Batman
Beyond: The Complete Series
(1998 - 2001/DC Comics/Warner Blu-ray Box Set w/Toy)
Picture:
B* Sound: B Extras: B+ Episodes: B
When
Batman:
The Animated Series
debuted in 1990, it landed up launching a new era of DC Comics
animation still going on today, one that took the audience and
characters more seriously, looking good and being dark in a way no
animated TV show in the U.S. had been before, despite more serious
shows occasionally like Valley
Of The Dinosaurs,
Planet
Of The Apes
and the first season of Filmation's Flash
Gordon.
Companion series like Superman:
The Animated Series
and Justice
League
were not necessarily as dark, but we finally had series that were
more mature than most of what we had seen before. After the live
action Batman films burned out by the later 1990s, DC/Warner
surprised everyone with Batman
Beyond,
which dared to take place 40 years later after the series set in
current, contemporary times.
In
it, Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) has retired, but used a new jet black
suit with state-of-the-art electronics that helped him strength and
speed-wise (ahead of The
Dark Knight Returns
for that matter) on his last mission before throwing in the towel, et
al, for good. However, he is still at the helm of Wayne Enterprises
and with Alfred the Butler gone, only has the latest version of Ace
the Batdog to keep him company and help around the house. Enter
Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) who is a high school student with a dad
working in electronics and just trying to keep his life together.
When
his dad is killed by a man who is also out to hijack Wayne
Enterprises from 'Mr. Wayne', Terry is ready to take action first and
knowing the secret identity of Wayne, steals that latest Bat Suit and
goes into action. After the two have 'major disagreements' at the
worst possible time, they slowly start to unite.
Running
for three great seasons, the series had to come up with a new set of
villains, including some that reflected the classic ones, create a
new world and most important, try to predict technology and a future
technologized world in a way no DC Comics property ever had to
before. That final point was my top concern and curiosity. Could
they pull that off and how would it age? At the time, it was very
impressive and shockingly good, smart about what the technology meant
narratively and is in the design of the buildings and some of the
characters (note the computer chip motifs throughout the show)
throughout.
Over
two decades later, some of this has come true, some of this seems to
still be on the way and the only thing that dates it a bit is the use
of DVD/CD/Blu-ray type discs for data. Though 5-inch and 3-inch
discs still get used, flash drives picked up since, though they are
not as visually interesting in animation. Rewatching the show now,
it has all new things to offer, from all that to the characters
versus how the animated and live action DC Universe has unfolded
since the show was cancelled. We know how the live action films have
been a mixed bag of success and failure, both critically and
commercially and as I saw these shows again, one big flaw is that the
makers should have been required to watch this series all over again.
This
is also among the last animated TV shows to still use hand-drawn cell
art and was excellent then and still excellent now, a peak of that
era of the artform. Detail might not be as minute as Akira
(1987), but it is as technically savvy and honest. Though it has the
style of the other DC animated shows, it still managed to have its
own niche and that endures as well. The voice talent is great,
writing smart and it is a thrill that it finally has arrived on
Blu-ray and in such a great box set.
We
did previous review the final season on DVD and it includes great
details on the show, including how it was tied into the rest of the
series and (like more than a few shows) never really had a concluding
episode:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5314/Batman+Beyond+%E2%80%93+Season+Thre
Even
after all this time, it is a series people still love, still talk
about and would like to see more of. At one point, Warner was very
close to making a big budget, live action feature film, but that was
cancelled like several film that should have been made. Instead,
Marvel Comics movies started to finally get made and usually made
well, so its not like DC/Warner had nothing to develop. Batman
Begins
shows what DC can come up with like no other fiction company, comic
books world or otherwise.
When
the original series debuted, HDTV and the idea of widescreen TV was a
very new thing and the opening credits were letterboxed on every
episode. I always wondered if the whole show was being made 1.78 X
1/16 X 9 and we would see a wider image when HDTV fully arrived.
Well, you could zoom in and try to watch these episodes in
widescreen, but they were made in the old-fashioned 'academy
aperture', narrow vision, block style way and the
episodes are presented on all the Blu-rays (centered in a 1.78 X 1
frame) in 1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers.
The result is a huge improvement over the decent DVD presentations,
with far better color range, superior overall definition and a more
solid, palpable look that makes the whole show a great new
experience. Again, it has aged well and I love the look, though you
can see tiny bits of cell dust here and there, it is not too often
and the show just looks great, but an additional note. Return
Of The Joker
is also 1.33 X 1, though it has larger shots and could be zoomed in
for 16 X 1/1.78 X 1 and you would not loose as much, being they were
thinking soft matte when they made it.
Some
of the episodes are not here in the best shape since some of them are
missing their best materials (reportedly, some of the later 35mm
materials have some wear issues for some odd reason, but we'll find
out more later, though that means its time for some emergency
restoration. Hope they are not lost for good!), so as the press
release explains...
*
Due to source material, episode resolution was enhanced (up-rez)
instead of remastering. Those episodes are marked in the full
episode guide list below...
