Glen Murakami Movies
"Teen Titans" Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire and Raven do battle against the forces of evil while simultaneously adjusting to their own personal "angst" and rampaging hormones in the fourth season of their animated TV series. Things get off to a typically lively start when the Titans are thrust into a TV-generated world--with constantly changing channels--by lunatic couch potato Control Freak. Nor does the action abate in the remaining 12 episodes. Robin aspires to martial arts greatness under the tutelage of the True Master, but it is for the common good or to satisfy his own ego? Hurtled 5000 years into the past, Cyborg becomes a Conan-like barbarian. Beast Boy briefly descends from his superhero pedestal to take a job at a fast-food restaurant with a strangely unappetizing menu. Outer space hero Val-Yor wants the Titans to help him vanquish an enemy--but wants nothing to do with Starfire; and a later scuffle in space sends the Titans off to different corners of the universe. Also, a new "Max-7" brain chip turns Cyborg into a "speed freak"; and an elderly eccentric named Mother May-Eye "adopts" the Ttans as her own, but in this case a superhero's best friend may not be his Mother. The season is dominated by a disturbing throughline, beginning with Raven's curiously nonfestive attitude on her birthday. The source of her discomfort is the Titan's perennial nemesis Slade, who has apparently returned from the dead, and who shares a sinister secret with Raven. All of this is but a prelude to the season's riotous three-part finale, in which Raven, guided by Slade, prepares to fulfill what she believes is her destiny--to bring about the end of the world! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Menville, Greg Cipes, (more)
The Teen Titans--Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire--continue to save the world from various and sundry super-baddies, and to squabble amongst themselves like the overgrown kids that they are, in the second season of the cartoon series bearing their name. In the first of the season's 13 episodes, Starfire is hurtled two decades into the future in pursuit of time-travelling felon Warp--and comes face to face with Robin's "older self" Nightwing. And that's only the beginning, folks, only the beginning! The Titans mistake Beast Boy for a green alien dog, and vice versa. The half-human side of Cyborg clashes with his half-robot side durng a battle with giant robot Atlas. The world of horror films collides with reality (or at least, cartoon reality) when Titans Tower becomes the repository of the Teen Titans' worst fears. The deadly criminal Killer Moth threatens to decimate the city-- unless Robin agrees to escort the Moth's daughter Kitten to her prom! The moment Starfire begins obsessing over her looks, her looks turn around and nearly destroy her. The Master of Games pits the current Teen Titans against several of their comic-book predecessors in an alternate dimension. And Robin comes to regret a visit from his "number one fan" Larry the Titan. There's also a poignant--and ultimately terrifying--plot thread involving Terra, a strange, telekinetic girl who wants to join the Titans, but may not yet have full control over her awesome (and potentially apocalyptic) powers. Terra is given the opportunity to prove her mettle Titans' arch-enemy Slade--and later, Terra and Beast Boy become an "item". Alas, the relationship sours in a spectacular fashion, as demonstrated in the season's slam-bang two-part finale, which proves beyond doubt that Hell hate no fury like a Terra scorned! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Menville, Greg Cipes, (more)
- 2004
Another of the many cartoon permutations of the Batman franchise, the half-hour The Batman more or less returned to the basics of the Bob Kane original by depicting its title character as a wet-behind-the-ears rookie in the crimefighting business. Thus, millionaire Bruce Wayne was herein only in his early 20s, and had only recently adopted the cape and cowl of "The Batman" to do battle against the various villains infesting Gotham City. Acting as mentor, trainer and father confessor to the orphaned Bruce was faithful family butler Alfred Pennyworth, while The Batman's ever-growing array of weaponry and state-of-art paraphernalia was activated by Bruce's "Bat-Wave" remote control. Debuting September 1, 2004 on the WB network, The Batman spent its first season having Bruce Wayne/Batman confront several of his traditional antagonists--The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman et. al.--for the very time. During season two, our hero underwent his first awkward meetings with his female opposite number Batgirl, aka Barbara Gordon. The series marked the first time since 1992 that someone other than Kevin Conroy supplied the voice of Batman; conversely, the show featured Adam West,who of course had played Batman in the 1966 live-action series of the same name, as the voice of Gotham City's mayor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rino Romano, Alastair Duncan, (more)
