Batman vs. Two-Face

Batman vs. Two-Face
Blu-ray cover
Directed by	Rick Morales
Written by	Michael Jelenic James Tucker
Based on	Batman by William Dozier Bob Kane Bill Finger
Produced by	Alan Burnett (co-producer) Michael Jelenic (producer) Benjamin Melniker Sam Register (executive producers) James Tucker (supervising producer) Michael Uslan
Starring	Adam West Burt Ward William Shatner Julie Newmar
Edited by	Christopher D. Lozinski
Music by	Kristopher Carter Michael McCuistion Lolita Ritmanis
Production companies	Warner Bros. Animation DC Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release dates	October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08) (New York Comic Con)[1] October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)[2]
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Batman vs. Two-Face is a 2017 American animated direct-to-video superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and a direct sequel to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. It premiered at the New York Comic Con on October 8, 2017,^[1] was released digitally on October 10,^[2] and on DVD and Blu-ray on October 17.^[3] Based on the 1960s Batman television series, the film stars Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar reprising their roles of Batman, Robin and Catwoman from the series.^[4] It would be West's final performance as Batman and was released posthumously.

Plot[]

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Batman and Robin meet Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent at a top-secret demonstration hosted by Professor Hugo Strange. With his assistant Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Strange operates a machine called the "Evil Extractor" designed to siphon evil from criminals and store it in a vat. Batman scoffs, noting there is no easy path to righteousness, but the machine does work—too well, as the Joker and other volunteers laugh manically in an attempt to overload the machine. The containment vat explodes, drenching Dent with liquified evil, which scars half his face and changes his personality.

Harvey, now re-christened Two-Face, embarks on a criminal career as seen in the opening credits, all of which his attempts are foiled by the Dynamic Duo. He is eventually whisked to a hospital where his face has been given reconstructive surgery. His sanity has apparently been restored as well, and he is allowed to resume crimefighting as the assistant to the Assistant District Attorney.

Six months later, the Dynamic Duo engage King Tut and his henchmen, who have stolen a biplane and attacked an Egyptian-themed event that Aunt Harriet and Alfred Pennyworth are attending. While the civilians escape, the heroes are subdued by Tut's goons. They escape a deathtrap using Batjets in their shoes and capture Tut and his men, but their loot is taken by Two-Face's henchmen, unknown to Batman and Robin.

Batman, Robin, Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara interrogate McElroy as Harvey waits in the shadows, with O'Hara constantly hitting the professor on the head with his truncheon to switch his personality, with Tut's stubborn attitude causing himself to bring back McElroy. McElroy's lawyer Lucilee Diamond intervenes and ushers them out of the room so that she can speak to him. At Professor McElroy's trial, she implicates that the concussion is nothing more than a threat to a mild-mannered man. Chief O'Hara tearfully confesses to hitting McElroy and Harvey calls Batman as his next witness, but Professor McElroy himself admits his guilt, ready to suffer the minimum penalty of being rehabilitated in prison. After the sentencing, Harvey shares a highball with Bruce Wayne much to Dick's annoyance at bearing the hardships of a third wheel.

Harvey is then due to an attend a charity for underprivileged twins at the Winning Pair casino just as Bruce and Dick resume their identities as Batman and Robin once more. A package has arrived at Commissioner Gordon's office, a World Atlas book marked for Batman, with its pages eaten away in three holes. Robin surmises the culprit to be Bookworm and the duo race off in the Batmobile to find him at the Gotham City Library where a fight ensues and the three priceless books that Bookworm had his eyes on have disappeared.

Batman and Robin deduce that the stolen books were all about duality, but Two-Face has already been reformed and so they try to find another way behind it. Regardless, they head to an abandoned sign factory with Two-Face and his henchmen waiting for them. After defeating the goons, Two-Face pins them with a large number two and the flip of his coin landing on the right side spares their lives. Once they have left, Batman believes that Harvey has made a lot of enemies in his career and they are all out to destroy it. Meanwhile, Harvey is having some problems of his own after he makes a phone call to none other than Two-Face, who kidnaps Professor Strange as part of their scheme.

