Legend has it that they actually delayed the release of 1998s SubZero because the animated movie was way better than Joel Schumachers live-action Batman & Robin. There isnt a whole lot more that needs to be said about Clooneys Batman and Schwarzeneggers Mr. Freeze, and SubZero is indeed a superior story. Acting as a follow-up to the introduction of Victor Fries in the TAS episode "Heart of Ice", SubZero shows a more maniacal Mr. Freeze take desperate measures when the possibility of finally reviving his cryogenically frozen wife is threatened. Nora Fries is the only thing Victor cares about, and he wouldn't blink to take an innocent life to save her. This alone makes him a better villain - and a better character - than anything Joel Schumacher churned out around that time. And yet, in a similar way to Mystery of the Batwoman, SubZero feels at times like a stretched script for a half-hour of television rather than a necessary feature-length endeavor. Conceived, allegedly, as a standalone sequel to 1993's Mask of the Phantasm, the movie has plenty of substance but almost none of the original's charm, and that stretched feeling unfortunately leaves you waiting for the end. There are, however, no "ice" puns, which is a major plus.
