MisterWhiplash Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent are very far apart as far as alter-egos go, though of course Superman's alter-ego is the figure he sneaks into to get out of the 'right-outta-Krypton' mode and Wayne is the side of 'normalcy' for a man who every night goes out in a black outfit and cape to act as the detective to end all others. But somehow they're the two most popular superheroes (not too arguable at this point), and while they already were given crossovers in their DC comics, notably in the 80s, it wasn't until the mid 90s on the Superman animated show that the crossover officially took place. And I was glad to finally see it- it's a breezy one hour of unpretentious comic-book entertainment, with lots of bravura moments of action (as predictable as they can become with a man like Superman, particularly when compounded by lead or, golly-gosh, given way to kryptonite), incredible humor (I fell on the floor laughing at a good deal of the Joker's gags and one liners, particularly the 'acid' joke, and just in general with the pranks pulled and the great voice work applied by Mark Hammill), and a dedication to the roots of the characters. It's also fun to see the tug-of-war given emotionally between Wayne and Kent/Superman with Lois Lane, who wants to get closer to Wayne as she's all about getting closer to those in power- as opposed to ol' 'Smallville' with the glasses (ho-ho), and how she reacts when she discovers the truth behind the bat.Even the premise isn't half bad: the Joker asks for one billion dollars from super-billionaire Lex Luthor- who here is likely much more bad-ass and more conventionally effective as a villain, as often as he does falter like all villains, than his cinematic counterparts- to kill Superman. His plan is a smart one, though mostly with many tricks that the Joker has to keep on using, usually against Luthor himself, culminating in the climactic third part where the Joker takes the huge ship across the city to destroy all that Luthor has put money into! It's up to the caped crusader and the faster-than-speeding-bullet man to get the job done, if they can put their heads together and let egos get by. For die-hard fans who've yet to see it, rush as fast as possible to a nearest video store- and then, if likely not available, then Netflix or elsewhere online- as it's the top of the cartoon-movie pops in terms of meeting expectations. It's not particularly nuanced, and far too short for more depth than is allowed from about four or five comic books attached together at random. But as someone who watched the 90s Batman fairly regularly, it's a real treat to look back at this again.

Shawn Watson ...with Batman as a guest star.This 60-minute 'feature length' show was put together from 3 separate 20-minute episodes of the Superman Animated show. Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego are in Metropolis on business. Guests they certainly are, in both senses. The bulk of the time sticks with Superman stuff.The Joker has figured out a way to kill Soupey (that darn Kryptonite) and asks Lex Luthor for a billion dollars to pull it off. Thus, a plot involving Batman and Superman beating henchmen, escaping death traps and flying through the night sky follows.It is rather amusing and the scenes where Kent and Wayne see through each other's identities is cool. But there's no great plot to get involved in and it ends a bit abruptly. Gotta love that Joker though.Overall, one of the weaker Batman entries, only just rises above Sub-Zero, which I regarded as the worst. See Mystery of the Batwoman or Mask of the Phantasm instead.

Big Movie Fan ***POSSIBLE SPOILERS*** Before I viewed this movie in 1999, I was really looking forward to seeing two of the best superheroes of all time teaming up. I am pleased to say that it exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it just as much when I recently viewed it.In various comic books, Superman and Batman teamed up on many occasions. They even had their own regular team up comic called World's Finest. They were always good buddies in the comics. Then in 1986, Superman was relaunched and had a new mini-series called Superman:The Man Of Steel. In one issue, Batman was in Metropolis investigating a crime but Superman didn't approve of his methods and was concerned only with hauling him into the nearest police station. Batman became a darker and darker character from the late 70's onwards and it would be wrong to describe him and Superman as friends.You're probably wondering why I am spouting all this comic book history out. The reason is, because I was pleased to see this movie feature Batman and Superman as reluctant allies as opposed to good buddies.Bruce Wayne is in Metropolis about to do business with Lex Luthor. The Joker also happens to be in town and soon ends up teaming with Luthor to combat Superman and Batman.There are some nice touches to this movie. Bruce Wayne is an arrogant millionaire in this movie who is interested only in dating the beautiful Lois Lane. Wayne ignores Clark Kent throughout the film and acts really condescending towards him at times, almost regarding him as inferior. Kent is jealous throughout the film at the interest Bruce shows towards Lois.Batman and Superman are reluctant allies in this film. Superman clearly does not approve of Batman's methods and Batman has no time for Superman although clearly underneath there is a deep mutual respect. In this film, Superman and Batman discover each other's identities and that leads to some interesting scenes.The Joker (and Harley Quinn) and Lex Luthor are also reluctant allies teaming out of necessity only. The interaction between the two villains is great and Lex clearly regards the Joker as a lunatic. There are some great scenes throughout including one where the Joker gets the better of Superman and Batman throws Superman onto a table (believe it, it's true).Of course, it would have been nice to have Robin in this film but the movie was so great I soon forgot a minor fact like that.All in all, a fantastic film. Rather than taking the easy way out and having Superman and Batman as good buddies punching their way through the bad guys, the makers of this film came up with something very imaginative and totally original. Highly recommended.

Brad L. Wooldridge This video, the Batman/Superman Movie, was originally released during the Fall 1997 season of the New Batman-Superman Adventures on the Kids WB! network. It consisted of a three-part episode arc called "World's Finest,", and aired in a contiguous 90-minute special during WB's Saturday morning line-up."World's Finest" is one the best episodes of both the Batman and the Superman Animated Series, and features what so many fans, including myself, have yearned for: a team-up between the two icons of D.C. Comics' 60+ year empire, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight Detective. The stalwart Superman and the bold Batman find themselves forced to pool their admirable abilities in order to fend off the fiendish Joker who has acquired a generous amount of kryptonite and plans to sell it to the Man of Tomorrow's greatest enemy, the vile industrialist Lex Luthor. A fine storyline plays out in this visually stimulating episode arc, wonderfully animated in the style of Emmy-winning producers Paul Dini and Bruce W. Timm. The two heroes are much like they were at the beginning of the Post-Crisis Era of D.C. Comics circa 1986. They are wary of one another, not friendly, and distrusting. However, we see early on that they discover one another's identities, which also brings about a great deal of problems.Superman and Batman have continued to appear one another in their respective shows, including a fantastic episode "Knight Time," where Superman is forced to don the uniform of the Dark Knight in order to discover who or what's behind the disappearance of Bruce Wayne.Check out these wonderful series, but don't bother to head down to Wal-Mart and buy the video. Just wait...it'll pop up on your local WB Network carrier, and if you can stand the commercials, tape away!Highly recommended.