Batman vs. Dracula [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

The combination of Dracula and the Dark Knight may seem a slightly odd one, but it's not too strange, really. Consider, the appeal of both vampires and Batman is in their dark natures, and their dual existences. Both Dracula and Batman have respectable public personas, and both have a darker (and, for that matter, nocturnal) hidden side to their characters. They also both, uh, turn into bats - a point this feature makes more times than is really needed, but there you go.

The story involves, along with Bats and Dracula, reporter Vicki Vale, the Joker, and the Penguin. The Joker in this new series is quite good fun, but the character was perfected in the old series, and while the voice of Kevin Michael Richardson is good, it can't beat Mark Hamill, whose sinister coo and laugh evoked both humour and horror. The Penguin is done well, more extreme than in the old series, where his character was the only villain I found a little dull and disappointing. Here he is - in appearance - more like the "Long Halloween" Penguin: uncommonly short and with fangs. He's also the funniest character in the movie. Rino Romano is fine as Wayne/Batman, although, again, he stands in the shadow of Kevin Conroy, who voiced the character in the old series. The only relatively well-known actor whose voice is used is Peter Stormare ("Fargo," "Minority Report") as Dracula, who does a very good job, even though I am more used to seeing him playing nutjobs.

The movie is effective enough at what it does for me to recommend it, but if you're new to the world of Batman in animated form, I most highly recommend "Mask of the Phantasm," the first animated film that accompanied the old series, which has become a sort of classic to Batfans. Nevertheless, "The Batman vs. Dracula" is fun, at times eerie and thrilling, and definitely worth checking out.