“Batman: Dead End” is a reasonably impressive fan film that combines the “Batman”, “Alien” and “Predator” franchises. Sadly, it’s over just as things start to get interesting and that’s a real shame because what is offered here is rather exciting.

The Joker has escaped from Arkham Asylum so Batman must once again capture him. He finds Joker in a dark alley. However, things take an unexpected turn as something even more sinister is lurking in the darkness. Batman has to confront a Xenomorph and a Predator. With no time for any explanations, Batman must fight for his life against some of the deadliest beings in the universe.

Batman is fine and his costume here gives him a little more flexibility than some of the costumes used in the big movies. That’s a big positive because this fan film features a fight sequence so it’s good that Batman can move around with more freedom. Joker is great here and really creepy. Alien and Predator both look terrific. The costumes look absolutely perfect and if you just saw some of the shots out of context, you would assume that they were from a legit “Alien” or “Predator” movie. It’s fun to see Batman battle two characters from other film universes.

I believe there has been crossovers in the comics between some of the DC characters and the characters from the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises. It’s fun to see that in live-action. However, this short is over in less than ten minutes so that’s a real shame. What is here is entertaining but I wanted more. This feels like something that should have been used to pressure the big studios to greenlight a real crossover film. I also think that a better title would have helped this film because the title doesn’t suggest that the film contains characters from other franchises.