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(More customer reviews)Warner Bros. started releasing episodes of the award-winning "Batman: The Animated Series" (BTAS to fans) on DVD in miserly single-disc editions containing four or five episodes apiece. Fan complaints and common sense have finally made Warner Bros. realize the potential of this acclaimed and hugely popular series and have released the first volume of episodes in a deluxe package: 4 discs, 28 episodes. The shows are presented in production order, with a few variations to put the multi-part episodes together. The sound is an improved Dolby Surround 2.0, and the picture is beautiful. There are some extras -- not a huge amount -- but the real feature here is the shows themselves. There has rarely been an animated show that has achieved this level of quality writing and artwork. Heck, rarely do LIVE action shows achieve this sort of quality!
BTAS was released as children's programming originally, but the animators, directors, and writers turned it into something of adult complexity (not that kids don't love it too, but adults tend to be the biggest fans, mostly comic book lovers). Freed of the constraints of selling toys, the filmmakers created an intricate show that was true to the dark, psychological side of Batman and his adversaries. Instead of sticking to boring formulas usually associated with animated TV shows, the writers made sure each episode was something unique, and kept drama always at the forefront. The animation is spectacular and fluid, the action scenes have a kick to them superior to many movies, and the orchestral scores contribute to the feeling of something special.
Not all the episodes are great, of course, and some of the early ones in this package show the creative team struggling to discover the direction and tone of the show. But most episodes are good to excellent in quality. The writing team did a spectacular job at fleshing out minor baddies like Mr. Freeze, The Clock King, and The Mad Hatter into the full-fledged great villains with complex motivations. The voice work by familiar TV and movie actors also raises the quality of the characterizations. For many people, Kevin Conroy IS Batman...his dark, edgy voice is forever rooted to the character.
Here is a breakdown of the episodes and features on the four discs:
DISC 1: Contains episodes "On Leather Wings," "Christmas with the Joker," "Nothing to Fear," "The Last Laugh," "Pretty Poison," "The Underdwellers," and "P.O.V." The first episode is the best on this disc, with Batman facing the fearsome Man-Bat. The show really hit the ground running, but the immediate follow-ups are a bit weak. "P.O.V." has moments of interest because of its unusual structure, and "Nothing to Fear" has a great finale, but the two Joker episodes are particularly poor; the show hadn't quite figured out its style yet. Also on this disc is commentary by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski for "On Leather Wings," and a two-minute demo they did to sell the look of the series.
DISC 2: Contains episodes "The Forgotten," "Be a Clown," "Two Face (Parts 1&2)," "It's Never Too Late," "I've Got Batman in My Basement," and "Heart of Ice." The last is one of the most popular episode of the series, introducing the fantastic re-imagining of Mr. Freeze as a tragic figure. "Two-Face" is also a superb villain origin story. The other episodes are minor, with a poor Joker and Penguin episode, but "It's Never Too Late" is an interesting non-super-villain story. The bonus feature on this disc is a great 18-minute documentary about the series, with interviews with the producers, writers, and some of the actors. There's also audio commentary on "Heart of Ice" with Timm, Radomski, and writer Paul Dini.
DISC 3: Contains episodes "The Cat and the Claw (Parts 1&2)," "See No Evil," "Beware of the Gray Ghost," "Prophecy of Doom," and "Feat of Clay (Parts 1&2)." The show was clearly taking off at this point; only "Prophecy of Doom" is a poor episode. "Beware the Gray Ghost" brings back Adam West to the Batman series, and is one of the most inspirational of all the episodes. "Feat of Clay" contains stunning animation, and "Cat and Claw" gives us the wonderful relationship between Batman and Catwoman. The bonus feature is a Batcave tour, basically a few screens of text and some connected montages of images from the show.
DISC 4: Contains episodes "The Joker's Favor," "Vendetta," "Fear of Victory," "The Clock King," "Appointment in Crime Alley," "Mad as a Hatter," and "Dreams in Darkness." Two lesser villains, Clock King and Mad Hatter, become the focus of great episodes. "The Joker's Favor" is one of the best Joker episodes, and introduces Harley Quinn, who would become one of the show's most popular creations. The two Scarecrow episodes aren't much, however. The bonus feature is a plug for some of the other DC heroes.
One warning: If you buy this package, be prepared to see your free time get drained away! It's impossible to stop watching episodes once you start, and most of them reward multiple viewings. Recommended as a MUST for all animation and super-hero fans.
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Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1 (1992)BATMAN:ANIMATED SERIES VOL 1 - DVD Movie
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