{"id":27615,"date":"2018-03-12T20:55:56","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T00:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=27615"},"modified":"2018-03-12T21:00:56","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T01:00:56","slug":"batman-mr-freeze-subzero-1998-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/12\/batman-mr-freeze-subzero-1998-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Boyd Kirkland\u2019s \u201cSubZero\u201d stands as not only one of the best animated Batman films of all time, but one of the best Batman films, period. In a time where Warner were handing us goofy films like \u201cBatman Forever,\u201d behind the scenes, Bruce Timm took the material seriously, delivering entertaining mature fare like \u201cSubZero.\u201d Something of a sequel to \u201cDeep Freeze,\u201d Kirkland\u2019s film is also a stark contrast to last year\u2019s \u201cBatman and Harley Quinn,\u201d choosing to expand on the hit episode, rather than repeat the same beats ad nauseum like the latter chose to.<\/p>\n

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In \u201cSubZero,\u201d Mr. Freeze retreats to the Arctic and plans to save his wife Nora once again when an accident underwater cracks her vessel. Working against time, Freeze kidnaps a very prominent Gotham surgeon, who explains that Nora can be saved by has a rare blood type. With the doctor at his disposal, Freeze finds Barbara Gordon shares the same blood type. Unaware that she\u2019s Batgirl, Freeze hunts for her and eventually kidnaps her bringing her to his home base. Meanwhile, Batman and Barbara\u2019s boyfriend Dick Grayson, known as Robin, go on a mission to find a save her before she\u2019s forced under the knife. Everyone from the original series reprise their role for the film, including Michael Ansara who is as compelling as Mr. Freeze as ever.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new character added as a means of giving Freeze an anchor in to humanity with Rahi Azizi as his adopted son Koonak, who forms a bond with Barbara. The animation is as vibrant and beautiful as ever, with Timm\u2019s animation style creating a fluid world within Gotham that\u2019s beautiful and menacing. While the movie works on a small run time, it squeezes in a lot of high stakes and interesting character drama. There\u2019s an interesting focus no Freeze\u2019s wrath and what he\u2019ll do to save his wife, all the while there\u2019s already a rift between Dick and Barbara, as they struggle with their own secret identities. \u201cSubZero\u201d is a top notch entry in a long line of Batman animated films, and it\u2019s indicative of the care and craft put in to the Batman name, once upon a time.<\/p>\n

For folks looking for a preamble, Warner offers up four episodes from the Mr. Freeze saga, allowing you a great context for \u201cSubZero.\u201d There\u2019s \u201cHeart of Ice\u201d the award winning introduction of Bruce Timm\u2019s radical re-imagining of Mr. Freeze, \u201cDeep Freeze\u201d in where a theme park mogul kidnaps Freeze from his jail and begs him to duplicate his accident on him to slow down his aging. \u201cCold Comfort\u201d finds a startling new Freeze hell bent on destroying prized possessions in Gotham, revealing something about himself to Batman, Batgirl, and Robin.<\/p>\n

The final chapter in Freeze\u2019s saga entitled \u201cMeltdown\u201d finds Freeze taken out of hibernation and given a brand new body by Derek Powers, despite Bruce Wayne\u2019s protests. Hoping on a new lease on life, he\u2019s horrified to find his condition reversing once again. Reliant on the cold to live, he seeks revenge again the villain Blight. Among the featurettes is \u201cArt of Batmam,\u201d and an instructional of \u201cHow to Draw Batman.\u201d Finally, there\u2019s a theatrical trailer for \u201cSubZero.\u201d<\/p>\n