'Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Is a Pleasing Crossover Treat

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sees Batman, Robin, and Batgirl team up with Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello in order to stop Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins and Shredder and the Foot Clan from pulling off a devastating terrorist attack on Gotham City.  This direct-to-video animated film is based on the comic book mini-series Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was one of my most favorite titles during the years it came out.  There are essential plot beats which are similar, but it’s not necessarily a direct adaptation of the comics.

The movie is as tremendously fun as you would expect from such a crossover.  There are tons of entertaining interactions between the characters of the two franchises, both in a comedic and action sense.  The two mythologies also mesh wonderfully well with each other.

In comparing this movie with its comic book counterpart, I feel that the latter has a slightly better story.  In addition, I like that the comics made use of alternate universes in order to explain the crossover.  Meanwhile, the movie simply presents Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be existing in the same universe, which doesn’t make sense in the context of the overall DC universe.  Moreover, April O’Neil, Casey Jones, Splinter, Bebop, and Rocksteady had roles in the comics’ narrative; they aren’t in the movie.

What the movie has an advantage over the comics is with the humor (the comics was more on the serious side) and the medium’s capability of showing motion, which is invaluable for the action.  There’s a lot of exciting set pieces in this movie, and the fight choreography and shot composition are pretty dynamic.

Overall, Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is guaranteed to please fans of both franchises.  The voice acting, direction, animation, and action are all terrific – resulting to an effectively delightful genre treat.