Releases - DVD - Batman Beyond: Season Three
Announce Date: 11/29/06
Street Date: 03/20/07
Closed Captioning: Yes
MSRP: $26.99
Packaging Type: Digi-Pack
Subformat: Multi Disc
Media Quantity: 2
Disc Configuration: 1) 9-Dual Layer 2) 9-Dual Layer
Sound Track Language: English
Run Time: 273 |
Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.33, Standard [4:3 Transfer]
Sound Quality:
English: Stereo 2S
Francais: Stereo 2S
|
Episodes: Kings' Ransom, Untouchable, Inqueling, Big Time, Out Of
The Past, Speak No Evil, The Call (Part 1), The Call (Part 2), Betrayal,
The Curse of the Kobra (Part 1), The Curse of the Kobra (Part 2),
Countdown, Unmasked
DVD Features:
• Inside Batman Beyond Season 3: Producers panel discussion
• Closeup on...: Favorite moments of the series' creative team and Voice
Actor Will Friedle (Episodes Profiled: "Out of the Past", "The Call,
Part I", "The Call, Part II", "Curse of the Kobra, Part I")
Synopsis: Rage and revenge first motivated Terry McGinnis to
steal Bruce Wayne's high-tech Batsuit. A greater purpose and a sense of
justice kept him wearing it. For two years he patrolled streets and
skies of Gotham City with Bruce as his guide, but in these final 13
adventures from the Emmy-Winning TV series, Gotham's greatest defender
soars as the true hero he is! Though the power-hungry plans of criminals
like Inque, The Royal Flush Gang and the Kobras grow more villainous
with each attempt, Terry wipes them out. His heroism doesn't go
unnoticed: Superman invites him to join the Justice League. But after
years of thinking he had nothing in common with the original Batman,
Terry realizes he's just the man for the job.
Review (Zach Demeter)
Through and through, Batman Beyond remains one of my favorite animated
DC romps to date. The show hooked me when I was young and it even
brought me to World’s Finest around the time Return of the Joker came
out. Finally, on March 20th, all of the Batman Beyond saga,
episodes and movies, will finally all be available on DVD for the first
time and as a fan, this couldn't be a bigger treat for me.
Batman Beyond: Season Three marks the first time any of these episodes
have seen a home video release of any kind (unless you count clips from
“Out of the Past” showing up during a panel discussion on season two’s
set) and they hold up to time. True, some episodes are weak (“Speak no
Evil” and “Curse of the Kobra, Part 2” come to mind…immediately), but
for the most part the final volume in the series packs some deep punches
with “Out of the Past”, “The Call” and the two-part “Big
Time”/”Betrayal” storyline. Characters from past seasons show up again
with “King’s Ransom” and “Inqueling” and we also get a few new ones from
“Untouchable” and “Speak no Evil.” Zeta also makes his first (and only)
appearance on Batman Beyond since spinning off into his own show in
“Countdown”, which may seem a bit alien to those who watch this series
for the first time and don’t recall Zeta ever hooking up with a blonde
haired girl.
Overall the series is a mixed one, but still remains one of the tops in
my book. There are simply too many solid storylines throughout the
series to deny its place amongst the greatest animated shows of all time
and finally having the entire series on DVD is a real treat, both as a
fan of the show and as a fan of animation.
The DVD
Remember the packaging from season one? Yeah, it’s back! Many will groan
after reading that, but I smiled when I first saw the packaging for this
(as well as Season 2 of Justice League Unlimited), as slim packaging
demands less space on my ever-expanding shelves. In addition to
borrowing its packaging from season one, it also takes the cool foil
reflection cover of season two and uses it here as well—now if only
season one had the same type of cover to match!
The disc art is plain, but works, and the menus are again littered with
curious character art, but are still easy on the eyes. Menus are static
with music over only the main menu and as always, they are extremely
friendly on the navigation front.
When the March 20th wave of DVDs was announced and all of their special
features were finally noted months later, fans were disappointed to see
the lack of commentaries on both this and Justice League Unlimited:
Season 2. After viewing the disc, I can
say that while it’s a shame there aren’t any feature-length
commentaries, the “Closeup On…” features are nice, mini-commentaries
that condense their thoughts into one, episode-length feature. The
discussions have Timm, Friedle and Dini and either Lukic or Tucker
changing seats, depending on who directed what. You can tell that they
actually watched the episodes, as they talk along with some scenes, but
this format cuts out the dead silence and allows for more episodes to be
discussed with the more interesting parts coming out all at once instead
of bursts.
The other special feature is a continuation of the “Inside Batman
Beyond” panel discussions from past sets. This one's a bit short, but
there are some extremely humorous discussions about unused episode ideas
and the character of Max. It’s a shame the series is over; these panel
discussions were always a treat to watch, no matter the run time.
Trailers wrap up the rest of the disc's special features listings.
Video on this set is extremely crisp and clean looking due to the
digital coloring going on in this season. Like the latter half of the
Season Two set, the video is a treat to look at and the interlacing and
aliasing are present, but it manages to not be too horribly distracting.
Audio is clean and clear throughout and manages to move the room in
certain action sequences, even though it’s a mere Dolby Digital Stereo
track. And for those keeping count…no, there were no chapters in this
release either.
Overall this is a hard release to pass up, major fan of the show or not.
