The Batman – The Complete Third Season (Animated)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: C
Now on
DVD is The Batman: The Complete Third
Season. For those of you who have
been living under a rock for the past almost 70 years, Batman is the alter ego
of millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.
Batman protects the corrupt city of Gotham from such evil doers as the
Scarecrow, the Joker, Clayface, and so on.
The Batman, created in 2004,
has taken a very different and not necessarily good spin on the classic Batman
we all know and love. The show has a new
wave animation technique that is very undetailed and has a washed feel about it
that greatly lacks depth. The Batman is a strong deviation from
the instant past classics such as Batman
the Animated Series and Justice
League. The slender, cat-like Batman
is unusual and is too anime for its own good.
Also the
classic Batman characters are not even spared from the debauchery that this Jackie Chan Adventures clone has
ensued, destroying the Penguin, the Riddler, the Joker, and many other
characters. Season 3 introduces a plot line that centers a lot on a character
that was never extremely popular to begin with, Batgirl. Batman being the loner that he is does not
take kindly to Batgirl’s presence on his team and just as he seems to warm up
to the idea of another partner Batman slips back into doubt. The series does show moments of promise but
it has taken four seasons to cleanup the animation and storyline enough to
actually start becoming enjoyable. A
little too long for this reviewer’s taste.
This
2-Disc set is simple and to the point.
The picture is disappointingly presented in a boring 1.33 X 1 Full Screen
and though it is crisp and clear it should have most definitely been a
Widescreen production. The sound is also
amazingly clear in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo format that is more than
adequate for the needs of this series.
The extras are very sparse only offering fans a small inside look at the
series in a featurette entitled The
Batman: Season 3 Unmasked that is nothing to write home about.
Overall,
the series is simple and nothing special like previous Batman Series, but going
into its fifth season it obviously has captured a pretty sizeable fan
base. This Season contains 13 Batman
swinging, slashing and kicking episodes that this reviewer is sure some will
enjoy. For a more enjoyable and deep
series viewers may wish to check out the critically acclaimed Justice League series.
- Michael P Dougherty II
