Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

Review by Jason Donner

The animated Batman is back and Justice League free this time around for another direct-to-video movie, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman.

Why is it that direct-to-video Batman and Superman movies are a thing to look for while direct-to-video Disney movies make one cringe?

But hey, that’s not the question we should be asking right now. The question is, who the hell is Batwoman?

That’s right, comic junkies… Batwoman, a new cowled player on the field who, unlike Batman, shows little regard for the safety of the thugs she brings down is casing Gotham City. This, of course, puts Batman and Robin on her tail as they try to uncover the mystery of who she is and why she wants to bring down gangster Rupert Thorne and The Penguin.

Meanwhile, there is a parade of obvious suspects… including a gangster’s daughter that Bruce Wayne gets sweet on… there are roadblocks, like the arrival of one of Batman’s greatest adversaries, the vicious Bane, and there is action… lots of action.

Mystery of the Batwoman is probably the most lax and under whelming animated Batman movies ever. Not to say it’s a bad movie… but compared to the previous entries like Mask of the Phantasm, Subzero, and Return of the Joker, Mystery of the Batwoman is like a Batman story handled with kid gloves. There’s no deep drama, no breathtaking action animation, and no real surprises either. A leads to B leads to C and so on...

It is a nice adventure for Bats… but it seems like a lazy one as well.

Don’t expect the gritty darkness of the video predecessors either… this is a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously or goes for a gripping dramatic story. In a lot of ways, I think that hurt the story, but on the whole… Mystery of the Batwoman is a treat for the bat-heads waiting in the wings.

Yeah, it’s a weak entry into the animated Batman movies, but hey… it kicks the crap out of Batman and Robin on every possible level… so it could have been worse. Still, at the most... this flick is forgettable.