Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Michael Reeves, from a story by Alan Burnett
Directed by Curt Geda
Starring Kevin Conroy, Kimberly Brooks, Hector Elizondo, Elisa Gabrielli, Kevin Michael Richardson, Kelly Ripa, Kyra Sedgwick, and David Ogden Stiers (voices)

Features:

• "Chase Me" Batman short, exclusive to this disc
  
• Interview with creators
  
• Character bios
  
• Gadget gallery
  
• "Making of a Scene" featurette
  
• DVD-ROM content
  

Released by: Warner Home Video
Region: 1
Rating: PG
Anamorphic: N/A; presented in original 1.33:1 TV aspect

My Advice: Fans of the Bat should own it.

When a new costumed vigilante makes her debut in Gotham City, everyone assumes that Bats is somehow behind it. After all, this new "Batwoman" wears the same mark, a similar costume, and wields the same dizzying array of technological weaponry. But this new crimefighter is news to Gotham's favorite caped crusader. When Batwoman's tactics start to look increasingly erratic and dangerous to innocents caught in the line of fire, Batman and Robin aim to figure out who this new entry to the local long underwear scene is. To this end, Bruce Wayne finds a few excuses to hit the night life of Gotham with the beautiful Kathy Duquesne, daughter of mid-grade criminal boss Carlton Duquesne.

As the appearances of the Batwoman continue to confound Batman's best guesses as to her identity, the nature of the new heroine's enemies becomes clear. The Penguin and criminal businessman Rupert Thorn are engaged in a heavy-duty illegal arms trade, and they'll stop at nothing to put an end to both this new threat from Batwoman and their old enemy Batman. Calling in Bane for some much-needed extra muscle, the criminal masterminds soon find out that they're no match for the suddenly enlarged Bat-family.

Mystery of the Batwoman is the latest feature-length offering spawned by the hit animated series, and as strong an offering as any previous, short of perhaps the superb Mask of the Phantasm. The titular mystery actually proves a bit of a puzzler until late in the game, which is quite an accomplishment for a show aimed ostensibly at such a young audience. The writers do an excellent job of keeping the viewers as in he dark about the Batwoman's identity as Bruce Wayne himself is. The animation is as strong as ever, with some truly remarkable action sequences showcasing the artist's talents. The voice acting is also very solid, featuring all the familiar names from the series as well as some solid guest appearances from Kelly Ripa, Kyra Sedgwick, and Hector Elizondo. Kevin Conroy is fantastic as always, and will forever be cemented as the true voice of the Bat thanks to his work in these animated shows and films.

The DVD is fairly stacked with bonus material. There's a new Batman short, "Chase Me," on the disc, along with creator interviews, character bios, a detailed production featurette, and a "gadget gallery" featuring some of Batman and Batwoman's gear. The only beef I have lies in the character bios, which, if read before viewing the feature, will undoubtedly spoil half the fun and mystery of the plot. Features should be avoided at all costs until one has actually watched the movie. I'd also really like to hear a commentary track on one of these releases some day, but here we get no such thing.

Those that enjoy any of the Batman animated material are going to dig this one thoroughly. More casual comics fans would find this an excellent entry point to the animated work, as it depends on no previous knowledge from the ongoing series.