Home Entertainment Review: DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family (Warner Bros)

A story we all know, a story some of us had a hand in the telling, is now a fully interactive experience for all fans!

no images were found

This feature is produced, directed, and written by Brandon Vietti. In the new animated presentation, the infamous murder of Batman protégé Jason Todd will be undone, and the destinies of Batman, Robin, and The Joker will play out in shocking new ways.  They use Batman: Under the Red Hood as a baseline, the story also branches in new directions and features several characters previously unseen in the original film. Bruce Greenwood, Vincent Martella, and John DiMaggio come back and reprise their roles of Batman, young Jason Todd, and The Joker. Other featured voices are Zehra Fazal as Talia al Ghul and Gary Cole as Two-Face and James Gordon.

In the director’s commentary Vietti says that from the very first navigation card, the team wanted to give the audience an impression of what they’re getting into, but then also give them something unexpected, maybe even something they’ll regret, so they have to think twice about every future choice they make. To keep this review spoiler-free we will let you go in with only that little bit of information!

In addition to the main feature, there are also other bonuses in this disc set and they are…

–Sgt. Rock– this bonus is executive produced and directed by Bruce Timm with a script by award-winning comics writers Louise and Walter Simonson and Tim Sheridan. And Sgt. Rock is voiced by the AMAZING Karl Urban!

–Death– Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” this bonus feature is produced & directed by Sam Liu and written by J.M. DeMatteis.  In the story, an artist with unresolved inner demons meets a mysterious girl who helps him come to terms with his creative legacy and eventual death.

–The Phantom Stranger– we have Bruce Timm again at the helm as executive producer and director and is written by Ernie Altbacker. Set in the 1970s, the short find the enigmatic DC mystery man simultaneously playing both omniscient narrator and active character in a story of supernatural punishment for evildoers.

–Adam Strange–  is produced and directed by Butch Lukic. When miners open a fissure into the home of a horde of deadly alien insects, Adam’s true identity is exposed. He is space adventurer Adam Strange, whose heroic backstory is played out in flashbacks as he struggles to save the very people who have scorned him for so long.

The Blu-Ray also features Audio Commentaries and the digital release will offer three non-interactive versions of the film.

DC Showcase Batman: Death in the Family is available today October 13th on digital and Blu-Ray/DVD.  JQ gives this a sweet 9.7 out of 10!!! It was a fun and awesome ride!

Many thanks to Warner Bros Home Entertainment for letting me check this out!