Batman: The Animated Series (TV Series) Heart of Steel: Part II (1992) User Reviews

Batman takes on Cyberdyne

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 5 January 2017]

the second half of 'Heart of Steel' hits the ground running; the machines are taking over, Batman's in danger, it's all bad. As opposed to the first half, the pacing on this is great, primarily because it moves from one fight scene to the next. But one of the great things about this is that it makes Barbara Gordon integral to the plot; not only is she the one who figures it all out, but she's also a strong female character. I'm pretty sure this episode was her series intro, and what an entrance. the other thing is that there's a good reason why the omnipotent supercomputer (and its Fox News anchor of a femme fatale) exists at all. Turns out Karl Rossum (William Sanderson) isn't really a bad guy after all. Good intentions and whatnot.

This conclusion relies on action more than the opener did, but the creepy vibe is consistent. Dark undertones, to say the least.

8/10

More of a comment on other reviews

[dementomstie · 9/10 · 25 March 2009]

I just wanted to comment that the reason that Sanderson plays the Rossum in this episode is because he played basically the same character in the movie Blade Runner. It's a weird little tribute that they do in the episode, but it's also kind of brilliant. It's been years since I've seen this episode, but it always stuck in my head as a great episode and one of the things that struck me was the designs of the robots in Rossum's house/apartment. Sure enough, in Blade Runner he has the same kinds of robots in his house/apartment. It's a tiny but awesome detail. It helped this episode stick in my head even though I haven't seen it for at least 10 years.

Part II Doesn't Live Up To Part I, Except For Sanderson

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 4 March 2008]

After a great first part, this conclusion of "Heart Of Steel" was a little too formulaic and just was not what I had hoped it to be. The first part featured a variety of interesting villains which came in all sizes and shapes. It included a robot disguised as a deadly briefcase!

This conclusion was still action-packed and should keep anyone's attention but was mainly just physical battles between Batman and the human clones.

It also had a very contrived part with Commissioner Gordon's daughter, who had never done anything except take her teddy bear around, turning into some unrealistic heroine. It was noble, but too much of a cliché.

I did like William Sanderson's voice. He played "Rossum," the guy who invented the computer which turned almost human and got carried away with its mission. At first, I couldn't place Sanderson's voice. Then, it hit me: he was a villain in the western "Crossfire Trail" and the crime movie, "Last Man Standing." He plays a good villain, but he's not a villain in here. Sanderson has done a lot of TV work and has a long resume. A lot of voices in these Batman animated episodes are veteran TV actors.