Batman
Unlimited - Animal Instincts (2015/Warner/DC Comics Blu-ray w/DVD
+ Digital HD)
Picture:
B+/B Sound: B+/B Extras: C Film: B-
Batman
Unlimited: Animal Instincts is geared toward the kiddies. The
newest release in a series of Dark Knight 'straight to home video'
films is not as dark, emotional, or violent as other recent ventures.
This is due to the fact the Animal Instincts is not based on
any particular comic (though it loosely uses established Batman
lore), but rather a popular Mattel toy line.
The
72 minute film focuses on a series of crimes committed by a group of
animal-like villains. This group of outlaws includes Silverback,
Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Cheetah, and The Penguin; collectively known as
Animalitia. Batman, Robin, The Flash, Green Arrow, and Nightwing
gather together to bring down this ferocious crime syndicate.
Like
series such as Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles of the past, this Batman film is clearly catering to a
younger audience to elicit the urge to 'buy toys.' The script is
fun, but certainly not Oscar worthy, or too memorable. It is still a
Batman film (which I always enjoy), but is not on the same level as
previous ventures.
The
technical features on this new Batman release are very good with
slight issues. The picture is a 1.78 X 1, 1080p AVC encoded, MPEG-4
digital High Definition image which is bright, crisp, clean and
clear; but does have some banding and aliasing issues. Viewers will
be treated to a brighter pallet here with Animal Instincts than
they are used to in the gloomy world of Batman and Gotham City, which
is a nice change up. The sound is a 5.1 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
lossless mix that is pretty dynamic for a 'straight to home video'
release; as it uses the front speakers for most dialogue, but
concurrently utilizes the sides/rear for the more action packed
moments and musical scores. This is coupled with solid panning
effects and directionality.
The
DVD and Digital HD Copies are merely lower quality editions of the
Blu-ray.
The
bonus features are limited and not too interesting. This release
does come in an oversized box with a 'Fire Bat' action figure to
appeal to kids and collectors alike. The issue is that the figure
(potentially) is the cheapest figure I have ever seen included with a
superhero Blu-ray/DVD set. The extras are as follows:
