately for them, Victor has built his personality upon guilt and that he still has enough of a conscience in order to be willing to make some personal amends.
Afterwards, Batman and Bane proceed to exchange a few more strikes to each other before Bruce gains the upper-hand by firing his rocket-powered gauntlet at the fiend, resulting in the venom-pumping tubes getting cut. With Bane now losing strength, the Dark Knight is able to wail away on the perp before using said gauntlet to deliver the finishing hit. Bane then lands near the equally-defeated Killer Croc and shrinks down to his regular size in order for Gordon and a few officers to arrest them.
Back with Green Arrow, he enters his damaged building and scans for his foe only to discover that one of the support beams is being eaten by the familiar corrosive acid. From there, Chemo spits the same chemical onto the other support beam and causes the entire structure to collapse on top of him. Fortunately, he and his mech are able to withstand the destruction.
However, Chemo also survives it as well as it leaps out and spits some acid onto the mech. Oliver then tries to punch back, but the hit doesn’t affect the fiend and the corrosive toxin causes the mech to lose its right arm.
Chemo then squirts some acid onto its left leg and causes the mech to fall over. The perp then stands tall over the defeated Queen with acid dripping from its mouth, yet Batman manages to arrive and punches Chemo away.
Back on the G.C.P.D. roof, Victor is installing his device onto the laser cannon. However, Robin soon spots Clayface approaching them as Fries fires the newly-frosted laser at Basil. It only manages to briefly subdue him as he manages to fire some molten lava towards them before freeing himself from the thick ice and resumes his charge towards the building.
Mr. Freeze then realizes that while the laser cannon did work, they’ll need a sustained blast in order for Karlo to finally get defeated as he proceeds to do so with the device. It manages to counter another molten lava strike from Clayface and while our heroes are able to evade the spirts of molten lava that got through, the intense heat is beginning to gravely affect Victor since he’s not in his regular freeze suit. Damian offers to take control of the laser cannon for him, yet Fries says that he’s the only one who can properly operate his own Arctic device.
He then fires a concentrated blast at Basil and withstands several more of the perp’s heated strikes before the laser cannon finally encases Karlo within the ice. Afterwards, Mr. Freeze collapses from the intense heat.
Back with Bruce’s battle against Chemo, he manages to deliver some decent hits with his mech. However, Chemo is able to make a fierce strike that badly damages the mech’s left arm. As such, Batman activates its self-destruct function and smacks his foe away before throwing the wrecked limb at the fiend where it proceeds to explode.
Afterwards, Bruce manages to override Green Arrow’s mech and acquire its left arm for his own. He then charges towards Chemo and fires the bow-and-arrow mechanism at point blank range, which finally causes some significant damage to the fiend’s exterior. Batman then manages to pin his foe and deliver several punches onto the exposed spot before being forced off.
As the struggle rages on, Oliver gets out of his damaged mech in order to provide his comrade with some help. Once he climbs to a high point, he manages to fire a trio of explosive arrows into Chemo’s wound which stuns the fiend. From there, Bruce finishes him off by using a special device to drain the toxin from his foe’s body.
Over on the frozen streets, Penguin and Buzz are driving around within the driller as the former thinks of an official title for himself as Gotham’s new ruler. Suddenly, he gets bombarded by several massive chucks of ice before he realizes that something’s up since it’s not supposed to be melting this quickly while he also wonders where his gigantic monsters are at. Just then, the Bat Mech pops up as Oswald tries to retreat. Fortunately, he and Buzz don’t get far as Bruce easily pick the driller up and captures him.
Later, Killer Croc and Bane get prepped for their transportation back to Arkham Asylum. Mister Freeze is also getting carried towards the proper transport while still suffering from the intense heat. Fortunately, Robin rides in on the Bat Buggy after having found Victor’s Freeze Suit. Fries is then allowed to have it installed onto him in order to get properly cooled before our heroes learn from James that he’ll go on trial before he ultimately winds up back in Arkham. Damian actually sticks up for the ice-themed scientist on the grounds that he helped saved them, to which the flawed doctor says that he still caused this whole ordeal to begin with. He then says that he’ll request for solitary confinement since it’ll let him have the peace that he badly wants.
Batman then comes in to add Cobblepot to the paddy wagon while Queen carries the captured Buzz. Later, Penguin is placed in a cell within Arkham Asylum and gets told that he’ll be fixing the hole in their floor that he and Mr. Freeze had caused during their break-in. Afterwards, Oswald discovers that the Joker is in an adjacent cage right next to him. Cobblepot tells him that they’re in separate rooms, yet Joker reveals that their cells are actually connected by a functional door as the Clown Prince of Crime proceeds to get his off-screen revenge on him.
As for Buzz, he gets placed in a penguin exhibit within the Gotham Zoo. Fortunately, he gets quickly comfortable with his new surroundings due to a female penguin that’s become easily smitten by him.
Back beneath Wayne Enterprises, Kirk begins to prep for the upcoming Mech repairs. After he notices that the Bat Mech has the left arm from Green Arrow’s mech, he soon discovers that Oliver’s own personal mech has been badly damaged.
Over within the Bat Cave, the entire team has gathered there as Dick praises Damian for getting to drive the Batmobile much sooner that he did. Afterwards, Flash, Nightwing and Green Arrow each proceed to take their leave. Damian then tells his dad that even though he hasn’t been in the role for too long, he still thanks him for being allowed to come on their recent mission due to how much he’s learned. Despite being initially silent, Bruce says that he owes him as does all of Gotham since they wouldn’t have prevailed without him. From there, they proceed to head out to do some training while Alfred gets put on watch duty.
And so, the film ends on the Gotham City streets where Clayface is unintentionally broken out of his frozen state by some kids throwing snowballs at him. From there, he manages to escape by heading into the sewers.
