User reviews

This was the episode I had been awaiting more than any of this TV series . .. and I was NOT disappointed! The thought of the two superhero big-guns joining forces on TV was always a big dream of mine, and this does the job magnificently. Each hero is given their own distinct personality: Batman, dark and imposing; Superman, strong yet gentle. The personalities of the villains were also a great contrast. My highlight was the knockdown-drag-out fight between the Joker's girl, Harley Quinn and Mercey Graves, Lex Luthor's assistant. I was also surprised at the level of maturity that the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane was handled. I especially liked the reactions of everyone when Batman threw Superman across the nightclub (especially Superman's)! What I didn't like was the way in which Superman discovered Batman's identity. I won't reveal it, but suffice it to say that Batman would be better prepared for what Superman does. All I've got to say is that I hope that some studio will bring this story to the big screen with the proper actors (Val Kilmer as Batman, Kevin Sorbo as Superman) and director (Tim Burton, please come home!).

The only thing I can fault Warner Bros for with this movie is for NOT stamping the classic Superman/Batman label of "World's Finest" on the box. Paul Dini and Bruce Timm -- indeed, everyone who has worked on these two animated series have proven time and again their respect for these characters and their talent in their portrayal. Seeing them TOGETHER -- well, it's a comic book geek's dream come true. Sure, it falls prey to the team-up concept of using one villain from each hero's mythos, but it does it well. What's more, the casts from each TV show have always been above par and are welcome together. Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly, as Batman and Superman, are the best on-screen pairing of the two heroes EVER. If Warner Bros had any sense at all, they'd forget Joel Schumaker and Tim Burton and give the next Batman and Superman movies to the great people who make the animated series a joy to watch every week. Oh -- and one more thing -- with the sudden influx of other heroes on these guy's shows: Steel, Supergirl, the Creeper, Green Lantern, Aquaman, the Flash, Nightwing -- when are we going to get the Justice League of America cartoon show that we're clamoring for? Get with it, WB!

Down and out on a Friday night, I took refuge at a friend of mines house. Before long Brittany on MTV grew dull and we popped on the Batman/Superman Animated movie. At first a little edgy, thinking haven't they dragged them both though the mud enough, where does the marketing end. But With in seconds of the opening credits, I was glued to the screen, transfixed at what I was seeing there. A very classy, if somewhat gaudy representation of the two characters I grew up with. Batman and Superman, at first not willing to work together to stop The Murderous Joker and Side Kick Harleyquin on a vendetta to kill Superman, love those plot devices, but latter using their own unique style of vigilante justice in unison to bring the evildoers in. I really should write comics.

Animation wise it's a step above the usual Saturday morning cartoons of the respective heroes however its still at least a flight bellow your usual Disney feature film. I guess when you are paying the lowest bidding animation studio to slap this stuff together you cant be too picky. Produced by long time Batman writer Paul Dini. The man who is 90% responsible for bring the fantastic Batman animated series to us over the last 4 years, he really went and out did him self here. The dialogue is both witty and fresh with out being overly corny. Written with just enough innuendo and savvy to keep the older viewers smirking. When Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) is seen to be making moves on Superman's main squeeze Lois, Clark remarks, `Of course you have been dividing your time between work and Lois.' Bruce replies with genuine arrogant charm `Is that a problem?' With Deadpan seriousness Clark retorts, `Let's just say I'm concerned. Your reputation is... dubious. In and out of costume.' I dare you to find better dialogue any where on Saturday morning television. The film flows with some modest attempts to flesh out the human sides of the characters but by this point in the evening we are too busy wondering how Lex Luthor's driver/body guard is to be taken seriously in that skirt. This straight to video release is basically the 3-episode arc that marks the pilot from the TV series of the same name. Compared to the last two big screen efforts, this really sets the standard for Batman films, Joel Schumacher should be forced to watch, pen and paper in hand and take notes, gaudy okay nipples bad.

Besides some enjoyable action sequences the fun comes in picking the actors who voice the main characters. Mark Hamil, yes Luke Skywalker himself, pulls of a Nicholson-esque joker while Timothy Daly of `Wings' fame does the Man of Steel. What's the bet that Tim uses that fact in pickup lines in bars? Kevin Conroy does Batman. That man must eat cigarettes for breakfast. On whole very enjoyable and fans should watch to see the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight actually done semi well. Though you might get some funny looks from the Video store clerk when you bring this to the counter. Tell him its for your nephew.

