The Batman vs. Dracula

The Batman vs. Dracula
The Batman vs. Dracula DVD cover
Directed by	Michael Goguen
Produced by	Duane Capizzi Michael Goguen Kimberly Smith
Written by	Duane Capizzi
Starring	Rino Romano Peter Stormare Tara Strong Tom Kenny Kevin Michael Richardson Alastair Duncan
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	October 18, 2005
Running time	85 min.
Language	English

The Batman vs. Dracula is a 2005 direct-to-video animated movie based on The Batman television series. It has a much darker tone than the show, and features Vicki Vale (in her first animated appearance, voiced by Tara Strong, who voiced Barbara Gordon / Batgirl on The New Batman Adventures).^[1] The movie was released to DVD on October 18, 2005 and made its television debut on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on October 22, 2005. It was released on DVD as a tie-in with the live-action Batman Begins. When the film was first aired on TV, the TV rating given was TV-Y7-FV as it was assumed that it was going to be in the same tone as the kids TV series; however since there were more adult themes, blood and violence in general and that this was intended for a more adult audience rather than just 7-12-year-olds. The rating was later changed to TV-PG on the air. It is unrated on DVD.

Plot

The Joker and the Penguin break out of Arkham Asylum and race each other to find a stash of stolen money hidden within a crypt in Gotham Cemetery. The Joker is quickly intercepted by the Batman, after which he is apparently killed when he falls into a river and is electrocuted by his super-charged joy buzzers. The Penguin takes the opportunity to enter the cemetery himself. While searching through a crypt, the Penguin accidentally cuts his hand while using his umbrella-sword to open a coffin he hopes contains the money, finding a body instead. The blood from his hand drips on the corpse's heart, which brings it to life; it is none other than the Romanian vampire lord Count Dracula, his coffin moved from Transylvania to Gotham City. After attacking and turning a watchman at the cemetery into a vampire, Dracula hypnotizes the Penguin into becoming his servant to lead him through Gotham so he can feed and guard his coffin while he regains his strength.

While patrolling the city, the Batman witnesses a vampire attack; trying to put the incident at the back of his mind, the Batman, as Bruce Wayne, proceeds to host a corporate party at his manor. The invigorated Dracula appears at the party disguised as a cultural anthropologist under the name "Alucard" ("Dracula" spelled backwards) claiming to be visiting to study the Batman, and takes an interest in Vicki Vale, a reporter who is interviewing and dating Bruce. After failing to turn Bruce into a vampire, Dracula attacks a waiter, who in turn assaults Alfred. Realizing the imminent danger, Bruce immediately deduces "Alucard" is Dracula. Upon further research, Bruce learns that Dracula is behind the disappearances of several Gotham citizens, who have been turned into vampires, and attempts to find a way to synthesize a vaccine for the victims while Alfred makes arsenal of weapons to aid Batman in combating the nosferatus.

Soon it is mistakenly reported that the Batman himself is behind the disappearances, due to eyewitnesses claiming to see a bat-like figure. The Batman attempts to investigate the cemetery for clues, only to be chased down by a SWAT unit, all the members of which are taken by Dracula. Soon the two Batmen face off with each other, with Dracula attempting to goad the Batman into joining him in his conquest of Gotham; naturally, the Batman refuses. Their subsequent fight is cut short, however, when the sun rises and Dracula is forced to retreat.

At the cemetery, the Joker reappears alive and well and confronts the Penguin, only to be attacked by Dracula, who turns him into a vampire. The Batman tracks down the vampire Joker as he feasts in a blood bank and captures him. While attempting to form an antidote from the Joker's infected cellular structure, the Batman discovers that Dracula once had a vampire bride, Carmilla Karnstein, who met her demise when she was exposed to sunlight; during his research, however, Bruce stands up an understanding Vicki, who is soon kidnapped by Dracula. Finally, the Batman is able to cure the Joker of his vampirism and ascertain the location of Dracula's lair in Gotham Cemetery before returning him to Arkham. He then proceeds to mass-produce the vaccine to defeat Dracula and cure his victims.