Fighting a never-ending battle against the forces of evil--and their own immaturities, insecurities and petty jealousies--Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire return for a third season of the animated Teen Titans. In the season opener, Cyborg, disguised as a muscleman named Stone, infiltrates the H.IV.E. Academy, breeding ground for the evil Slade's minions. The mission succeeds in utterly decimating H.I.V.E. , a victory that may prove Pyrrhic when several surviving academy members mount an undersea counteract against the Titans in a later episode which features "guest hero" Aqualad. Elsewhere: Robin must battle his alter ego Red X, and his own guilt for making Red X the crazy mixed-up character he has become. Starfire surprises everyone when she announces plans to marry a man she's never met. Beast Boy's obsession with computer games causes Cyborg to be infected with a virus that causes him to berserk--and later in the season, Beast Boy experience another personality makeover when he's drenched in toxic waste. The Titans' long-dead enemy Slade apparently returns to life--or is it merely Robin's delirium that has brought about this unholy resurrection? Raven a rendezvous with a magician she frees from one of her books; and later,the less benign illusionist the Amazing Mumbo sucks the Titans into alternate world reminiscent of the Krofft Brothers' Lidsville! Retro villain Mad Mod returns to crash the Titans' 4th of July party and hurtle the U.S. back into the British Empire. And the Titan's unofficial pet Silkie the silkworm, introduced the previous season, turns out to be one of those domestic creatures that becomes more unmanageable (and more dangerous) when it's off its feed. The two-part season finale marks the formation of a new team, Titans East, comprised of DC Comics veterans Speedy and Aqualad, and Spanish twins Mas Y Menos; alas, their crimefighting activities are severely curtailed after a brainwashing session with the sinister Brother Blood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Menville, Greg Cipes, (more)
Youthful superheroes Robin the Boy Wonder, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire battle a vast array of costumed villains--not to mention their own raging hormones, petty jealousies, and deep-set insecurities--in Season One of the animated Teen Titans. Thirteen episodes are dished up this season. In the opener, the Titans are attacked by graduates of the H.I.V.E. Academy, minions all of the mysterious Slade Williams. Then, Starfire is locked into a fierce sibling rivalry with her mercurial sister Blackfire. In the next episode, an effort to wipe out the villainous Cinderblock comes acropper because the Titans can't get along together. And there's more. Practical joker Beast Boy gets a dose of his own medicine just in time to reign in a destructive fraternal pair called Thunder and Lightning. The half-robotic Cyborg suffers a power failure in the middle of a pitched battle with the Amazing Mumbo. An enchanted mirror enables the Titans to literally find out what's on the apparently schizoid Raven's mind. The feud between Starfire and Raven has to be put on the back burner when the Titan males are "puppetized." Beast Boy shows off his morphing ability, only to be upstaged by former Teen Titan Aqualad (voiced by Wil Wheaton). Robin zeroes in on the mysterious Slade when the latter steals a valuable computer chip, virtually ignoring another and possibly more serious threat. The "retro" villain Mad Mod kidnaps the Titans and subjects them to a bummer of a bad trip. And in a two-part episode, Robin agaonizes over the possibility that he may be no better than the villains he pursues. In the first-season finale, Cyborg creates his "dream" vehicle, the T-Car, only to have the vehicle fall into the wrong hands--several wrong hands, in fact! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Menville, Greg Cipes, (more)
Such formidable villains as Shriek, Inque, the Jokerz and the Royal Flush gang continue to make like difficult for the "new" Batman, aka Terry McGinniss, as he tries to purge crime from the Gotham City of 2021 AD in Season Three of the animated Batman Beyond. Adding to Terry's burden this season is an old friend who has switched over to the dark side and reemerged as criminal genius "Big Time" Bigelow; and then there's that "invulnerable" supervillain whom even Batman cannot defeat despite a veritable arsenal of high-tech crimebusting hardware. As for "original" Batman Bruce Wayne, he is not as embittered and isolated as in seasons past, though he still yearns for the days of his idealistic youth, so much so that he agrees to undergo an experiment that will shave several years off his age--an experiment which, unfortunately, carries a heavy price tag. Episode highlights during the third season include the two-part "The Call", a crossover with the like-vintage superhero cartoon series Justice League of America, with guest appearances by Superman, Aquagirl, the Green Lantern and Warhawk--one of whom will, to universal horror, emerge as the villain of the piece. And in another two-parter, Terry/Batman goes "mano y mano" with a particularly vicious ninja gang known as Kobra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, (more)
- 2000
- Add Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker to QueueAdd Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker to top of Queue