Before the review, a brief plot summary: The Joker and Harley Quinn, who have recently been down on their cash, steal a strange "green jade" statue from an antique shop called the Laughing Dragon. The dragon is famous because all of it's previous owners have died unexplained deaths. Batman is put on the case, and when he expiriments on a sample from the statue, he learns it is giving off low-level radiation. Bruce Wayne, his billionaire alter-ego, is working on a buisness project in Metropolis with another famous billionaire, Lex Luthor. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are among the first reporters to greet Wayne as he arrives, and immediatly Lane and Wayne become attracted to each other. Meanwhile, Joker has met up with Luthor and shown him the statue which is made of kryptonite, and seals a deal- a billion dollars and he'll kill Superman.

Well, here is an interesting crossover! Of two Warner Brothers cartoons, based on DC comics, Marvel's top competition. This feautures all the original voices from the cartoons, like Tim Daly (currently seen on "The Fugitive") as Superman, Kevin Conroy (currently playing... Batman, as you can see if you'll click on his bio) as Batman, Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor, Dana Delany as Lois Lane, and Mark Hamill (explination needed?) as the Joker.

Let me start this paragraph off by saying that both heroes have suffered a lot of crap recently (ie "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin"; "Superman III" and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"). Batman has been getting quite some publicity, what with the films "Mask of the Phantsm" and "Sub Zero". Obviously, Kevin Conroy is THE animated caped crusader, and it's nice to see him again.

But, enough with such ramblings. The plot is EXCELLENT and interesting to see how it could work out. As I have just said, it's great to hear all the original voices, together and interacting. The chemistry is great! The conflict between Bat and Super is brilliantly done, and as the plot progresses it gets more and more interesting. Also, the chemistry between the villians is appealing, and with Bruce and Lois... well it's lots of fun.

The scenes are fast-paced and exciting, and the climax is amazing. The Joker's "death" is a great company to his other demise in the film "Batman" with Jack Nicholson. The suspense glues you to it, and the technology is fun. Batman fans will applaud the film, sticking to the original idea and character (a nod goes to Bruce telling Lex "I don't like guns"). It's too bad we don't see Bruce getting emotional about falling in love like in "Mask of the Phantsm".

The special effects and all probably won't break any grounds, and the film will probably be remembered only as a noticeable TV movie from 1998, but I still strongly recommend it. My, we can only imagine what it would be like live action, with Christopher Reeve, Michael Keaton, Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson, Margot Kidder etc. Ah well, we can still dream... (smile).

Being a fan of both Batman & Superman, I really wanted to see how they could possibly come up with a good, interesting, and exciting story between these two superheroes. Well, the writers were able to do just that. With two of the most famous superheroes joined together vs. two of the most infamous villains joined together. Batman & Superman vs. Lex Luthor & the Joker. The action and story are great, but one thing I really enjoyed in this movie that the writers did was that they really displayed the personalities of the characters very nicely and uniquely. Batman's way of fighting crime goes against the way Superman believes in upholding justice, while the Joker's crazy ways of breaking the law doesn't mixes well with the way Lex Luthor handles his illegal businesses. So this is more than an action movie, but a well written screenplay, bringing out the colorfulness and the fun into these classic characters as we get to see them finally interact with each other. This is a much better movie than what Hollywood has produced in the recent years. A must see for all Batman & Superman fans out there.

Okay I admit it, I went into this very judgemental. I mean come on can you blame me? Look at that front cover! And after all the family friendly DC stuff I've watched lately I expected more of the same.

Truth be told I got it, but made in such a way it was enjoyable regardless

Batman travels to Metropolis to team with Superman against the combined forces of Joker & Lex Luthor. The plot, hardly staggering but the delivery was fantastic.

With the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill & Clancy Brown this is one of the better DC outings I've seen lately despite it being a cutesy colorful one.

My complaints? The animation isn't one I like, it looks very odd in places almost like different animation styles were used for different characters.

Depite this minor issue I enjoyed Worlds Finest, it's a lot of fun for any super hero movie fan and still better than Batman vs Superman (2016)

The Good:

Mark Hamill

Very well written

The Bad:

Animation is off in places

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Apparently Superman is a telepath as well as he can identify bad guys upon sight

Why did someone think it was a good idea to make Joker have a triangle head?

In preparation for the upcoming Batman V Superman film, I've decided to revisit a few of each of the heroes' feature films, especially those where they come in direct conflict with one another.

The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest is yet another example of a film that gets the relationship of the two most iconic superheroes, right. The Superman animated series took 3 episodes and made it into a mini TV movie, and for the most part, it plays out very much like both Batman and Superman's shows. The voice talent of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy reprised their iconic voice performances as Joker and Batman respectively and head over to Metropolis for a few episodes.

The plot is essentially the same plot that Lego Batman 2 followed years later, but it's always fun to watch the dynamics of these world famous characters done justice. Joker finds kryptonite and decides to strike a deal with Lex Luthor, voiced by the incredible Clancy Brown, in exchange for money. So sure, the plot is pretty basic, but it served a purpose in getting the caped crusader in Gotham in the first place.

