Movie Review: "Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" - What Took So Long?

It hadn't occurred to me until recently how similar the Batman and Ninja Turtles franchises are. Both involve vigilantes in major cities who use a combination of martial arts, scientific knowledge, and variety of gadgets to fight crime. They also shared high points of popularity in the 90's thanks to their respective animated series, movies, and massive toy lines; hell, even their last movies of said decade were both so bad that they put their film series in a long hiatus. Despite all this though, we never actually got a crossover between the two until 2015. The comic team-up was such a success that it spawned two sequels as well as another crossover between their animated counterparts (Batman: The Animated Series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012). Comic crossovers are one thing, but an actual animated movie between the two? I was very surprised when this film was officially announced, considering the two properties being owned by separate studios, Batman by Warner Bros. and TMNT by Nickelodeon. I find it quite similar to when WB and Disney worked together on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" As for this film, I never realized how well the worlds of Batman and Ninja Turtles could mesh together.

The film does such a good job combining the franchises that I could find it very plausible for the Ninja Turtles to be part of the DC universe. It's here we find even more similarities of the franchises, particularly on the villains side, like secret ninja organizations (League of Assassins and the Foot Clan) and chemical companies used for nefarious purposes (TCRI's mutagen and Ace Chemical's Joker venom). The best of both worlds combine when Shredder and Ra's al Ghul unleash the inmates at Arkham Asylum and expose them to mutagen; it's interesting to see that given the right circumstances, even Batman's rogues gallery could be worked into enemies of the Turtles.

All the characters are written well, and the interactions are stellar, thanks in part to the voice acting. On that part, I give props to Troy Baker for pulling double duty in reprising both Batman and Joker, who he voiced in the Telltale Series and Arkham Origins, respectively.

There's common ground made between characters like Donatello and Batgirl and Raphael and Robin. Given the setting for the movie is Gotham, this allows for TMNT characters to have different reactions to their surroundings. Shredder is irritated and disgusted by the inmates at Arkham, while conversely, Michelangelo is having the time of his life and embracing the craziness. He geeks out about Penguin's swiss-army umbrella, thinks Batman is cool even after he and his brothers got beat in their fight, tries on a bat-cowl and climbs on top of the t-rex when they find the Batcave, and so on. Honestly, Mikey is probably the most entertaining character of the whole film, especially when Alfred has to put up with his carefree personality.

The animation lends itself to both franchises as even separately, it could work solely as either a Batman cartoon or a TMNT cartoon. The fights are also very entertaining, making the best use of the 

combat styles of both the Bat-family and the Turtles. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the best that come to mind are Batman vs. the Turtles, Batman vs. Shredder, and Ra's al Ghul vs. Leonardo.
It is worth noting though that despite the family friendly look, there are moments that may not be appropriate for kids. The film is rated PG-13 (which is actually a first for the TMNT), but by animation standards, this could translate to a live action R. There are quite a few moments of brutality, ranging from blood to dismemberment, as well as Donatello getting his arm broken by Ra's.

Anything negative I have to say is inconsequential, because overall, this film is an absolute delight. This is a must-own for fans of both franchises, combining elements of the two that flow well together without one side overshadowing the other. There's a post-credits scene that sets up a potential sequel, and considering there are comic sequels to pull inspiration from, I don't see why they couldn't make another one. We still need new actually good animated Turtles to watch after all.

While any sequel would be pretty far out, let's just say I may have another Batman/TMNT related post coming in the future. Stay tuned.