Robin is punished to his room by Batman after nearly getting into a row about Harvey's involvement in Two-Face's plans and Catwoman, who by now has been stood up, escapes her cell by switching places with Lucilee Diamond. Following Harvey to the laboratory, Robin is ambushed by Two-Face and Professor Strange corrupts him with some of the gas from the extractor that mutates the left side of his body. Batman is forced to fight his beloved sidekick who cures him back at the Batcave, following Two-Face to the casino where he is in fact revealed to be Dent, having suppressed his bad side (á la Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Once the Dynamic Duo are strapped to a large silver dollar, he unmasks Batman and deduces Robin's true identity. Then Two-Face invites Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Egghead, Shame, Clock King and Catwoman to an auction for the highest bidder of Batman's true identity.

With Catwoman's help, Batman and Robin defeat the villains, but Two-Face gets away on the biplane stolen by King Tut, intending to use the evil gas to remake Gotham City in his image. The Dynamic Duo manage to shoot him down towards a flaming factory where Batman goes one on one with Two-Face, who completely takes over Harvey's body. In a battle of wits, Batman urges Harvey to regain self-control and he does, defeating Two-Face for good as they escape the factory.

The next morning, Batman and Robin use the Batwing to cure the infected Gothamites. Months later, Harvey still appears to have repressed Two-Face and forgotten Batman's secret identity. He holds a bachelor auction at Wayne Manor with the Caped Crusader himself as the first bachelor. Batman appears before everyone, and to his delight, ends up having the first person to bid for him being none other than Catwoman.

Voice cast[]

• Adam West as Bruce Wayne / Batman
• Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin
• William Shatner as Harvey Dent / Two-Face
• Julie Newmar as Catwoman
• Steven Weber as Alfred Pennyworth
• Jim Ward as Commissioner Gordon, Hugo Strange
• Thomas Lennon as Chief Miles O'Hara, Warden Crichton
• Lynne Marie Stewart as Aunt Harriet Cooper
• Jeff Bergman as Joker, Bookworm, Desmond Dumas
• Wally Wingert as Riddler, King Tut
• William Salyers as Penguin
• Sirena Irwin as Dr. Harleen Quinzel
• Lee Meriwether as Lucilee Diamond

Production[]

Development[]

The film is a sequel to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders^[5] and was announced as featuring William Shatner voicing the main antagonist, Two-Face.^[6] Despite the death of Batman actor Adam West from leukemia on June 9, 2017,^[7] West and Shatner recorded their lines separately with West finishing his lines by October 2016.^[8] Burt Ward and Julie Newmar reprised their roles as Robin and Catwoman.^[4] Lee Meriwether plays a role that sees her character wear the iconic Catwoman costume as a reference to her performance as Catwoman in the 1966 Batman feature film.

The film included a tribute to the late West after the end credits ("In Loving Memory of Adam West (1928–2017). Rest well, Bright Knight").^[9]

Music[]

The score by Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion & Kristopher Carter was released on October 6, 2017 on CD by WaterTower Records as an exclusive with FYE.^[10]

Release[]

Batman vs. Two-Face premiered at the New York Comic Con on October 8, 2017^[1] and was later released digitally on October 10^[2] and on DVD and Blu-ray on October 17.^[3]

Reception[]

IGN awarded the film a score of 8.4 out of 10: "Batman vs. Two-Face is a worthy entry in the 1966 canon and a fine send-off for the late Adam West".^[11] Writing for Starburst Magazine, Nick Blackshaw awarded the film a score of 8 out of 10, saying "Batman Vs. Two-Face is a very entertaining piece of animation".^[12] Batman vs. Two-Face holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on eight reviews.^[13]

Batman vs. Two-Face earned $300,488 from domestic DVD sales and $823,442 from domestic Blu-ray sales, bringing its total domestic home video earnings to $1,123,930.^[14]

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Batman vs. Two-Face

• Batman vs. Two-Face at IMDb
• Batman vs. Two-Face at AllMovie
• Batman vs. Two-Face at Rotten Tomatoes
• Batman vs. Two-Face at The World's Finest