If you aren’t familiar with Batman Unlimited, don’t worry, you are not alone. This movie is part of a multi-pronged alternative branding for the franchise that includes toys, a web-series, and direct to video movies. I didn’t realize this was happening since I was trying to pay more attention to the canonical happening in the comic books which is confusing enough. Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem is the second direct to video film, and while it may be designed to help sell toys it does stand on its own as a decent Batman yarn that mixes tones of both dark and gritty along with kid-friendly.
The basic premise has four super villains pulling off crimes around Gotham on Halloween, and it takes a while to figure out somebody is behind it all. Since he is on the cover (front and back) I am not sure that saying it is Joker is much of a spoiler. Let’s talk about the villains for a moment. Most disappointing is Scarecrow, as he doesn’t look like a scarecrow at all, but almost like Bane in a different costume. And the scythe is just pointless, because the character is supposed to use fear, essentially getting into people’s minds, to be effective. Oh well. Clayface is used well, and Silver Banshee fits in with the theme. Solomon Grundy, however, might be the highlight, even topping Joker’s appearance as the villain that gets the best treatment here.
Other heroes show up to lend a hand, starting with Nightwing and Red Robin. Then we get Cyborg (apparently the new poster hero for DC) and Green Arrow. That makes it a five on five battle. With mechs.
Yes, it gets a bit silly, and Batman’s dinosaur mech comes equipped with a bat-symbol on the tail, which is reminiscent of the 60s television series. There are some campy touches that made me groan, but overall I wasn’t as disappointed in Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem as I thought I would be.
Special features are light, starting with a featurette on the design of Gotham City. Then there is a series of DC Nation shorts that are all over the map, and total clock in at about 20 minutes, meaning these are far too short each, and this isn’t any sort of comprehensive collection. Finally we get an episode of “Batman: The Brave And The Bold” featuring Green Arrow, black Canary and Aquaman and the villain Music Meister.
If you’re a Batman fan with kids this will certainly find a welcome place in your collection.