Disc
1
Rebirth,
Pt. 1
Rebirth,
Pt. 2
Black
Out
Golem
Meltdown
Heroes
Shriek
Dead
Man's Hand
The
Winning Edge
Spellbound
Disappearing
Inque
A
Touch of Curare
Ascension
Disc
2
Disc
3
Disc
4
King's
Ransom
Untouchable
Inqueling
Big
Time
Out
of the Past
Speak
No Evil*
The
Call, Pt. 1
The
Call, Pt. 2
Betrayal
Curse
of the Kobra, Pt. 1
Curse
of the Kobra, Pt. 2
Countdown
Unmasked
Though
the show was stereo on TV and only lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on
the old DVDs, I wondered if the show had a better set of soundmasters
and Warner/DC has proven me correct by offering an excellent set of
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes for the episodes
that sound great, rarely show their age and are as impressive as
shows being made now, so good that I swore it read 5.1 when I
originally posted this review. The music is a beneficiary, as are
the fun sound effects, plus you can hear the voice actors better and
the action gets all the sonic boosts it deserves. Return
Of The Joker
is here in a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix that can be a
bit weak in overall sound range, making me think they just repeated
the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix instead of going back to the original
soundmaster, but it'll do for now.
We
have the Limited Edition Box Set with the Batman Funko doll that is
amusing like all their products and a nice plus, and we get a clear
cellophane envelope of 3D lenticular cells of scenes from the show,
while the box set's discs add the following (per the press
release)...
Disc
1
Commentary
on the episode 'Rebirth, Part 1' by producers Bruce Timm, Alan
Burnett, Paul Dini & Glenn Murakami and director Curt Geda.
Audio
Commentary on episode 'Shriek' by producers Bruce Timm, Alan
Burnett, Paul Dini & Glen Murakami, director Curt Geda and
writer Stan Berkowitz
Music
of the Knight
- producer Bruce Timm introduces a feature allowing access to key
scenes from Batman
Beyond,
accompanied by the compelling score created for the series.
Inside
Batman Beyond - Meet the Creators
- producers Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, Glen Murakami and Paul Dini
discuss the creative process behind Batman
Beyond
and its inaugural season. Jason Hillhouse moderates.
Batman
80th
Anniversary Collection trailer
Disc
2
Commentary
on the episode 'Splicers' by producers Bruce Timm and Glen Murakami,
storyboard artist James Tucker, casting/dialogue director Andrea
Romano and Will Friedle, the voice of Terry McGinnis/Batman.
Disc
3
Commentary
on the episode 'The Eggbaby' by producers Bruce Timm & Glen
Murakami, director James Tucker, Producer Glen Murakami,
casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano and Will Friedle, the voice
of Terry McGinnis/Batman
Inside
Batman Beyond: The Panel
- An in-depth discussion with producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett,
Glen Murakami and Paul Dini as Season
Two
of Batman
Beyond
is explored with moderator Jason Hillhouse.
Disc
4
Inside
Batman Beyond: Season 3
- A fascinating discussion on Season
Three
of Batman
Beyond
with producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and Paul
Dini.
Inside
Batman Beyond Season 3: Close-Up On...
- producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, directors Butch Lukic and
James Tucker, and voice actor Will Friedle discuss their favorite
moments among final-season episodes.
Inside
Batman Beyond Season 3: Out of the Past
- producers Bruce Timm & Paul Dini, director James Tucker and
voice actor Will Friedle sit down together to talk about 'The Legend
of Batman' musical (which appears in this episode) and other
memorable moments.
Inside
Batman Beyond Season 3: The Call, Part 1
- producers Bruce Timm & Paul Dini, director Butch Lukic and
voice actor Will Friedle gather to discuss the additional heroes and
the exciting action showcased in this episode.
Inside
Batman Beyond Season 3: The Call, Part 2
- producers Bruce Timm & Paul Dini, director Butch Lukic and
voice actor Will Friedle talk about the appearance of Starro and
Superman in this episode.
Inside
Batman Beyond Season 3: Curse of the Kobra, Part 1
- producers Bruce Timm & Paul Dini, director James Tucker and
voice actor Will Friedle reminisce about the personal relationships
that highlight the story of this episode.
Disc
5
Nostalgic
Tomorrow - A Batman Gathering
(All-New Featurette) - Nostalgia strikes like it's 1999. Seated at
the table are the Batman
Beyond
Team: producers Bruce Timm & Glen Murakami, actors Kevin Conroy &
Will Friedle, director James Tucker, casting/dialogue director Andrea
Romano, and writers Bob Goodman & Stan Berkowitz. Care to join us
for a chat?
Knight
Immortal
(All-New Featurette) - A visual and visceral celebration of the Dark
Knight;s 80 years of crime fighting, narrated by storytellers of the
past, present, and future.
Tomorrow
Knight: The Batman Reborn
(All-New Featurette) - Storytellers explore the rise of Terry
McGinnis as Batman and Bruce Wayne's relationship with the young hero
as he mentors a new Dark Knight for modern times.
Gotham:
City of The Future
- A Close-Up Look at Gotham City Circa 2039, the modernization and
the inspirations for its high-tech design and massive scale.
The
High-Tech Hero
- Batman
Beyond
storytellers discuss the evolution of the new Bat Suit and its
futuristic design and capabilities.
Secret
Origin: The Story of DC Comics
(Documentary) - The Story of DC Comics and the rise of the Super Hero
mythology as a zeitgeist in American pop culture.
Disc
6
Batman
Beyond: Return of the Joker
(2000) Remastered for Blu-ray, the heralded animated feature film
spawned by the Batman
Beyond
series is included on a separate bonus disc in the box set.
All
that makes the new Batman
Beyond
Blu-ray set one of the best of the year!
-
Nicholas Sheffo