Batman Beyond Season One....short and sweet
by: Average Joe 2 years, 8 months, 2 weeks, 6 hours, 30 minutes ago
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19.99
Warner Bos.
Usually I am not a big fan of taking classic characters in a new direction. I hated it when they turned Superman into that absurd electric deal, I didn’t like when they started adding new members to the Fantastic Four, and I think the current “updated” look for Spider-Man is completely ridiculous. Basically I’ve always had the mentality “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. These characters have been around for so long because their creators discovered a formula for success and stuck with it.
Sure there have been minor tweaks to the characters such as costume adjustments and maybe a few new powers here and there, but for the most part the characters have remained the same since their initial introduction to the world. However if there was ever a character that could withstand all of these tweaks and still be as cool as ever....it’s Batman.
Taking place in the 21st century (which seemed like the future when the show first debut) “Batman Beyond” tells the story of Terry McGinnis, a high school student that has a chance encounter with millionaire Bruce Wayne one fateful night, and stumbles upon his ultimate secret....the Batcave, and the mantle of The Batman, something Bruce had sworn he’d never don again. An uneasy partnership is formed, and a reluctant Bruce comes to grips with the fact that Gotham City needs a Batman and Terry is just the man for the job, thus the "Tomorrow Knight" (yeah that took some getting used to) is born.
What can I say about this show that hasn’t already been said? I loved it while it was on, and now I love it all over again now that WB has FINALLY decided to smarten up and release some of it’s best shows onto season DVD sets. Once I got past the idea of Bruce Wayne no longer wore the Batman suit, I really starting to take a liking to the new Batman and the man behind the mask, Terry McGinnis. The look of the new Batman was terrific, sure he lost the long flowing cape, but he gained WINGS which I thought was one of the coolest parts to the character, along with the fact that he could now generate batarangs from his hand with a flick of his wrist.
Batman Beyond wasn’t just great because of the new take on Batman, but the new and unique villains the show introduced. Since this is a completely new Batman we’re dealing with, it’s only fitting that he have a whole new rogues gallery to square off against. Yes I was sad to see The Joker, Two-Face, Penguin and Mr. Freeze (who actually does make an appearance in the 4th episode) gone, but their departure made way for characters such as Inque (a Clayface like villain), Shriek, Currare, and of course “The Jokerz” - a biker group that resembles their namesake.
This 2-disc DVD collects all 13 episodes from the first season all in a cool, stylish little package. The episodes themselves aren’t the absolute best clarity, but are still presented nicely despite being 7 years old. The special features are scarce, but the few that are included are definitely worth checking out, especially the “Inside Batman Beyond” which is a featurette on the show’s creators.
All in all Batman Beyond: Season One is definitely worth the $19.99 price tag and will make a great addition to your Batman DVD collection. The only real problem I could find was that the actual disc case is a pain in the ass to get out of the outer packaging, but it’s a small price to pay for such a great show...hell even the intro theme and video are a lot better than some of the shows on today.