(9/09/09)
Batman: the Animated Series is an anthology, a collection of self-contained stories that exist without the need for continuity, even if there are some implicit callbacks or references. It is troubling that Off Balance introduces a story arc, then, because that single purpose constitutes a twenty-two minute span of events. Most episodes are not bound by such a restriction; they are fashioned with simple objectives in mind. But Off Balance meets but one simplistic goal in the most bland and straightforward manner.
Its plot has the simple-mindedness of a video-game. The entire thing is a James Bond mission. Batman must recover Wayne-Tech’s sonic drill from the evil Count Vertigo, whose motivations are never revealed, while an alluring woman, whose motivations are also unclear, accompanies him. That is all; if reason or logic lead you to question one plot point, then an even more ludicrous plot point will come along to make you realize that it’s not worth caring about. There is no concern for character or depth or psychology because most espionage plots are all about the immediate action.
If anything Off Balance recalls The Cat and the Claw, which was about a morally ambiguous femme fatale with whom the writers paired Batman against a more obviously evil foe. Talia Al Ghul is the enigmatic woman and Count Vertigo is the havoc-wreaking terrorist who shares both Red Claw’s generic European accent and her generic band of terrorists. Talia and her father Ras Al Ghul are characters of the utmost importance that are to play crucial roles in episodes to come, but they did not need such a pointless introductory episode. Nothing in The Demon’s Quest or Avatar or Showdown has anything to do with Off Balance save the brief moment when Talia sees Batman unmasked.
I am a fan of the visual effects though. It is not merely the distortion; it is also the direction. Watch carefully the scene in which Batman leads Talia across the laboratory. Not only do the images ripple to reflect the characters’ state of vertigo, but also shots are tilted and rotated. There is little concern for concrete space, and the whole room becomes a big bright green abstraction. If the rest of the episode is shamelessly contrived, these sequences of visual experimentation are the most novel and unique. Rarely is an episode worth seeing for its gimmick.
It seems that most series that take the time out to reference classic films have a good grounding in Hitchcock. His 1958 masterpiece Vertigo is evoked in the climax, some shots mirror images of those in the film. But unlike Joker’s Favor, which used the master’s thematic elements as opposed to specific tidbits, Off Balance lacks the tone of the film it references. Whereas the vertigo of the film reflects a state of mind, here it is merely the weapon wielded by the sinister antagonist.
This is more of a time capsule to me, the earliest episode to be crafted with an eye for continuity and future story possibilities. Superman: the Animated Series and Justice League: Unlimited would be full of story arcs. It’s at least interesting to see what the first attempt was like.
I love how the episode begins, right in the middle of the action. Batman takes down a handful of thugs atop a giant structure resembling the Statue of Liberty. There is no setup or exposition: we get cast right into the middle of a string of apparent criminal activities headed by a criminal named Count Vertigo. Rarely do we get to see action take place outside the mean streets of Gotham and even though this is such a minor thing, I absolutely love seeing Batman atop an illustrious statue in Gotham City’s bay stopping criminals.
After the highlight that is the opening, the episode meanders along a storyline concerning an attempt to steal a powerful Wayne Enterprises sonic drill. The only entertainment to be had until Batman begins his trek to Vertigo’s base of operations is seeing Lucius Fox make another appearance and the vertigo effects that emanate form the villain as he steals the drill. It doesn’t help that Michael York, who’s a great voice actor by the way, plays the character with such ordinary over-the-top villainy that it’s hard to take the guy seriously, especially with the name Count Vertigo. Weirdly sounding villain names like Mr. Freeze at least get accompanied by good writing and voice acting. I guess Count Vertigo just didn’t cut it.
The episode gets fairly interesting when Batman teams up with the mysterious Talia, who’s apparently out to stop Vertigo as well. We get a lot of serviceable action scenes and some genuinely engaging and disorienting sequences in Vertigo’s tower, as the vertigo effect takes over and prohibits Batman and Talia from advancing. I especially love the references to the film Vertigo. Even though there’s really no parallel between this episode and the excellent Hitchcock film at all in terms of story and psychology, the visuals surrounding the progression up the tower with the odd hypnotic effects hindering the journey brings back good memories. For the most part, however, all of this is stretched out over too long a period of time, making it more a waste of time than exciting and climactic. The best parts of the episode come at the end, where Talia betrays Batman and steals the drill, only for the drill to fall apart due to Batman’s thinking ahead. I just love the way that Talia thinks she has the upper hand, only for Batman to regain it. And of course Ras Al Ghul’s big reveal at the end provides a major setup for episodes to come.
The animation is weak, but saved partially by the vertigo effects. As I commented earlier, I love a lot of the set pieces and environments used throughout, so as much I as I dislike the animation as a whole, I’m pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was some good compensation for it. The direction’s not bad either, so overall this is an episode I really can’t fault for the mediocre work by Sunrise, one of the more inconsistent studios that worked on the series.
Overall, this is not a great episode by any means. Like many of the episodes I’ve reviewed lately, I’m inclined to give it no more than an average rating. It’s a good thing, however, that ‘Off Balance’ sets up for some great episodes to come.
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