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"BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - SEASON ONE, PART TWO" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The latest Batman animated series brings its first season to a close with 13 episodes on these two discs. Told in a more light-hearted manner with a greater skew towards comedy and aiming at a younger audience, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” sees the Dark Knight teaming up with a different DC hero each episode, fighting off villains from his own rogue’s gallery and beyond.
WHAT I LIKED
I have been a Batman fan for years, ever since I was a young child watching reruns of the old Adam West television series. I read the comic books for years, and I (like many fanboys out there) was happy to see the character to his dark side in the 1980s. However, for as cool as Batman is as a dark hero, he has lost a bit of what appeals to a younger audience.
I’m not advocating going back to the chummy nature of Adam West and Burt Ward. I’m also not calling for a return of the squeaky-clean “SuperFriends” (although those shows are still a heck of a lot of fun to watch). “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” exists in a fine middle ground. There’s still an edge to the stories and the animation, but it’s not such heavy subject matter.
“Batman: The Brave and the Bold” offers a great PG-level show that you can share with your kids and have a few laughs. It doesn’t betray the current characters, but it manages to show Batman as a good guy, not just “the good guy.”
Also, the structure of this series allows the viewer to experience a variety of the DC universe heroes while having a familiar character in each episode. We see Robin show up, with whom most are familiar, as well as Aquaman and Green Arrow. But we also see lesser-known characters like Doctor Fate, Jonah Hex, the Demon and the Blue Beetle. Plus, we also get some cross-pollination into other DC cartoons, like the Outsiders, and that’s pretty cool.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While I do enjoy the light-hearted nature of this series, there are times when it goes a bit too far. In particular, there’s one episode featuring the villain Music Meister, who makes everyone sing their lines. It’s a nice gag for a few moments, but ultimately it gets old, even for the 22-minute episode. Similar things happen when Batman goes up against Bat Mite (Gotham’s version of Mr. Mxyzptlk), and the episode falters a little too close to a Looney Tunes short.
DVD FEATURES
No special features are included on these discs.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Batman fans who like a little lighthearted nature in the Dark Knight, and kids.
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"SCOOBY-DOO!: MYSTERY INCORPORATED, VOL. 1" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Kids WB Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The latest incarnation of the long-running “Scooby-Doo!” franchise is “Mystery Incorporated.” This first volume of the series includes the first four episodes of the show. Updated for today’s audiences, the series is slightly different. Not only does it have a more stylized look, but the characters are tweaked a bit. Shaggy and Velma are having a secret romance. Daphne is swooning over Fred, while he only has eyes for his mystery-busting traps. Scooby’s pretty much the same. As the gang tries to solve the mysteries in the town of Crystal Cove, there’s a puppet master named Mr. E always behind the scenes, pulling the strings.
WHAT I LIKED
Like Batman, I have enjoyed the Scooby-Doo series (well, most of them, at least) ever since I was a child. The show has had its ups and downs, but for every terrible incarnation (like “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo” and “Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!”), the series goes back to the well to discover what made it so good in the first place. The last time I remember this happening was with “What’s New, Scooby-Doo!” in the early 2000s. “Mystery Incorporated” is easily the best version since then, and one of the better ones made.
What clicks with this new series is that it can be watched by kids as well as their parents who grew up with the original series. In addition to the changes made to the characters having eyes for each other, there’s plenty of in jokes in the series. For example, whenever someone is caught, they purposely paraphrase the line, “And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!”
We also get a chance to meet the gang’s parents, with some great voice casting of Gary Cole as Fred’s dad (the mayor of Crystal Cove) as well as Casey Kasem as Shaggy’s father.
Then there’s the ongoing storyline, which really makes this show pop. We only get four episodes in this first volume of the series, but we already see that there’s something happening to make a greater arc. This might fly over the heads of the kids watching at home, but parents can enjoy the longer form of storytelling.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The character design is a huge step up from the ridiculously angular Flash design of and “Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!,” but it still tries a bit too much to be edgy. Gone are the clean animation from “What’s New, Scooby-Doo!” and the relatively straightforward look of the original series.
Also, once you get into the ongoing story, it is a bit of a bummer to only get four episodes on the disc. I really wanted to watch more.
DVD FEATURES
There are no special features on this disc, aside from a few trailers for other Kids WB properties.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Long-time “Scooby-Doo!” fans and their kids.
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"TOM AND JERRY FUR FLYING ADVENTURES: VOLUME 1" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Kids WB Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The latest single-disc edition of “Tom and Jerry” comes with 14 classic cartoons. Installments include “Barbecue Brawl,” “Happy Go Ducky,” “Hic-up Pup,” “Little Quacker,” “Rock ‘n’ Rodent,” “Neapolitan Mouse,” “Pet Peeve,” “Pup on a Picnic,” “O-Solar-Meow,’ “Robin Hoodwinked,” “Guided Mouse-ille,” “Timid Tabby,” “The Vanishing Duck” and “That’s My Mommy.”
WHAT I LIKED
I love “Tom and Jerry” cartoons, in almost every incarnation prior to the 1980s. What’s great about this collection is that – like many before it – this samples from the various waves of cartoon productions. There’s some from the Fred Quimby days and others from the Chuck Jones days.
A digestible disc like this includes enough of the cartoons to spend a decent time watching, but it doesn’t overwhelm. And, for the novice coming into the series, you get a nice sampling of the supporting cast. We have Spike and Tyke, Little Quacker the duckling as well as Tuffy the Mouse in various forms.
I remember coming home after school as a kid and watching a block of “Tom and Jerry” cartoons each day on one of our local stations. This assortment of cartoons puts me back in that mindset. Like other single-disc releases of the cat and mouse team, this is a neat sampling of the many cartoons in the vault.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Some of these cartoons (such as “Rock ‘n’ Rodent”) are somewhat rare to find in a collection, but others seem to be in everything else released. I’m talking about the charming but overplayed “Neapolitan Mouse,” featuring Tom and Jerry on a trip to Italy.
Also, this disc does overdo the supporting characters a bit too much. I like the different versions of Tuffy we get to see, including the lesser-seen “Robin Hoodwinked” (probably for the fact that Tuffy gets drunk on wine at one point). However, we do get a little too much of Spike, especially up front in the mix. Same goes for Quacker because one episode with him is just about enough for me to take.
Finally, while most of the shorts are 16x9 encoded, the Cinemascope version of “Pet Peeve” is 4:3 encoded, resulting in a double letterbox on 16x9 televisions. Seems like an isolated error, but disappointing nonetheless.
DVD FEATURES
None.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
“Tom and Jerry” fans.