Bruce Wayne shares a relationship with Lois Lane which gave another reason for the two heroes to be on opposing ends of the stick. The dynamic was a little strange at first, but it grew on me a bit as it's really just a typical thing Bruce Wayne would do in that situation. The film's tone overall is very consistent with the animated series of the respected characters. So campy at times, and serious at other times. But if you're a fan of the animated series' than you would definitely be a fan of this mini movie.

The voice talent is incredible overall and the animation is exactly what it should be in a film like this. It's predictable in every sense of the word, but the dynamic between the characters we know and love is why you watch a film like this. It's exactly what I would hope the Batman V Superman film will be like.

+Voice talent

+Dynamics are handled right

-Nothing really new here

8.1/10

Batman and Superman were stars of DC Comics' World's Finest comic book for years before DC got the brilliant idea of having them appear together as a team. Since then there have been several tales of the "first meeting" between these two classic super heroes. None of them matches the strength of this movie, which is one of the best full-length movie versions of either of the characters. As with all of the animated Batman shows, this is suitable for both kids and adults.

Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent are very far apart as far as alter-egos go, though of course Superman's alter-ego is the figure he sneaks into to get out of the 'right-outta-Krypton' mode and Wayne is the side of 'normalcy' for a man who every night goes out in a black outfit and cape to act as the detective to end all others. But somehow they're the two most popular superheroes (not too arguable at this point), and while they already were given crossovers in their DC comics, notably in the 80s, it wasn't until the mid 90s on the Superman animated show that the crossover officially took place.

And I was glad to finally see it- it's a breezy one hour of unpretentious comic-book entertainment, with lots of bravura moments of action (as predictable as they can become with a man like Superman, particularly when compounded by lead or, golly-gosh, given way to kryptonite), incredible humor (I fell on the floor laughing at a good deal of the Joker's gags and one liners, particularly the 'acid' joke, and just in general with the pranks pulled and the great voice work applied by Mark Hammill), and a dedication to the roots of the characters. It's also fun to see the tug-of-war given emotionally between Wayne and Kent/Superman with Lois Lane, who wants to get closer to Wayne as she's all about getting closer to those in power- as opposed to ol' 'Smallville' with the glasses (ho-ho), and how she reacts when she discovers the truth behind the bat.

Even the premise isn't half bad: the Joker asks for one billion dollars from super-billionaire Lex Luthor- who here is likely much more bad-ass and more conventionally effective as a villain, as often as he does falter like all villains, than his cinematic counterparts- to kill Superman. His plan is a smart one, though mostly with many tricks that the Joker has to keep on using, usually against Luthor himself, culminating in the climactic third part where the Joker takes the huge ship across the city to destroy all that Luthor has put money into! It's up to the caped crusader and the faster-than-speeding-bullet man to get the job done, if they can put their heads together and let egos get by.

For die-hard fans who've yet to see it, rush as fast as possible to a nearest video store- and then, if likely not available, then Netflix or elsewhere online- as it's the top of the cartoon-movie pops in terms of meeting expectations. It's not particularly nuanced, and far too short for more depth than is allowed from about four or five comic books attached together at random. But as someone who watched the 90s Batman fairly regularly, it's a real treat to look back at this again.

The Batman/Superman Movie: World's Finest is a FINE film itself. We see the world's two greatest superheroes fight against Lex Luthor and The Joker; pretty self-explanatory I reckon. What follows the colossal team-ups is colourful fun filled with comic-paced action sequences that makes up for great entertainment for kids and fully-grown-ass-men still loving their superheroes, like myself.

As a Batman & Superman crossover, this movie trounces Dawn of Justice tenfold in its entertainment factor and understanding of the characters. Is this a fair comparison considering this film was part of an already pre-established franchise in the DC-Animated-Universe? I'd say that yes, because this one was a result of the storytelling taking its time to build up to this point as opposed to just jumping right into it the way Dawn of Justice did.

World's Finest does its job well and caters to both fans of The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight perfectly.

...with Batman as a guest star.

This 60-minute 'feature length' show was put together from 3 separate 20-minute episodes of the Superman Animated show. Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego are in Metropolis on business. Guests they certainly are, in both senses. The bulk of the time sticks with Superman stuff.

The Joker has figured out a way to kill Soupey (that darn Kryptonite) and asks Lex Luthor for a billion dollars to pull it off. Thus, a plot involving Batman and Superman beating henchmen, escaping death traps and flying through the night sky follows.

It is rather amusing and the scenes where Kent and Wayne see through each other's identities is cool. But there's no great plot to get involved in and it ends a bit abruptly. Gotta love that Joker though.

