Movie Korner: Batman Bad Blood Blu-Ray and Special Features Review

Batman: Bad Blood’s Blu-Ray is another great offering from DC Entertainment, packed with all kinds of goodies for Batman fans.

This is a review for the special features of the Batman Bad Blood Blu-Ray. Check out Kastor’s Korner’s own Jason Quaregna’s review of the DVD and feature itself.

You might notice that when DC hits a rut, they make a Batman movie.  I could be cynical about it, but it’s hard to when they seem to do this better than anyone who’s had control of the character.  The Blu-Ray, in my opinion, is the best way to experience the DC Universe’s latest animated feature. Crisp picture and outstanding fight scenes are just part of Batman’s latest adventure on the small screen. The animation is smooth, and the choreography is probably the best that we have seen in a DC Animated film. Full advantage is taken of the medium to deliver action truly worthy of Batman’s incredible comic book history. In fact, there’s a 30 minute feaurette called “Putting the Fight in Gotham,” about the evolution of Batman’s fighting in film and comic books that hardcore Batman fans will really appreciate. They delve in to how Batman’s fights have become more elaborate over the years across different mediums, interviewing various experts in choreography, direction, and comic books including Adam Kistler a comic historian, Jay Olivia the director of the feature, and a fight choreographer for Man of Steel and the upcoming Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Damon Caro. It reveals just how much work goes in to each fight scene, not just from the choreography or direction but the mentality of the characters and even the background and setting that the fights take place. Hardcore fans of stuntwork and production will be fascinated, but I can see a lot of casual fans skipping over it mostly due to its whopping 30 minute run-time.

There’s also a brief 14 minute featurette called “Expanding the Batman Family.” about the history of Batman’s teamates and the unique dynamic behind the Bat-Family. It starts with Robin’s publication history and the the history of the character himself, goes through Batwoman’s introduction and how the evolution of her character has really surpassed her shallow origins caused by the formulaic storytelling of the 1950’s, Batgirl’s introduction in the 1960’s and the progressive ideas she stood for, all the way to the introduction of Batwing in 2011.  What especially fascinated me about this featurette was the way the history lesson included the politics of the eras that Batman has gone through starting with the introduction of the Comics Code in the 1950’s. Historians are sure to appreciate this attention to detail, but new fans might be fascinated to learn about how the evolution of Batman extended beyond the Spirit-like idea that he started as and to this unusual family dynamic set at a time when the nuclear family was considered the only kind of famil (as well as how spectacularly that idea backfired). This featurette, in my opinion, is a must watch for fans of all ages and experience levels.

There are a couple of trailers on the blu-ray as well. A Suicide Squad trailer for the movie coming this August from DC Entertainment and Warner Bro. Productions, directed by David Ayer and starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, and Jared Leto. Unfortunately it’s the first trailer which started circling the internet back as early as last summer. The real treat is an exclusive sneak peek available for the upcoming DC Animated feature Justice League VS. Teen Titans, marking the first appearance of the Teen Titans in DC Animated’s recently developed multiverse. The sneak peek introduces the new cast of the upcoming film with Taissa Farmiga making her first appearance as Raven, Jon Bernthal’s debut as Trigon, Jake T. Austin as Blue Beetle, and Brandon Soo Hoo as Beast Boy, with Stuart Allan reprising his role as Robin, Kari Wahlgreen expanding on her short appearance as Starfire in Batman: Bad Blood, Sean Maher returning as Nightwing, and Jason O’Mara, Jerry O’Connell, Rosario Dawson, Shemar Moore, and Christopher Gorham reprising their roles of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and The Flash (respectively) from last year’s Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. The film will be directed by Sam Liu(Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Batman: Year One, and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) and written by Alan Burnett (Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Batman: Gotham Knight, and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm), Bryan Q. Miller, and James Tucker. The featurette explores the story ideas that will be presented in the film and even the character motivations from the actors playing them. This is a great way to get excited about the the new film, and it served to pique my interest far more than just a trailer.

The Blu-Ray version boasts 1080p resolution, DTS-HD English 5.1, and Dolby Digital 5.1 French and Spanish; along with subtitles in English, SDH, French and Spanish making it accessible for French and Spanish speaking fans, as well as the deaf and hard of hearing.

Two episodes of Batman: Brave and the Bold (The Knights of Tomorrow and The Criss Cross Conspiracy) are included on the disc, that showcase adventures featuring The Question, Damien Wayne, Nightwing, Batgirl and of course Batman. They’re both entertaining romps, but nothing new for Batman fans.

This is one Blu-Ray that fans of Batman and DC Universe as a whole, will be proud to display on their shelves.  Movie ain’t bad either.