Dracula attempts to sacrifice Vicki's soul to reanimate his bride Carmilla. Upon learning that Vicki has been kidnapped, the Batman rushes to Dracula's lair with his anti-vampirism vaccine and arsenal of weapons, defeating and curing all the vampire victims that attack him in the catacombs beneath Gotham Cemetery. The Batman then frees Vicki, disrupting the reanimation ritual; Dracula sends the Penguin to recapture Vicki while he fights the Batman himself. With the vaccine having no effect on Dracula, the Batman lures him into a trap, forcing back and burning Dracula with sunlight contained within a prototype solar energy-storing machine. Dracula discovers Batman's identity of Bruce Wayne but Batman exposes him once again to the solar energy, igniting him and burning away his flesh. Batman then dives on Dracula's skeletal form with one last punch, finally killing Dracula and sending his ash and bones scattering across the Batcave, this also frees the Penguin from his control who, while chasing Vicki, finally finds the hidden treasure that caused all the trouble, only to be arrested and blamed for Dracula's kidnappings. Having defeated an ultimate evil, the Batman triumphantly continues his duties to defend Gotham against anyone who may threaten its safety.

Cast

The Batman Strikes #15: The Lost Ones

This moody tale, which guest-stars the Penguin, serves as a companion piece to The Batman vs. Dracula, and introduces Dracula into Gotham City.

Even though the Penguin is under Dracula's control, that doesn't keep him from tending to his own business. He exploits the missing Gothamites/The Lost Ones, by kidnapping citizens and holding a ransom. He is aided by the Kabuki Twins.

As the issue comes to a close, Batman is about to apprehend Penguin when he is rescued by Dracula. Dracula doesn't appreciate the exploitations of his activity, and makes sure to keep Penguin on a tighter leash.

Interview About #15

• Writer Matthew Manning
• Artist Wes Craig

Previous versions of Batman and Dracula

• The movie may have been inspired by the Elseworlds story titled Batman & Dracula: Red Rain by Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, and Malcolm Jones III; where Batman encounters Dracula and becomes a vampire, which the story was continued in Batman: Bloodstorm and Batman: Crimson Mist. In the two sequels Inker Malcolm Jones was replaced by John Beatty.
• There have been two other movies in which Batman fought Dracula: Batman Dracula (1964) and Batman Fights Dracula (1967). However, neither of these movies was authorized by DC Comics.
• One of the very earliest Batman villains, in fact, was a vampire, The Monk, who debuted in 1939 ( exactly one year before the Joker's debut).

Cameos

• The Ventriloquist and Scarface briefly appear in this movie. This happens when Batman is in the Batcave and a broken Scarface puppet is in the cameo, as well as in the film's opening when Arnold is shown playing bingo at Arkham. There is also an inmate with numbers all over his jumpsuit, possibly a reference to Zsasz. Sloth from The Goonies has a cameo at 04:14.

Reception

Critical reaction to The Batman vs. Dracula has been mixed. Maurice Cobbs of DVD Verdict said, "The Batman vs. Dracula was good enough that I wish it had been better, but in the final analysis, the product is exceptionally average. While there are good points to this production, they just aren't plentiful enough to overcome the flaws, and while this may be a spooky and entertaining diversion for the younger set, more mature viewers may be left wanting."^[2] Batman on Film wrote, "Overall, I enjoyed The Batman vs. Dracula. If you group all the animated Batman movies together, this is one of the better ones. I give it a grade of B- and would tell any Bat-fan to add it to their Bat-DVD collection."^[3] World's Finest Online said, "In the end, the negatives barely register in the grand scale of things. The movie has an excellent story, great dialogue (sans puns), amazing animation, perfect voice actors and a score that keeps up and enhances them all. There’s very little not to like about this film."^[4]

Kevin L. Carvell of Cinema Crazed said, "Though incredibly predictable and by the numbers, this is a really good and fun animated action horror combination that picks up the slack with Batman as he's supposed to be while fighting Dracula as he's supposed to be. Stormare approaches the role with enthusiasm making this all the more watchable."^[5] The SF, Horror, and Fantasy Film Review wrote, "It feels more like a case of the comic-book canon having been twisted out of shape in order to make it work as a vampire story. The title team-up intrigues one, but you can’t help but think how much more depth and character could have been invested into the effort if The Batman vs. Dracula had been made as part of the Bruce Timm universe."^[6]

References

External links

• The Batman vs Dracula at the Internet Movie Database
• The Batman vs. Dracula at TV.com
• The Batman vs. Dracula DVD - The Official Site
• The Batman vs. Dracula @ The World's Finest
• The Batman vs. Dracula @ BYTB: Batman Yesterday, Today and Beyond
• The Batman vs. Dracula at Legions Of Gotham