Overall, one of the weaker Batman entries, only just rises above Sub-Zero, which I regarded as the worst. See Mystery of the Batwoman or Mask of the Phantasm instead.

THE BATMAN/SUPERMAN MOVIE (ANIMATED) **** It's twice the fun when two of the timeless superheros - Batman and Superman - join together to battle opposite forces. The story has billionaire Lex Luthor (an enemy of Superman) paying the villainous Joker (an enemy of Batman) to extinguish Superman. The secondary storyline focuses on the relationships between hotshot news reporter Lois Lane and both title characters. Most of the fun and laughs come from the scenes with the Joker and his crazed sidekick.

Rating System

***** Excellent **** Good *** Fair ** Poor * Bad

Perhaps because it was a TV movie, Paul Dini and the gang didn't have the chance to go all out. Still it's a pretty good TV movie but the three animated Batman movies are better.

***out of****stars

they couldn't have done better. Bruce wayne is superb, fearless of Superman and easily outwits him to unveil his secret Identity, while Superman takes the direct approach to unveil his friend and rival. Knowing the love hate relationship played up in the comic between the 2 gives a great appreciation of the same here.

The Batman Superman Movie is a simple superhero movie for kids. The story isn't groundbreaking or overly complicated, and it's barely over an hour long. It's harmless fun. My children (ages 6 and 4) loved watching it and I had a good time watching it with them.

Thinking about renting a Batman movie or a Superman movie? Don't bother with the live action one. The animated movies that are churned out are great! I personally think WB should focus their energy on these, not the live action ones

This was awesome in every since of the word I loved every minute if remember watching this on vhs and what a blast from start to finish a must watch for any fan of Batman or Superman.

Edited from 3 episodes of "The New Batman Superman Adventures", this cartoon has Lex Luther accepting the Joker's offer to defeat Superman for him. But Batman follows his arch-nemeses to Metropolis and finds himself teaming up with Superman to take these two villains down. I was a huge fan of "Batman: The Animated Series", but found Superman's subsequent series to be lackluster at best. So this is a halfway decent film, namely the Batman half (Well it's not really a half, as Superman hogs up most of the running time). Overall the film is the weakest of any of the animated Batman films Doesn't help that the story is mediocre as best.

My Grade: C

DVD Extras: Cast & Crew Information; "The Joker's Challenge" game; Conversation with Producer Bruce Timm;How To Draw Batman & Superman featurettes; The Art Of Batman featurette; Music Montage; Theatrical Trailer; and Trailers for "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker", "Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero", "Scooby-Doo Sneak Peaks", & "Scooby-Doo" Teaser Trailer

This video, the Batman/Superman Movie, was originally released during the Fall 1997 season of the New Batman-Superman Adventures on the Kids WB! network. It consisted of a three-part episode arc called "World's Finest,", and aired in a contiguous 90-minute special during WB's Saturday morning line-up.

"World's Finest" is one the best episodes of both the Batman and the Superman Animated Series, and features what so many fans, including myself, have yearned for: a team-up between the two icons of D.C. Comics' 60+ year empire, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight Detective. The stalwart Superman and the bold Batman find themselves forced to pool their admirable abilities in order to fend off the fiendish Joker who has acquired a generous amount of kryptonite and plans to sell it to the Man of Tomorrow's greatest enemy, the vile industrialist Lex Luthor. A fine storyline plays out in this visually stimulating episode arc, wonderfully animated in the style of Emmy-winning producers Paul Dini and Bruce W. Timm. The two heroes are much like they were at the beginning of the Post-Crisis Era of D.C. Comics circa 1986. They are wary of one another, not friendly, and distrusting. However, we see early on that they discover one another's identities, which also brings about a great deal of problems.

Superman and Batman have continued to appear one another in their respective shows, including a fantastic episode "Knight Time," where Superman is forced to don the uniform of the Dark Knight in order to discover who or what's behind the disappearance of Bruce Wayne.

Check out these wonderful series, but don't bother to head down to Wal-Mart and buy the video. Just wait...it'll pop up on your local WB Network carrier, and if you can stand the commercials, tape away!

Highly recommended.

I this combination of the three part World's Finest from Superman: The Animated Series, Batman and Superman team up to defeat Joker, Lex Luthor, Harley Quinn, and Mercy Graves. Two awesome superheroes facing off against four awesome villains mainly Joker and Lex Luthor? How is that not cool? Even though these are Superman episodes, Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn still have their own chances in the spotlight. Whether it be in an animated series, movies, or comics, Batman and Superman make a great team. The Dark Knight and The Man of Steel teaming up is always great at epic proportions. Of course, like always, Joker steals the spotlight the most and of course, you will always cheer for the superheroes to defeat him.