Batman: The Animated Series- Almost Got 'Im

 "Smaller words, please. Your losing Croc."

As an idea for an episode it feels trite, lazy, low effort. A bunch of Batman's foes- the Joker, Two Face, Poison Ivy, the Penguin and, er, Killer Croc all play poker and compete with stories (and flashbacks) about which of them came closest to killing Batman.

Except... it works, by subverting the very premise. Not only is an episode from the villains' POV a success in practice, it further fleshes out the villains' characters. The way they interact is fun. It's wryly acknowledged that Harvey Dent and Pamela Isley are exes. Everyone mocks Killer Croc for his limited intellect ("I threw a rock!"). Between the others, there's a kind of mutual respect... although the Joker is certainly the alpha male.

However, the twist at the end is delicious- it's all a trap. And, all the more intriguing, it's yet another riff on the fascinating pseudo-romance between Batman and Catwoman... however, they can't keep the "will they, won't they?" simmering forever.

Nevertheless, a strong episode.

Batman: The Animated Series- Tyger, Tyger

 "Your father was a test tube..."

Meh.

I mean, the story sort of works. A rich mad scientist has an island off Gotham where he goes all Dr Moreau and performs genetic experiments. He kidnaps Selina Kyle, turns her into a literal Catwoman, Batman has to rescue her, there exists a highly convenient antidote, there's the obligatory tragic Quasimodo/King Kong figure. Lots of these tropes are highly predictable, but there's nothing wrong with this.

But, well, where are they going with the character of Selina Kyle? She's sort of reformed- although she is at least tempted to free the tiger from the zoo at the start- so what to do with the character now? Simply using her as a damsel in distress is... not great. The series needs to think very hard at this point about what to do with the character.

I suppose it's good to see Kirk Langstrom again, just advising Batman- this sort of thing helps flesh out the setting, which is good. But otherwise... not exactly the best episode.

Batman: The Animated Series- Cat Scratch Fever

 "You're hot."

"Now you notice!"

Another Catwoman episode, and it's interesting to see where they're going with her- good at heart, and motivated by her social conscience for good or ill. Sentenced only to five years' probation, she stands to lose her liberty for a long, long time if she get's convicted again. Will this last, with the Sword of Damocles hovering over her head.

The Batman-Selina-Bruce ironic love triangle is well done again, played for banter and humour rather than too much pathos, which could have become tiresome. It'll be interesting to see where the Animated Series takes Selina Kyle: I hope we'll be seeing a lot more of her. But is this trajectory for the character sustainable in the long run, I wonder?

More good world building for Daggett, too, one of Gotham's stable of untouchable mob bosses. His scheme this week is particularly nasty- start a deadly plague, having established a monopoly on the cure. On a similar vein, I wonder whether Daggett will ever see any kind of consequences for his behaviour?

A solid episode, good if not great. But fascinating in terms of where the now fully established Animated Series seems to be heading.

Batman: The Animated Series- Perchance to Dream

 "You don't like the fantasy world I've created for you?"

This episode is, I suppose, simple: we get a high concept... er, concept that simply plays out in its own inevitable way. Besides, the "protagonist wakes up to find their life was all a dream and reality is more mundane" thing is such well-trodden grounds that I've no doubt whatsoever that it will have its own TV Tropes page. Despite all this, though, this episode is bloody good- and perhaps ideal for a series with such short individual episodes.

So Bruce is knocked unconscious and wakes up to a reality in which his parents are alive, he's just become engaged to Selina Kyle (this being a dream of his ideal life, this is proof of how he feels about her!) and someone else is Batman. And yes, it's fun as we- and Bruce- are introduced to this new reality, which Bruce comes to accept. At last he can find true happiness.

And yet we know it can't end there. The way Bruce finds out is clever- books and newspapers are gobbledygook: we can't read in dreams because apparently it's a left brain thing. I'm not sure if this is a myth or not- left/right brain things often are, it seems- but, as a plot device, it works well. Although, surely, anyone under the influence of this machine would have the same reaction?

Still, the showdown with the Mad Hatter is satisfying, dramatic, and Bruce's solution is truly shocking. And it's the perfect character point- for Bruce, the truth matters more than happiness.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Cat and the Claw, Part !!

 "So you do care."

"More than you'll ever know."

Hmm. This is ok, I suppose, but doesn't quite match the first part. Plot-wise, it's entertaining and formulaic. The Red Claw and her goons steal a deadly plague virus which the US army is transporting on atrain (very naughty- biological warfare, eh?) and threaten to release it on Gotham if she isn't paid million dollars. Most of the episode is Batman and Catwoman foiling their plans together.

