Review
The Batman The Complete Series Blu-Ray
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 1, 2022
Closed Captioning: Yes
Run Time: 1385 minutes
MSRP: $69.99
Aspect Ratio: 1080p High Definition
Episodes: All 65 episodes
Synopsis: Can a young Batman battle the darkness of Gotham City? In this reimagined animated series, Bruce Wayne finds his way as a protector, defender and Caped Crusader. The balance is delicate between his public persona of a billionaire bachelor and the Dark Knight as he hones his skills and develops his modus operandi to take his war on crime to the next level. On this journey, he'll meet the DC Universe's A-list allies: Robin, Superman, and Batgirl. He'll also take on a rogues' gallery of enemies like Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, and Mr. Freeze – but only a few will shape the world of the would-be vigilantes. Soar through the complete series of The Batman and watch as the urban myth rises to Super Hero status!
The Batman was not a universal hit among DC fans but it remains an underrated and hidden gem of the early 2000s era of animation. Thankfully, the entire series has at long last been released in a Complete Series Blu-ray collection on March 1, 2022. Just in time to do a full re-watch then go and see that other one with the same title in theaters in the same week.
The Complete Series is offered by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The 6 disc Blu-Ray collection comes complete with all the special features from the DVD versions of the season sets and a brand new special feature "The Dark Dynasty Continues" about the development of the animated series. The audio and video quality is top of the shelf. Given the style of bright and vibrant animation, against a darker palette of backgrounds, The Batman is better than it ever has thanks to the Blu-ray format. It looks crystal clear on my HDTV. And yes, it's in 1080p HD. There is a slip case with art not reused from past releases to my knowledge. It comes in my favored multi-disc Blu-ray case, the hassle free single spindle per section 6 disc case rather than those ones that have double spindles and there's one disc in place above another disc and you got to take one off to get to the other. There is also a printed leaflet in the case that breaks down a numerical listing of episodes and special features per disc and has some artwork. The series can also be redeemed digitally through Vudu, Fandango, or Walmart only if you are in the United States of America.
The new special feature "The Dark Dynasty Continues" is located on disc one and clocks in at 15 minutes and 56 minutes. It features finished footage, concept art, and comments from cast and crew, including Duane Capizzi, Brandon Vietti, Sam Liu, Andrea Romano, Alastair Duncan, Rino Romano, and Steven Melching. The topics of discussion include the development of the series, what restrictions they faced, Jeff Matsuda's art style, going in the opposite direction that Batman: The Animated Series went, the anime influence, voice acting fight scenes, serialization of story telling, Thomas Chase Jones's contributions to the music of the series, Alfred, Danielle Judovits and Batgirl, duality in the series, Penguin and Tom Kenny, The Joker, creatives getting their start working on this series, Duncan doing different takes on Alfred since working on The Batman, and mythology.
When it says "The Complete Series," it's complete more so if you still have the DVD releases. If you don't, the DVD contained 480i transfers. This meant frames got cut out. So in this Blu-ray set, the 1.78 transfer restores those missing frames. And thanks to the 1080p remaster, the image quality is way better than the DVD version. The Blu-ray version is more clear and was less dark and dim. It's like when you go to the eye doctor and they're asking you if 1 or 2 is better. And one option is miles clearer. The Blu-ray is just like that. Even the red sky or the billowing clouds from an explosion are vastly improved. And similarly, the audio is like night and day. The DVD was an Adobe Digital 2.0 while the Blu-ray's DTS HD Master has so much more range and clarity to it. There is also a decent choice of subtitles for what I think is a region-free release, so if you're not in North America and import this, you should be able to play and understand the series. As far as I have seen, there are no compression issues and could be in part thanks to each disc containing 11 episodes total instead of 13 episodes of each season being on one disc each. Likewise, there are no banding or audio lag issues or anything like that. While not a deal breaker, the old special features aren't remastered and the one odd omission from the Blu-ray set was the movie The Batman vs. Dracula. My only theory is this set's production was not overseen by Warner Archive and perhaps they will release a Blu-ray version of the movie in the near future. Overall, this is still the best quality version of all 65 episodes of the animated series we'll have for the definite future. Yes, it is streaming on HBO Max and the digital version is available, but the Blu-ray will always be the most consistent visual presentation.
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment gives the underrated animated series its due justice nearly 14 years after the series finale aired on March 8, 2008. One of the best remasters of the recent Blu-ray collections of classic DC series, The Batman The Complete Series on Blu-Ray is a recommended purchase. Get the nachos ready!