Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)

 

Somehow, somewhere, they made what is in essence a concept of fan-fiction and turned it into one of the most enjoyable superhero crossover cartoons ever. 

Well played, DC and Nickelodeon. Well played indeed. 

The title pretty much gives you what you needed to hear, but then this review would be one line long. 

The Foot Clan has appeared in Gotham, looking for a device that is supposed to disperse vapour in the air over a great distance. This is something that Ra's Al-Ghul has had his eye on, but he is now working with Shredder to combine this doohickey with the ooze that of course mutates people, as they now want to turn the citizens of Gotham into monsters that will then tear the city apart. 

So Batgirl and Batman are on the case, but they soon encounter our teenage friends of the ninja turtle variety. After some initial mistrust, they team up in order to stop Shredder and Ra's, but the nefarious duo has already infiltrated Arkham and has used the ooze on the inmates there, thus transforming some of Gotham's most notorious criminals into mutated beasts. 

Sidenote: Arkham truly is the worst. I mean: how easily is that place taken over or broken into, let alone how often the most dangerous people ever just escape? I secretly suspect Batman wants it this way, so he can go out and chase some bad guys, because otherwise he'd be bored to death.

Anyway...

You know epic battles will ensue. 

Talk about fanservice: this has got it all. I mean, there are so many shots that are iconic images from comics and films and they use them in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it fashion, but if you do spot them, it makes you feel giddy inside. The story is nothing special, but just the fact that the Turtles and Batman function in the same universe and this all somehow makes perfect sense is pretty neat. This film is also pretty brutal at times for an animated feature. 

Nice.

The voice acting is also pretty darn good. I never suspected Troy Baker could channel his Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill so well in portraying both Batman and Joker, but I really was fooled. Well played, sir. But the rest of the cast is just as good and they are having fun with it. 

What else is there to say? It is as silly as a bag of cats, but it is just so darn entertaining and giving us what we never knew we needed. For fans of either franchise, this is a must see. But if you're curious: check it out. It is far better than it has any right to be.