Peppa
Pig: Around The World
(2017/E1/EOne DVD)/Teen
Titans: The Judas Contract
(2017 Deluxe Gift Set/DC Comics/Warner Blu-ray w/DVD & TOY)
Picture:
C+/B & C+ Sound: C/B & C+ Extras: D/B- Main
Programs: C+
For
children or not for children... That is the question....
Peppa
Pig: Around The World
(2017) is absolutely for children of all ages, ever charming and this
one boasts the title program as a '15-minute special episode' that
would almost make one think maybe this is a short DVD. It is, but
not THAT short. This offers 10 episodes in all running 63
minutes-long. That is decent, but I would have liked some more shows
or something, but this single DVD is adequate for what it offers.
There
are no extras.
Teen
Titans: The Judas Contract
(2017) could offer the comic version of the franchise (ala Teen
Titans Go!) but this is
the darker version of the team, with demons, secret, plus more
violence and hard language than even its PG-13 rating suggests (Some
parents might think a soft R at least). It is an origins story based
on a classic run of the comic book including opening with a flashback
sequence that establishes how the second version of the team (versus
the original 1960s group) was established including Starfire,
Beast Boy, Raven, Blue Beetle, the new Robin and now, Nightwing.
This
runs a decent 84 minutes, but it can often be intense in themes and
parents should be strongly cautioned, even with the occasional humor.
As for the rest of us, we get the team in current times battling
Deathstronke and Brother Blood, things get darker and darker, which
is fine but even that gets repetitive. Thus, this is for fans of
this era of the team only, but has some good moments that make it
worth of the DC Universe. The late, great Miguel Ferrer does some of
his last voice work here too.
Extras
include a Blue Beetle figurine in this Giftset version, plus (to
paraphrase the press release)...
Sneak
Peek - Batman and Harley Quinn: Sneak peek at the next DC
Universe Original Movie, Batman and Harley Quinn, featuring the
talented creators and voice cast.
Additional
Sneak Peeks
...then
we have Blu-ray Deluxe Giftset and Blu-ray Combo Pack only extras
in...
Featurette
- Titanic Minds: Wolfman and Perez: This revealing documentary
explores a creative partnership that has lasted decades as Marv
Wolfman and George Perez come together to discuss their careers and
one of the most famous runs in Teen Titan history, The Judas
Contract.
Featurette
- Villains United - Deathstroke: When the super-soldier
Deathstroke appears, the forces of good will be in the fight of their
lives. This short featurette reveals the origin and unique abilities
of this villain.
and
From the DC Comics Vault - Two Bonus Cartoons.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Titans
is very consistent and looks good, but there are no great demo shots
either. Still, no flaws and it is just fine. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the DVD version is softer
and weaker, showing how good the Blu-ray really is, but is weak
enough that Peppa
can more than compete with it.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on Titans
is well mixed and presented with a solid soundfield, yet again, no
major demo moments sonically despite the professional consistence,
which is lost in the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD version.
Still, it is better than the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Peppa
which is a little lower in volume than expected, so be careful of
volume switching and high playback levels to be on the safe side.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