And it's fine. There's a fun little moment when the Red Claw leaves the two of them in a deathtrap that evokes the ols '60s series. It all plays out well enough. The Red Claw is a bit one-note, but I suppose that's what we want: Catwoman is the focus here.

Oh, and the pleasingly evocative dynamic between the two of them, of course. Bruce is genuinely really into her, and she, not knowing his secret identity as the detective knows hers, is in love with Batman. And so the episode ends, inevitably and tragically, with Batman handcuffing the woman who loves him.

That side of things certainly works well. But otherwise? I like Catwoman. But the story overall fails to satisfy.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Cat and the Claw, Part I

 "A cat at the end of its nine lives..."

At last we meet Catwoman. Of course, those of us who know our Batman will not be surprised by the last minute revelatyion that Selina Kyle and Catwoman are one and the same, but they're just going through the motions with that "reveal"- we're expected to know, I think. Selina's comment, at the prospect of her date with Bruce, that she wishes it was with Batman just drips with dramatic irony.

Some things are just intrinsically Catwoman- the fact that we begin with a little heist from our cat burglar, the exual chemistry between her and Batman, her flirting with and even kissing him while he wants to arrest her. And yet the way they're going with Selina is interesting. She seems to be a well-off woman with a interest in feline conservation, and with a secretary who knows her secret... so why the cat burglary? To fund her mountain lion preserving activities? This isan interesting angle.

As is the fact that Catwoman is not really the villain here but a morally ambiguous romantic foil for the Batman. As baddies, we have the mob, and the mysterious Red Claw...

I'm very interested to see where this is headed...

Creepshow (1982)

“Where’s my Father’s Day cake...?”

EC horror comics, although I’m sad to say I’ve never read any, are best known, unfortunately, for being the unlucky victim of that stupid quack, Fredric Wertham, whose genuine achievements in his earlier career were overshadowed by his ridiculous witch hunt against comic books. They are also known, of course, for two British portmanteau horror films by Amicus, one of which I’ve blogged. But this, more than anything else, makes me want to look at the source material. I love the linking comic book stuff by Bernie Wrightson.

He’s not the only “name” though; the legendary George A. Romero directs and Stephen King, no less, has here not only his screenwriting debut but a deliciously scenery-chewing acting role in one of the segments. Other interesting little points are an unusually menacing role from Leslie Nielsen and Adrienne Barbeau as the most annoying woman in the world. The whole thing is splendidly grand duignol and enormous fun, bookended by scenes of a tyrannical father stealing his son’s comic book and getting his comeuppance, setting both the tone and the style.

As ever with a portmanteau film some segments are better than others, although the tide one was a real highlight, but what works well here is the tone and sense of cheerfully grisly fun that pervades thecwjolw thing. This may not be the greatest horror film ever made but it’s thiroughly enjoyable to watch all the way through, and that’s a superb achievement . The spirit of EC lives on.

Swamp Thing (1982)

"Some of the men say it was one of those abdominal snowmen or something."

I came to this film, in spite of Wes Craven helming it, expecting a so-bad-it's-good B movie. Instead I find a film that's genuinely brilliant- pacy, stylishly shot and very well acted.  I really wasn't expecting that.

The South Carolina location looks amazing; it may not be Louisiana, but the swampy landscape certainly looks like it and fills the production with a great deal of atmosphere throughout. At the start it feels like an early '80s horror film, but it isn't; it's very much its own beast. We're introduced to Alice, the genius Alec Holland and the rest of the crew who will shortly die. We quickly get to know the witty, driven, flirty Holland and his invention, a plant/animal hybrid formula. And then, suddenly, they are all shockingly killed, aside from the captured Alice, by the thugs of the sinister Arcane. Already the characterisation, dialogue and direction are far above B movie standard.

There are little oddities- why is the bloke in charge of Alec and his mates a Yorkshireman? And yes, the Swamp Thing costume indeed looks very obviously latex, as such costumes always do and as is always priced in. I'm also inevitably reminded of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. None of this is a problem.Nor is Arcane's delightful moustache-twirling evil. Sometimes it's fun for a baddie just to be bad for the sake of it, and Louis Jourdan is brilliant; fun but stopping short of being hammy.

I think the moment I fell in love with this film was the slow-motion boat attack, which felt completely A-Team. It's a genuine classic that rises far above B movie status.