The episode “Out of the Past” is worth the price of the set alone and
the special features are great fun to watch as well. Fans will no doubt
run out day one to buy it, but even the casual fans will have plenty to
look for in this volume in terms of character progression and story
lines. This is a definite must-buy for your collection!
Review (James Harvey)
The last thirteen episodes of Batman Beyond has come to DVD,
giving us the entire series on DVD. Along with some crucial episodes and
a nice helping of extras to round out the set, this is a collection
definitely worth picking up.
I'll try not to go off-topic with this review like I did in my Justice
League Unlimited: Season Two review. Because, yes, I easily could.
If I wanted to get nit-picky, I'd ask why wasn't the The Zeta
Project episode “Shadows” included, since Batman appears? Or why
wasn't there some featurette on his short-lived comic book and assorted
four color appearances? Simple. There's no point to. This set is about
the last thirteen episodes on this collection. On these two discs. And,
to play it safe, I'll just skip right to the synopsis, okay? I think I'm
digging myself a hole, here . . .
Rage and revenge first motivated Terry McGinnis to steal Bruce Wayne's
high-tech Batsuit. A greater purpose and a sense of justice kept him
wearing it. For two years he patrolled streets and skies of Gotham City
with Bruce as his guide, but in these final 13 adventures from the
Emmy-Winning TV series, Gotham's greatest defender soars as the true
hero he is! Though the power-hungry plans of criminals like Inque, The
Royal Flush Gang and the Kobras grow more villainous with each attempt,
Terry wipes them out. His heroism doesn't go unnoticed: Superman invites
him to join the Justice League. But after years of thinking he had
nothing in common with the original Batman, Terry realizes he's just the
man for the job.
I'm not sure where exactly to rank this season. It's not as good as the
first season, and, like season two, has both some real stand-outs and a
couple clunkers. Most of the fans will be drawn to this set specifically
for “Out of the Past” and the two-part “The Call” episode, and no one
can blame them. “Out of the Past” is a solid episode and “The Call” is
great as well, save for a couple faults here and there. There are a few
generic episodes, like “Speak No Evil” and “Untouchable,” but overall
it's a great caper to the series. It's the first time any of these
episodes have been fully presented on DVD, it's great to see them all
here.
Oddly enough, I found myself more excited about this release than Justice
League Unlimited: Season Two. Those Justice League episodes
are still fresh in my mind, since some aired less than a year ago. But
these episodes? I haven't seen these in almost five years, and I'm
surprised to see just how well they held up. The animation is strong and
the stories, for the most part, are just as solid. It was around this
time when the show finally got a grip on the computer coloring, finding
just the right tint and shade. Some of the earlier computer-colored
episodes suffered from being way too bright, but they look just solid
here.
It's a no-brainer that if you're a DCAU fan, or a Batman fan, you'll
want this collection. It's the official future of the DCAU (despite many
believing otherwise), and it's a great look into what's to come for
Batman. I find it to be a suitable continuation of the Batman character,
completely in character and totally engaging. It's amazing to see how
the creative team behind the show managed to make such a great series
out of what was essentially a show built to create new toys (and boy,
those were some ugly, ugly toys). They really made this show into
something, and it has the fan-following to prove it.
And the final thirteen episodes are given a grand farewell. The audio
and video in this release is on par, showing the usual amount of
interlacing and great audio. The colors look deep and dark, and the
sound is loud and thunderous.In short, it looks and sounds great. And,
as usual, no chapter stops. I don't mind, though others are apparently
very angry over that.
Much like Justice League Unlimited: Season Two, this is the first
box-set release of Batman Beyond to not have any commentary
tracks. Instead, that feature is replaced with a “Close-Up” look on a
handful of episodes. Fan favorites like “Out of the Past” and “The Call”
two-parter are looked at, as well as “The Curse of the Kobra, Part 1.”
Much like the commentary tracks, they talk about what they liked and
disliked about each, as well as providing some interesting tidbits about
the show itself. This feature also contains my favorite moment yet in
the DC DVDs extra between Will Friedle and Bruce Timm. I won't spoil
what it is, but it's just hilarious. It's a great extra (and Bruce and I
actually agree on a couple of “The Call”'s main problems), and it's
always enjoyable to see the creative team just dish it out.
The other extra is a short featurette about the whole season in general.
These are always just too short for my liking, and I'm always left
wanting more.
The packaging is great, I find. The foil look just makes the set really
pop, and I love the slim look (also shared with Justice League
Unlimited: Season Two and Batman Beyond: Season One). If I
had any complaints, it's the cover art. It looks fine, but the image of
Batman is a slight tweak or two away from being perfect. That's my only
real complaint (if it's even a valid one) of the packaging.
Overall, a great collection! The episodes are a blast to revisit, even
the weaker ones. The audio and video is on par with past releases and
the new approach to the extras is handled well. It's been awhile since
I've seen these episodes, and I love that I get the chance to see them
again. With almost every episode full of great one-liners (“And you hit
like a girl.”) and some stunning animation, it's a collection that's
easy to recommend. The show is a true testament to the creative power
behind the show's team. They're not perfect, and not each episode is a
winner, but every single one is watchable and enjoyable. Toss in some
fine extras, and Batman Beyond: Season Three is easy to Recommend. |
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