7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Batman faces his coolest case ever when Mr. Freeze returns to Gotham City and kidnaps Batgirl. While unraveling the mystery of Batgirl's disappearance, Batman and Robin discover that she is part of Mr. Freeze's frigid plan to save his dying wife - no matter what the cost. With time running out, Batman and Robin must find Gotham's most cold-blooded villain and prevent him from putting Batgirl "on ice" forever.
Starring: Kevin Conroy, Michael Ansara, Loren Lester, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., George DzundzaComic book | 100% |
Action | 91% |
Animation | 72% |
Adventure | 68% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero was a direct-to-video animated adventure that was originally
scheduled for release in 1997 as a tie-in to the live-action Batman & Robin, directed by Joel
Schumacher and starring George Clooney as Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Freeze. But
Batman & Robin was so poorly received that it effectively killed off the franchise started by Tim
Burton's Batman. As a result,
SubZero's release was postponed until March of the following
year, and, for once, rejiggering the schedule proved effective. SubZero avoided being dragged
down by Schumacher's misfire, and instead it slipped neatly into the alternative animated DC
universe inaugurated by Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated
Series. Voice actors Kevin
Conroy and Michael Ansara reprised their roles, thereby reclaiming Batman and Victor Fries
from the campy parodies created by Schwarzenegger and Clooney (by far the worst Batman ever
to don the cowl). Director and co-writer Boyd Kirkland successfully re-established the playfully
serious tone that had made both Burton's films and The Animated Series a popular success.
SubZero is the second DCU feature film to be released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive
Collection, joining Batman: Mask of the
Phantasm and a host of animated DC TV series. Can
Timm's original Animated Series be far behind?
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero is a product of traditional hand-drawn animation, and it was
finished on 35mm film as if it were a theatrical feature, although no theatrical release was ever
intended—hence the 1.33:1 aspect ratio for standard NTSC broadcast and VHS tape. (A 1998
laserdisc released under license by Image Entertainment matted the image to 1.66:1, which was
not the intended ratio.) All prior video releases were based on a standard definition transfer
derived from a low-contrast print, but for this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, the Warner Archive
Collection commissioned a new scan of the interpositive, which was performed at 2K by
Warner's Motion Picture Imaging facility. WAC and MPI have made a special effort to limit
their customary thorough cleanup to age-related damage, preserving dust and other tiny particles
that are inherent markers of the process of photographing hand-drawn cels one frame at a time.
The result is a warmly film-like image that instantly distinguishes SubZero from the CG
creations of the current DC Animated
Universe. Edges are well-defined without CG's razor
sharpness, and picture detail is finely reproduced (to the extent that the notion of "fine detail" is
even applicable here). Finely rendered film grain adds a subtle depth and texture to scenes that might otherwise seem flat.
The palette of the animated DCU in this era was very different from its contemporary
expressions. Bright primaries abound, especially in the superhero costumes and in specific
character traits like Barbara Gordon's red hair and Dr. Belson's oddly blue eyes. A
monochromatic fog overlays Victor Fries's frozen hideaways, whether in the Arctic or in a
refrigerated chamber on the abandoned oil rig that becomes his Gotham headquarters. But even this thick blue
haze can be pierced by vivid patches of contrasting color (see, e.g., screenshot 26, where the
bright green and yellow indicators monitoring Nora Fries's condition shine through the
darkness). Batman's world has seen even more visual variations in the animated realm than it has
in live-action features, and while individual preferences will vary, I find the style reflected in
SubZero to be particularly engaging, probably because it more closely reflects the Batman comics
with which I grew up. Regardless of one's preference, WAC has rendered SubZero with a clarity
and intensity previously unseen on home video, and, as usual, the Blu-ray has been authored at a
high average bitrate (here, 34.99 Mbps), which is an example that the overseers of the current
animated DCU would do well to consider emulating.
Rumors of a 5.1 sound mix for SubZero have persisted for years, but WAC performed an
extensive search of Warner's archives, as well as contacting any remaining sound engineering
staff who worked on the project, to confirm that no such mix exists. Consistent with its origin as
a feature intended for SD broadcast, SubZero's sound was mixed as Dolby Surround 2.0. The
soundtrack for this Blu-ray has been taken directly from the digital stereo master and encoded in
lossless DTS-HD MA.
It's understandable why some viewers might recall hearing what sounded like a 5.1 mix, because,
when the stereo track is played back through a good surround decoder, the results are almost as
effective as if the individual channels had been separately encoded. The rear speakers are actively
engaged, providing an immersive environment and even an occasional panning effect. Dialogue
is clearly rendered and remains firmly anchored to the front center. Bass extension could be
deeper, but the mixers were probably compensating for the limits of the era's analog broadcast
standards. Discrete multi-channel sound mixes have been with us for a quarter of a century now,
and it's easy to forget that, at its best, Dolby Surround 2.0 was a remarkably robust format,
capable of separations and immersion rivaling the formats that replaced it. SubZero is a fine
example of Dolby Surround's capabilities, and the track is effectively represented on WAC's
Blu-ray.
SubZero's energetic adventure score is by Michael McCuistion, a veteran of Batman: The
Animated Series, who remains with the DCU to this day (e.g., Batman and Harley Quinn). Note,
however, that the film opens with a short excerpt from Danny Elfman's signature theme from
Tim Burton's Batman films.
The extras on WAC's Blu-ray expand significantly on what was included with Warner's 2002
DVD of SubZero. WAC may not have ported over "The Hunt for Mr. Freeze" Game, but it has
offered something far more interesting by assembling Mr. Freeze episodes from multiple TV
series. Taken together with SubZero, these episodes provide an expanded history of Batman's
chilly opponent.
Note that the episodes are in standard definition and have not been remastered in 1080p. The
same is true of the film's short "trailer".
Veteran fans of the earliest DCU animation should need no encouragement to acquire SubZero,
and they can buy with confidence that WAC has delivered a first-rate product. Animated DCU
fans who are only familiar with its more recent, CG-generated versions owe it to themselves to
experience this earlier expression of Gotham's heroes. Highly recommended.
1997-1998
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm / Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
1992-1998
1993
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #30
2017
Warner Archive Collection
2004-2006
1999-2001
2019
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #26
2016
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #8
2010
10th Anniversary | Commemorative Edition
2011
Uncut
2000
Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #2
2008
2016
Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #4
2009
DC Comics Classic Collection
2003-2004
The Complete Second Season
2011-2012
Season One / Warner Archive Collection
2011-2012
2003
2019
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #27
2016