The young protégé of one of the world's greatest superheroes has his first encounter with an old nemesis in this direct-to-video feature adapted from the popular animated series Batman Beyond. Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) has taken over the crime-fighting responsibilities of Batman from aging Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy), but while Terry has learned a great deal from Wayne, he's never heard the startling truth about Batman's final encounter with his arch-enemy, The Joker (Mark Hamill). However, when The Joker returns to Gotham City as vicious as ever, Wayne decides that it's time that the new Batman learned all there is to know about the green-faced terror before he can bring the city to its knees -- especially after Bruce is attacked by his one-time rival. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker also features the voice talents of Melissa Joan Hart and Angie Harmon. Upon its initial release, the movie sparked some controversy among Batman Beyond fans because of last-minute edits that toned down the violence level. However, it was eventually released on DVD in an uncut format. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Friedle
In this pilot film for the Batman Beyond television series (which aired as a two-part episode), Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) has become too old for super heroics and has hung up his bat suit for good. However, a young man named Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) wants to avenge the death of his father, which he believes was caused by the new head of Wayne Industries. After he does a bit of digging, McGinnis discovers Bruce Wayne's long-held secret and takes Bruce's suit out of mothballs to become the new Batman, with a new complement of high-tech gadgets at his disposal. Boasting a futuristic look inspired by Japanese anime, Batman Beyond also features appearances from Stockard Channing as the new Commissioner Gordon and Teri Garr as Mary McGinnis, Terry's mom. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Teenager Terry McGinniss continues following in the footsteps of his aged mentor Bruce Wayne as the "new" Batman of the 21st century in Season Two of the animated Batman Beyond. In addition to such traditional nemeses as Shriek, Inque, the Spellbinder, the Jokerz and the Royal Flush Gang, Terry-Batman has his gloved hands full dealing with several new threats to the wellbeing of Gotham City, among them Earthmover, who has a talent for creating humanoids out of dirt; Sneak Peek, a unscrupulous--and invisible--TV newscasters; Bombshell, a dangerous telepath; and crazed big-game hunter Stalker. One of the newly minted antagonists, the rogue holographic assassin Zeta, will appear in only a handful of episodes before being spun off into his own series, The Zeta Project. Although Batman Beyond is set in the future, several of issues addressed in the Season Two episodes are sure to strike a chord with contemporary audiences. The late-20th-century tendency by disenfranchised youngsters to experiment with deadly drug combinations is dramatized in an episode wherein Batman confronts the new teen craze of "splicing", or mixing one's genes with animal DNA. In other episodes, one of Terry's lady friends is harassed by a stalker; a "tough love" boot camp for troubled teens turns out to have a deadly hidden agenda; and at least one otherwise scrupulous scientist turns to a life of crime after "downsized" during an economic recession. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, (more)
In the decaying, crime-ridden Gotham City of the future, embittered millionaire Bruce Wayne is persuaded to pass along the mantle (and mask and cowl) of legendary "Caped Crusader" Batman to teenager Terry McGinniss in Season One of the animated series Batman Beyond. The two-part pilot establishes the fact that Terry has been given this honor because he has stumbled onto Wayne's long-buried secret identity, and because the teen wants to avenge the death of his own father by a sinister cartel bent on world domination. The elderly Wayne instructs Terry in the intricacies of his high-tech, gadget-laden Batsuit and shows him how to navigate the new flying Batmobile. Meanwhile, Wayne's business partner Derek Powers, the secret brains behind the conspiracy, works overtime to scuttle Terry McGinniss/Batman's crusade to restore law and order to Gotham City. Also in the opening episode, we are introduced to the Jokerz, a gang of "Clockwork Orange"-like street punks who have enshrined the memory of the "old" Batman's prankish nemesis, the Joker. Other villains whom the new Batman tangles with this season are shapeshifting female saboteur Inque; the Royal Flush Gang, so named because they were card-like costumes and go by the names of King, Queen, Jack, Ten and Ace; Shriek, who can demolish skyscrapers with his high-pitched sound waves; the mesmerindign Spellbinder, Curare, a ninja assassin; Derek Powers' son Paxton, every bit as ruthless and demonic as his dad; and even a revitalized Mr. Freeze--or rather, Mr. Freeze's cryogenically frozen head. Plus: Just as Terry McGinnis had accidentally glommed onto the fact that Bruce Wayne and the earlier Batman were one and the same, so to does his discover in a rather spectacular fashion the fact that the current police commissioner of Gotham City, silver-haired Barbara Gordon, once went by the name of Batgirl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, (more)