Now that this towering titan of a frostbitten narrative has come to a close, let’s delve into what worked for me with this trilogy-capping entry along with things that somewhat left me out in the cold in terms of being a satisfying entry. Swapping out Tim Drake/Red Robin in order for Bruce’s son Damian to have a level of importance within the overarching story was a nice idea. While Tim was decently depicted in the prior two entries, there was a youthful naiveté going on with him whose own enjoyment of V.R. ultimately helped our heroes out in “Monster Mayhem”. For Bruce’s son, he has a character arc where he’s trying to prove to his father that he can be useful to the major cause. His progression felt subtle as he learns the ropes while attempting to earn the right to drive his dad’s signature car amongst everything else that’s going on within Gotham. One thing that I did notice is that unlike other depictions of the character that’ve been previously covered on this site, Damian’s confidentially arrogant attitude isn’t as prominent as it would usually be. It’s possible that it was toned down for this version since these movies are based on a kid-friendly action figure line, but maybe allowing his signature personality could’ve played into the personal growth that he’s trying to achieve throughout the story. As it’s presented here, it’s not as prominent as it could’ve been but it’s still fairly well done for what it’s worth. While Batman remains front and center for his own film while not really going through any kind of unique arc or development and Nightwing becomes a helpful supporting player largely within the background, Green Arrow continues to get back upon his charming wit and professional social presentation. During the main battle, his own personal wealth allows him to stand tall alongside the Dark Knight since both of them get to operate their own mech suits during the second half of the central conflict. While also not really going through any kind of major development or arc, he continues to be a vital ally in the Caped Crusader’s clash against an opposing group of villains while also being a supportive figure to Damian during his own personal progression. As a whole, Robin is the only one out of the present heroes who gets to go through some kind of singular improvement over the course of the runtime. I didn’t mention Flash here since he pops up on occasion during the mainline battle while maintaining his fast-speaking, somewhat-naive personality. Either way, our main group of protagonists served their roles pretty well while giving young viewers a good display of their unique skills. In terms of our villains, Mr. Freeze gets brought into their world via Penguin’s isolation which occurred back in “Animal Instincts”. For Victor, he wants nothing to do with humanity since people have let him down in the past. He doesn’t elaborate on what caused him to have this grim outlook upon the populace along with how they’ve betrayed his trust, especially since there’s no mention of his tragic wife Nora Fries. It’s possible that it could be the case if Geda and company had gone along with it, but his own motivation remains somewhat vague in an attempt to keep things simple for its younger audience. Little does he know that Oswald both inspires and manipulates him in order for the main conflict to ultimately get sent into motion. Cobblepot is able to get out of his exile and return to Gotham by convincing him that the city will provide him with the monsters that he’ll need in order to punish humanity. In that vein, Penguin is able to flex his emotional manipulation trait a bit here since he plays into Victor’s heart-wringing past and his present frustration that stemmed from an embarrassing loss to some Arctic-based roughnecks. As Fries would ultimately find out once he makes his intention of a frigid worldwide conquest known, Oswald is the true villainous mastermind of this piece since he somehow convinces Bane & Clayface to turn against Mr. Freeze in order to become his towering muscle. While those two along with giant-sized Killer Croc and Chemo keep our heroes busy, Cobblepart largely stays out of the fighting since he’s too busy reasserting himself as the main ruler over the entirety of Gotham as part of his personal revenge scheme. It can be seen as a bit disappointing since the villainous socialite is making his return, yet he doesn’t directly get in contact with any of our heroes until all four busted out fiends are finally dealt with. One would think that once he was finally able to return to the Aviary (which initially came about back in “Animal Instincts”), he would access any kind of helpful tech that he kept hidden within discreet storage for at least a year in order to help him deal with our main protagonists should he ever come across them. Alas, Penguin’s return doesn’t have quite the impact that it could’ve been and is only decent at best. In terms of vocal performances, everyone does their jobs at a respectable and professional level. While there wasn’t a true standout presentation from within the main cast, all of the central actors still made the most of their roles in order for everyone to deliver strong showings. Once again, the animation was bright & colorful and greatly reflects the kid-friendly action figure line that it’s based off of. As far as character movements go, they remained good-looking throughout and didn’t have any egregious or awkward stutters that I noticed. Finally, the action (primarily the main batch within Gotham) was tense yet exciting. The move sets from both sides of the entire conflict ranged from basic and decent to complex yet pretty impressive. Because the entire chilly confrontation within Gotham gets going just over half-an-hour into the flick, the big ordeal can feel similarly strenuous like the primary struggle in “Justice League: War” was. Thankfully, it’s able to restrain itself enough in order to keep its youthful audience engaged while also delivering some good narrative progression within its massive scale of a chilling climax. As it stands, all of the various elements come together in order to create an animated experience that should entertain children while providing a decent romp for older viewers who’re curious enough to try it out within the warm comforts of home.
Overall, this closes out the mini-franchise’s film run with a fairly engaging romp that won’t leave its viewers out in the cold. While lacking any impactful character arcs or major individual development along with Oswald largely avoiding any kind of confrontation with our heroes until the end of the climax, this movie is still backed by good performances, well-done animation, neat action scenes and enough narrative progression to keep its audience members engaged throughout the runtime. If you’ve already checked out the two prior entries or are looking for a random venture featuring the Caped Crusader, then check this out if it peaks your interest for a snowstorm-sized, family-friendly romp.
Next Time: Even though we’re now done with this series’ line of films, our playing time within this certain space is far from over. There’s also a web series containing several short bursts of various adventures that deserves a critical eye upon it as well. As such, come back next time as we delve into the 22 episodes that makes up “Batman Unlimited, Season 1”.
Batman (created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger) and all related characters are owned by DC Comics.
