|
The
Batman
The
Big Heat
Original airdate 11/13/04
Stop.
Before
you read any further, I must alert you that this is a brand
new review of a brand new episode of The Batman.
If you are a regular reader, then you may experience a sense
of déjà vu while reading it. If you are a new reader, than
you might want to read last week's review of "The
Big Chill" because it at least has puns.
While on patrol, Batman discovers a building
with a huge hole burned in it. He investigates and discovers
that the company's servers and records have been torched.
Just then, our villain of the week Firefly shows up and
has a rooftop battle with Batman. Firefly escapes.
Later,
Bruce Wayne meets with Mayor Grange (voiced by '60s Batman
actor Adam West). Gotham City is about to award a contract
to expand a children's hospital which had been a pet project
of Thomas Wayne. Unfortunately, the city council doesn't
like Bruce's playboy reputation and instead is considering
giving the contract to Gothcorp.
What?
No Lexcorp?
Bruce makes it his goal to come up with
hard evidence that the rumors of shady business practices
by Gothcorp are true in order to sway the city council back
to his side. He must juggle that task while also trying
to bring Firefly to justice.
This
week's episode follows the exact same formula I ranted about
last week (which is where your sense of déjà vu would kick
in). Batman fights new villain, Batman loses, Batman invents
new gadget, Batman defeats new villain.
The
Big Heat changes it up slightly by adding the complication
of Bruce's business woes, but it is still beat for beat
the same story. It's boring, it's repetitive and it has
to stop now if WB has any interest in someone over the age
of 11 watching this show.
As
much as older Batman fans (are they still watching this
show?) will appreciate the casting of Adam West as Mayor
Grange, it doesn't work. West has too recognizable a voice
for the part, nor does that voice match the look of the
character. To West's credit, he plays the part straight
and never once says "old chum."
Some
of The Batman's redesigns of Batman's rogue's gallery
have been controversial. They remade the Joker to look like
a psychedelic Jamaican monkey. They made the Penguin learn
karate. Bane went from looking like a Mexican wrestler to
a Mexican wrestler in a badly designed GoBot costume.
For
me, however, Firefly is the first one they have gotten right.
He looks like and moves like a firefly and I might actually
buy his action figure if it existed.
Which, apparently,
is all this show is really about anyway.
|
|
