So yeah, Batman vs Dracula was a thing! Twice actually but the first is a very obscure 1940's film I believe.Here Penguin accidentally raises the legendary vampire from the dead who then goes on to make an undead army which also comprises of everyones favorite villian the Joker.From the outset I realised how poor the voice work was, even Peter Stormare didn't sound on form and Joker sounded/looked ridiculous. Yes the story is decent enough but I found myself struggling to take the whole thing seriously. Batman vs Dracula? Really!I can confidently say I've seen considerably worse DC animated movies but consider this nothing but a novelty Batman movie and nothing else. You need to suspend disbelief and just roll with it.Coming next year Spiderman vs Scooby Doo and the much anticipated Justice League vs The Goonies.The Good:Peter StormareFitting soundtrackThe Bad:Bizzare incarnation of JokerWeak voice talentThings I Learnt From This Movie:In Gotham City the sun rises 10x as fast as the rest of the world

This was a most unexpected twist to the series "The Batman." The series was dark, edgy, and had lots of new twists to the classic characters of the world of Batman. Then this film came around, pitting Batman against the original creature of the night. I remember reading a comic book of Batman vs Dracula, which has two sequels, that was definitely not meant for kids. This movie is right near the boundary of not being kid-friendly either and it's a warm welcome to the franchise.Plot: Joker and Penguin escape Arkham Asylum (big surprise). While Batman battles Joker, Penguin searches for treasure in a cemetery, accidentally awakening the one and only Dracula. With Penguin as his new hypnotized servant and countless people transformed into vampires, Dracula seems to be Batman's greatest challenge. With news reporter Vicky Vale and Joker caught in the middle, can Batman conquer the deadly Dracula and save his transformed victims? Its modern technology vs supernatural power as these dark knights battle it out for the fate of Gotham City.From start to finish, this movie is pretty darn impressive. I like how both Joker and Penguin play into all this chaos. Vicky Vale, in her first appearance in the series, remains ever so persistent and attractive, something neither Batman or Dracula can resist. Dracula is especially interesting. He has some of his classic features like being tall, dark, and mysterious while having nice twists to his character and his dialogue with Batman is loads of fun to watch.With great action, creepy moments, a nicely-written story, and surprising amounts of blood, this is arguably one of the greatest match-ups of all time. I give this movie a seven for entertainment and an extra point for not being too afraid of getting a little dark. So fly in and enjoy.

While not at the level of its predecessors, this is a worthwhile film that reminds viewers what they enjoy about Batman. This incarnation of Bruce Wayne shows him in his earliest years as the Dark Knight. Something particularly laudable about the film is how it accurately portrays Bruce's expected difficulty in defeating Dracula given his lack of experience. Fans of the comics may recognize the concept from the early 1990's story where Batman becomes a vampire. While not a representation of the comic (nor is it intended to be), the film still gives fans a depiction of a dream fans have had given the dark nature of both characters. Who hasn't sometime pondered what it would be like for Batman to fight vampires? The animation is cell-shaded which gives it a much clearer look. The darker areas appear darker than they usually would. This is one way that The Batman vs. Dracula is better than its famous precursor Return of the Joker. The animation is more fluid. As well as appearing darker, the storyline is much darker than "The Batman" cartoon show is. I haven't seen all of the series (only a few episodes from seasons one and two) but I found the series to be very childish and repetitive. It lacked a darkness that would entice an older audience. That's why this film really surprised me. It has blood (although it isn't red), and Batman actually has difficulty defeating Dracula. Batman must work like a detective to defeat Dracula and has to capture a vampired Joker to use for this purpose. As for vampire lore, the film is a bit lacking. It depicts Dracula as married to Carmilla from the La Fanu story. It also violates vampire lore in stipulating that a vampire can be resurrected after it is killed via exposure to sunlight. However, it does follow the plot of several vampire movies. Dracula visits Bruce Wayne's manor for a party and gives him his name backwards, as Dracula does to other protagonists in several film adaptations. Also Dracula's fixation with Vicki Vale is similar to Stoker's Dracula's fixation with Mina Harker. I was very surprised and pleased with this homage to previous work. However, the film does make a few inconsistencies, but they're ultimately inconsequential. The only gripe I have is the screen play. There are several immature lines and situations, from the joker belching after drinking blood from the blood bank to Vicki Vale stating that she likes her meat cooked. The intensity of each situation with such dialog is ruined, but the corny speech is designed to appeal to the child audience. I found this film to be caught between its goal of entertaining children and its desire to appeal to an adult audience. The scene in the blood bank is very frightening, too much so for children. however, the Joker's belch when drinking blood is perfect for children's humour. So, while the film isn't great, it's far better than you would expect, and it's worth a viewing.

I got this expecting a usual icon vs. icon movie like Alien vs. Predator, good in theory, but really only good for a few laughs over how goofy it is. Unexpectedly, I received a very good movie. Dracula was very well done as an aristocratic noble/bloodsucking Nosferatu. Batman has his typical gadgets and intelligence, also using his ability to view every angle to not completely ignore the obvious like most vampire movie heroes. Having an enemy that was truly more powerful than Batman was a welcome reprieve after a seventeen years of watching the invincible superman on my television. I suggest getting this movie as soon as possible.