Movie Square

This series is aimed at kids. I think that it works and that this is the best season yet. I prefer the darker side of the Dark Knight, but this is a fun ride. The animation is top-notch. Batman has been through many incarnations in his almost 70-year history. This is just one of them. If you do not have a tolerance for a variety of Batman incarnations, you might want to stay away. If you have an open mind and can remember that this is for kids, go ahead and enjoy.
Rating: 4 / 5

Short Summary: In the third season of The Batman, the caped crusader has his hands full when he has to deal with new villainess Poison Ivy. Unfortunately, his fighting crime doesn’t get any easier when amateur Batgirl comes into play. With crazies such as Joker, Penguin, and new villain GearHead tormenting all of Gotham, can Batman save the city AND keep his new ’sidekick’ from getting into trouble?

Overview Of Third Season: The third season is much like the other two seasons, for the exception that Detectives Ellen Yin and Ethan Bennett (aka Clayface) are replaced by Batgirl, who becomes Batman’s new sidekick. As for what’s on both 2-discs…not much. For special features, it’s just this ‘commentary’ of sorts, with the creators talking about the making of the third season…in a way (The Batman: Season 3 Unmasked).

My Opinion: To be honest, I really loved the first and second seasons of Batman. Even though the stories could use a makeover from the Batman: The Animated Series creators, but THE BATMAN still has its good moments. When I saw the third season, I was actually disappointed how the creators had done things.

The one thing that bugged me most is Batgirl’s role in the show now. Even in the comics, it was Robin who is the first to be Batman’s sidekick, and not Batgirl. Besides the fact, she’s too young and annoys you most of the time you’re watching the show. I counted, and out of 13 episodes, there’s only 4 without Batgirl, and the ones without her are actually pretty good.

My Opinion Of Good Episodes: As I said before, the stories/plots in this season aren’t as good as the last two seasons, but still, there are SOME episodes worth watching (my opinion, of course). Out of 13 episodes, here is the list of episodes:

1. “A Fistful of Felt” (After short time in Arkham, Doctor Hugo Strange claims that ventriloquist Arnold Wesker is a free mind from Scarface…but Batman thinks otherwise.)

2. “Brawn” (Joker has stolen Bane’s ‘muscle venom’, and is now using it on himself! With the Batbot out of reach, how is Batman gonna stop a villain who is much bigger than Bane ever was?)

3. “Cash for Toys” (Enraged that his company was shut down, insane toy maker Krank now goes after the man that put him out of business: Bruce Wayne.)

4. “The Apprentice” (Joker decides to get a sidekick of his own when jealousy of Batgirl comes to him.) –just to let you know, Harley Quinn is not Joker’s new sidekick in here.

5. “Gotham’s Ultimate Criminal Mastermind” (A very cruel and cunning robot named D.A.V.E wants Batman to suffer from his horrible schemes, but the question is: does D.A.V.E even know he’s a robot?)

Overall: To be honest, I thought there were more episodes that I enjoyed…I guess not. Who knows, maybe other people — such as yourself — might find to be more enjoyable stories than the ones I listed above. Unless you’re a fan to The Batman cartoons, than you would definitely want this in your collection. If you’re not a great fan…I would think it over. As I said, the first two seasons were pretty good, but I think the whole show takes a downfall from the third season and beyond that…

As for the reviewers who said they had problems with their discs: I do believe them that they had problems playing the first disc of the third season, but I just bought the season today, and I didn’t have any problems at all. Just to give caution to those who do wish to purchase the third season: check both discs and make sure they play okay, and if they don’t work, I hope you’ll be able to return the DVD without any complications…

Rating: 4 / 5