Just in time for THE BATMAN — the live-action, big-screen one — THE BATMAN THE COMPLETE ANIMATED SERIES is now available on Blu-ray and Digital.
Speaking of THE BATMAN film, I’ve been REALLY busy covering it that last 10 days, so my review of THE BATMAN: THE COMPLETE ANIMATED SERIES got put on the backburner.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the six-time Emmy Award-winning series premiered on September 11, 2004 on Kids’ WB before eventually shifting to Cartoon Network for subsequent seasons.
BOF received a reviewing copy from WBHE a week of so ago, and I finally got to take a look at it yesterday (Sunday, 3/6/21). I’m not sure I’m going to revisit every single one of the 65 episodes — it lasted for 5 seasons, mind you — but I’ll certainly give my overall take on the series and how it “looks” since it’s been fully remastered.
It’s been a while since I watched THE BATMAN, but I did like the series overall for the most part. It got a little too Brave and the Bold/Batman Family/Justice League towards the end for my liking, but even those episodes were done quite well.
My only real issue with THE BATMAN was the aesthetic of The Joker. Other than that, I was OK with the series’ take on the Batman mythos. And its version of Mr. Freeze was kinda no bueno too.
Essentially, you get all 65 of the episodes that ran over the course of five seasons. As far as “special features,” it does include a new featurette titled “The Dark Dynasty Continues” which takes an overall, historical look back at the series. If you liked THE BATMAN, you’ll definitely like the featurette.
THE BATMAN: THE COMPLETE ANIMATED SERIES is meant for two groups: One, fans of the series, and 2) Batman fans who are completists and collect everything. I’d also say that if you have young kids and you’re looking at something they can watch as a conduit into the world of Batman, this will work. Honestly, I would’ve got this for myself even if the fine folks at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment didn’t provide me with a copy. I had each season already on DVD, but I’m one of those completists and I would’ve wanted to upgrade regardless. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
