Batman: Bad Blood [Blu-Ray]

Director: Jay Oliva

Cast: Jason O’Mara, Yvonne Strahovski, Stuart Allan (VOICES)

Release Date: Available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD February 2, 2016

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

The mysterious disappearance of Batman, coupled with the emergence of powerful and malevolent new villains in Gotham City, force Nightwing (voice of Sean Maher) and Robin (Stuart Allan) to take crime-fighting into their own hands – while simultaneously searching for their missing leader. They’re not alone for long. New super heroes Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski) and Batwing (Gaius Charles) – each armed with her/his own sensibilities, physical abilities and crime-fighting tools – arrive in Gotham to assist in the cause. As this new “family” strives to find its own dynamic, chilling clues lead the group to suspect the Dark Knight may have gone over to the dark side. It’s up to the entire Bat team to uncover the truth before Gotham City falls prey to its greatest threat yet.

The latest animated film in the DC Universe Original Movie collection, ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ serves as the third film in the storyline which began with ‘Son of Batman’ and continued in ‘Batman vs. Robin’. When Batman vanishes and is believed dead after a powerful explosion, the only witness to the events is Batwoman who was narrowly pushed to safety by Batman as the explosion ignited. Unwilling to let Gotham fall further as a result of the criminals believing the Batman’s demise to be true, Nightwing returns to where his career began and dons the mantle of the Bat. Assisted by the latest Robin (aka Damian), the mysterious Batwoman and Alfred, they begin to take back the city while searching desperately for the lost hero, unbeknownst to them that a much bigger and more terrifying plot is already well under way.

‘Batman: Bad Blood’ is a solid addition to the DC Animated Film Universe and a well constructed continuation of the story which began with ‘Son of Batman’ and ‘Batman vs. Robin’. It brings back such heroes from the previous installments as Batman (naturally), Nightwing, Damian aka the new Robin, and Batwoman in addition to a healthy collection of baddies including some familiar faces from previous entries in that side of the arena as well. Filled with nearly nonstop action that will keep viewers glued to the screen from start to finish, fellow DC fans are definitely in for a treat with ‘Batman: Bad Blood’, you definitely won’t want to miss out on this one.

Fellow fans of the continuing DC Universe Original Movie lineup as well as those who enjoyed ‘Son of Batman’ and ‘Batman vs. Robin’ in particular will almost surely want to make certain to pick up a copy of ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ on Blu-ray Combo Pack to add to their collections. Yet another action-packed good time featuring many of your favorite heroes and some great replay value, the Blu-ray release delivers solid high definition video and audio presentations along with some solid extras including a ‘Sneak Peak at DC Universe’s next Animated Movie: Justice League Vs. Teen Titans’ and more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) which is sure to make this a definite must own for many fellow fans of the ever expanding DC Universe.

Overall, ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ is another incredibly enjoyable entry in the ongoing animated DC Universe Original Movie lineup and fellow hardcore fans should not be the least bit disappointed with a blind purchase of this one. Filled with nonstop action and plenty of familiar DC characters as well as a continuing story arc that helps to continually add more information and depth to the characters within, I would highly recommend making sure to pick up a copy of ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ on Blu-ray, or at the very least renting it for those hesitant or unwilling to purchase blind.

VIDEO:

The Blu-Ray release of ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic as a whole, delivering a sharp, detailed and colorful presentation throughout that aside from the ever-present banding occasionally noticeable in some sequences which we’re all more than familiar with at this point looks great down to the sharp lines of each drawing. It holds up impressively even during the constant fast moving and/or darkly lit sequences, never causing anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is another solid high definition video presentation from DC and Warner Bros. that should generally please the fans.

AUDIO:

The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack sounds phenomenal and is once again the most impressive aspect of the release. It provides a consistently clean, sharp and highly aggressive audio presentation, utilizing all five available channels more frequently than not in order to surround the viewer with a plethora of action-related auditory effects including everything from bullets, helicopter blades and plenty more zooming throughout the speakers, and never resulting in any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, this is an exceptional 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that is sure to thrill the casual viewers and audiophiles alike.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-Ray release of ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ includes a few worthwhile extras, the majority of which are exclusive to the Blu-ray release. Included on the release is a ‘Sneak Peak at DC Universe’s next Animated Movie: Justice League Vs. Teen Titans’ (running approximately 12 minutes in length), in addition to a couple of behind the scenes Featurettes including interviews/comments with members of the creative team: ‘Putting the Fight In Gotham’ (approximately 26 minutes), and ‘Expanding The Batman Family’ (14 minutes). We are additionally treated to 2 Bonus Cartoons ‘From the DC Comics Vault’, this time around both episodes of ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’: ‘The Knights of Tomorrow!’ (23 minutes), and ‘The Criss Cross Conspiracy!’ (23 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

‘Batman: Bad Blood’ Arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD February 2, 2016; Now Available on Digital HD from DC Comics & Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

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