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APATHY. GREED. CORRUPTION.
POWER. HOPE. BATMAN BEYOND.
After the success of Batman: The Animated Series & Superman: The Animated Series, creators/producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and newcomer Glen Murakami set out to make yet another show based on the DC comics universe. A new Batman series, this time set in the distant future. Batman Beyond would last for three seasons and 52 episodes, giving fans a new and interesting mythos of the Dark Knight, one aimed more towards young adults as well as kids and which would leave a very memorable impression. The opening heavy metal, techno/electronica main titles with eye popping visuals (love those Bruce Wayne machetes) let you know right away that this is a very different and unique incarnation compared to the previous Batman series.
 Season One
Season 1 of Batman Beyond, which was a short 13-episode season, starts things off impressively with the two-part opener entitled, "Rebirth." Here we find an elderly Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy), now retired from being the caped crusader, grooming a new protégé, reluctantly at first, named Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) to fill the void left by Batman’s absence in Gotham City. McGinnis, a teenager and student at a local high school, comes home one day to discover, sadly, that his father has been murdered by the hell-raising Jokerz gang, who are working for the Lex Luthoresque Derek Powers. Terry tracks the gang down on his own and ends up in a motorcycle chase that takes him all the way to Wayne manor, where Bruce aids him in his battle. After the altercation, Bruce is injured. Terry helps him back to his estate, where he happens upon the secret entrance to the Batcave. One thing leads to another, and Terry dons the latest high-tech Batsuit (complete with gadgets and weapons) in order to seek revenge on Powers for his father's death.
This is still one of the best shows of the entire series and kicks things into high gear right away. One minor drawback is the fact that we never see Bruce train Terry, which a lot of fans had a real problem with. But other than that, this is a great first season, with some nice introductions to characters like Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon, and especially new villains, like the menacing  Blight or the slippery Inque. Other episode highlights from Season 1 include "Meltdown,” the return of the classic character Mr. Freeze in an intriguing storyline that brings the cold menace back to life; "Shriek,” another good episode, about a new villain by the same name who utilizes the elements of sound as his weapon of choice to take on Batman with some entertaining use of audio (or the lack thereof). "Dead Man's Hand" introduces us to a new version of the Royal Flush gang, including Melanie Walker as 10, who shares a deep attraction to Terry that is much more interesting than anything he and Dana have ever shared, in my opinion. And finally there's "Spellbound,” the introduction of the villain known as Spellbinder, who uses the power of illusion to force others to do his bidding, including Terry McGinnis. Some very nice visual effects are used in this episode.
Season Two
Season 2, the only full season of Batman Beyond, with a total of 26 episodes, continues the adventurous exploits of Terry as Batman, this time focusing much more on the high school elements of the series. In my opinion this direction hurt the show a bit, as it felt like the school was infested with a ton of teachers and students who were bad guys and villains (ala Smallville), which caused the series to lose some of its credibility.
 Many of the female characters, particularly Terry's girlfriend, Dana, who we see constantly getting upset because he's not spending enough quality time with her, are underdeveloped. And Terry's friend, Max, a tomboy with an IQ higher than Terry's (that was brought in during Season 2 at the request of the studio, probably to help increase the female demographic) comes across badly. As one character in an episode once put it, "She's rude, she's sarcastic, and she has absolutely no respect." To top it off, she also knows Terry is Batman and almost spills the beans on a few occasions, as well as nags him to let her help on his missions. I really feel that the relationship between Terry and Bruce Wayne, which is the heart of the series, should have been used more instead of the less interesting Max character.
Despite all this, there are quite a number of good episodes to be found in Season 2 of Batman Beyond. "Splicers" refers to individuals who are into the trendy art known as splicing. It's a process that genetically combines human and animal DNA. Most of the teenagers think it's a cool fad, but creator Dr. Abel Cuvier has other purposes in mind. "Once  Burned..." continues the relationship between Terry McGinnis and Melanie Walker, who attempts to rob a criminal poker game in order to pay the ransom to save her family...or does she? In "Hooked Up,” Spellbinder returns and is using his unique form of virtual reality to enslave the teenagers of Gotham in order for them to do his bidding. With "Eyewitness,” Barbara Gordon believes she witnesses Batman executing crazed criminal Mad Stan. Thinking he's gone too far, Barbara plans to put an end to the caped crusader’s heroics for good. And that’s only the start. Season 2 also brings us brainwashing and psychological torture, the chameleon-like Falseface, a deadly virus, synthetically-enhanced teenagers, and more.
Season 3
Season 3 of Batman Beyond steers clear of high school, for the most part, and focuses more on other worldly adventures, including the memorable two-part episode, "The Call," in which Superman stops by to ask Terry about joining the Justice League. He is eventually brought on board, but with much reluctance by the other members. The League has a traitor in their midst, but who  could it be? Season 3 also includes, "Out Of The Past,” in which an old flame from Bruce's past returns on his birthday to offer him the chance to be young again. But the results are not what he'd hoped they'd be. The Batman Musical segment in this episode is a riot. In "The Curse Of The Kobra,” a two-parter, Terry begins training under the expert tutelage of Bruce Wayne's old martial arts instructor, Kairi. There, he meets a mysterious young man who is being groomed to become the new leader of Kobra - and has the hot's for Terry's friend Max to boot. Part 2 doesn't quite deliver the goods set up in Part 1, but it's still fun.
Unfortunately, Season 3 was canceled after only 13 episodes, and does not contain an official/worthwhile ending to the series. That’s a real shame. But the good news is that a traditional ending can be found on the Justice League Unlimited series, in an episode entitled "Epilogue.” It’s an outstanding episode and gives Batman Beyond the definitive ending and closure fans are looking for.
Presentation
Season 1 and the first half of Season 2 were animated the old fashioned way, with some minor dust and debris noticeable on some of the images, while the second half of Season 2 and all of Season 3 were animated digitally, and look absolutely beautiful. The 2.0 Surround Sound audio is surprisingly better than I thought it would be. The music (especially the main title) sounds excellent, and the sound effects and dialogue are very clear and easy to listen to. Subtitles are a weird mystery. Seasons 1 & 2 contain French & Spanish subtitles only. Season 3 contains no subtitles at all, even though English & French are mentioned on the back of the case.
Extras
Audio Commentary - 2 commentaries by the creators/producers, etc, as well as actor Will Friedle (Season 2 only), are available on both Season 1 and Season 2.
 Inside Batman Beyond - 9 to 12 minute panel discussions, by the creators/producers, are available on all 3 seasons.
Music of the Knight - segments of isolated score from Season 1 (on disc 2) are available for your listening pleasure.
Smells Like Creamed Spinach - A killer Easter egg demo of the Batman Beyond main title theme by Kristopher Carter, with intro by producer Bruce Timm. To find the Easter egg simply go to the special features page on disc 2 of Season 1 and click right on your remote control. The red eyes of Mr. Freeze, who is featured on the page, will suddenly turn yellow. Click enter and the Easter egg will begin.
Close Up On... - The creators/producers/directors and actor Will Friedle discuss four key episodes from Season 3, on disc 2.
Previews - Trailers for mostly other WB products are included throughout each season.
The Bottom Line
Batman Beyond is one of the last great cartoons shown on regular TV, appealing to both young adults as well as children. It's a real shame they don't make 'em like this anymore. Check it out.
Also recommended are Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and the direct to DVD movie release, Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker (Uncut Rated PG-13 Version).
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