Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Batman: Bad Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 28, 2016

If various online databases are to be believed, there are well over twenty entries in the ever expanding DC Universe Animated Original Movies canon (with at least a few more already in the planning and/or pre-production stages), but a couple of things have become evident as these more adult skewed “cartoons” have become regular offerings. First, it’s virtually a given that any individual story is going to have a slam bang action sequence either right at the get go, or (worst case scenario) shortly thereafter. Second, it’s also virtually guaranteed that if a major character “dies”, well—“death” is not the deal breaker it seems to be in real life. Both of those tendencies are firmly on display in Batman: Bad Blood, a decently entertaining entry that revisits at least one major storyline in the Batman and Son arc while also providing a near ubiquitous glut of fighting sequences for those who require regular jolts of adrenaline. There are well known screenplay writing tutorials that will, for example, go over what “page number” in a screenplay should be set aside for an action sequence in a high octane (live action) film, with some mentors stating that a span of between ten and twenty minutes (or, in screenplay vernacular, ten to twenty pages) should elapse between these sequences. Since Batman: Bad Blood runs for just a bit over an hour, that approach has been telescoped rather dramatically, and so the action sequences tend to cascade over each other in a kind of breathless array that leaves relatively little time for actual exposition and plot development. Despite the somewhat frenetic energy levels on display, there is some passingly interesting content in Batman: Bad Blood, though longtime fans are probably going to be feel like they’ve already been through a lot of the plot dynamics in play, especially if they have in fact followed other media installments in the long and winding Batman storyline.

The funny thing about Batman: Bad Blood is that there’s very little actual Batman in the story, at least if one identifies the Caped Crusader as being Bruce Wayne’s alter ego. The story opens in media res, with a battle between an aggregation of villains (including Electrocutioner, Firefly and a host of others) and Batwoman, at least that is until Batman himself shows up to aid in saving the day, while also upbraiding Batwoman for resorting to the use of a pistol, something that Batman thinks makes her no better than the crooks she’s trying to bring to justice. This huge and noisy fracas ends with a devastating explosion which apparently kills Batman. As some wise man (and/or wiseguy) once said: Yeah, right.

The decision to shunt the “real” Batman off to the sidelines for much of Batman: Bad Blood has both pluses and minuses. On the plus side of the equation, this fairly brief entry is stuffed full of “new” (at least to video incarnations) characters, most of whom are simply plopped into the story without much explanatory prologues or in fact even much context within the story itself. On the minus side, well—this fairly brief entry is stuffed full of “new” (at least to video incarnations) characters, most of whom are simply plopped into the story without much explanatory prologues or in fact even much context within the story itself. That begins with Batwoman herself, who is in fact the first superhero to appear in this outing and who then, along with Dick Grayson, assume center stage for most of the rest of the story.

Those who haven’t kept up with various multimedia iterations of characters in the “Batman family” may feel a little overwhelmed as not just Kate Kane (AKA Batwoman) and Dick Grayson (AKA Nightwing, but in this outing “pretending” to be Batman in the absence of Bruce Wayne) are part of the story, but also Damian Wayne, who hightails it back to Gotham to assume to role of Robin. The multigenerational, extended family aspect also spreads out to at least a couple of supporting characters, including “gizmo” chief Lucius Fox, whose son Luke is a vet recently returned from Afghanistan. Fans who have already digested previous entries like Son of Batman and Batman vs. Robin will probably be best positioned to immediately grasp at least most of what's going on, but newcomers may find themselves out in the veritable cold.

That’s just the “hero” side of the equation, but the cast is even more stuffed on the “villain” side of things, with (among many others) both Heretic and Talia al Ghul assuming various nefarious behaviors before the real bad guy, The Mad Hatter, arrives on the scene. The fact that there are so many characters competing for screen time means that the minimalist plot often seems like an afterthought, something that comes to the forefront even more when so little time is given to really exploring the characters, their back stories, and how exactly they’re all interrelated.

And so that leaves the action sequences, and it’s here that Batman: Bad Blood both pulls out all the stops and delivers some very exciting moments. From the opening fight to a series of skirmishes and outright battles that then ensue, this entry is a near nonstop array of brilliantly achieved fight choreography. The fluidity of the animation perhaps only makes the clunkiness of the screenplay all the more evident, though.

Batman: Bad Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Batman: Bad Blood is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of DC Comics and Warner Animation with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As tends to be the case with the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, there's an "old school" look to many of the visuals, with a kind of deeply burnished palette and good attention paid to character design. Those elements help establish a relatively believable environment within which the story unfolds, and detail levels are generally quite commendable. Line detail is also generally very sharp, well resolved, and precise looking. As my colleague Ken Brown has discussed in his many previous reviews of this franchise, there are occasional issues with banding and macroblocking, but I found nothing here that rose to the levels that (to cite one example) Ken discussed in his Son of Batman Blu-ray review. The fight animation here is splendidly done, with excellent fluidity and a surprisingly sharp and well detailed look. CGI elements are interwoven into the proceedings fairly organically as well, with elements like the Electrocutioner's "zapping" looking nice and surprisingly dimensional at times.

Batman: Bad Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Batman: Bad Blood's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is an onslaught of boisterous surround activity from virtually the get go, a proclivity that is augmented by the short film's tendency to zing from action set piece to action set piece, with only a moment or two of relative quiet in between. There is a glut of well done effects work here, including nice pans when, for instance, Batwoman starts chasing Dick and Damian in the Batmobile through the streets of Gotham or, later, when a calamitous showdown involves various bad guys (and gals) utilizing various powers to achieve their dastardly ends. The film is pretty noisy a lot of the time, but fidelity remains strong, with no distortion whatsoever despite the track's tendency to exploit floorboard rattling LFE. Dialogue is cleanly presented and is well prioritized.

Batman: Bad Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• From the DC Comics Vault:

  Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Knights of Tomorrow (1080p; 23:07)

  Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Criss Cross Conspiracy (1080p; 22:49)

• Putting the Fight in Gotham (1080p; 26:26) is a rather interesting piece which contains some good interviews with various animators and crew folks who discuss elements like strategies they employ when animating Batman in an action sequence.


• Expanding the Batman Family (1080p; 13:46) contains more decent interviews, this time focusing on the rather large cast of characters employed in this outing.


• A Sneak Peek at DC Universe's Next Animated Movie: Justice League vs. Teen Titans (1080p; 11:31)

Batman: Bad Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Batman: Bad Blood offers a breathless pace and some fantastic action sequences, but it's simply too short and shallow to support the huge cast of characters, none of whom is ever adequately introduced and/or explained. There's enough of a plot here to tether the set pieces together, but those looking for something with the depth and nuance of, say, the Christopher Nolan live action Batman films will probably want to keep looking. Technical merits are generally excellent, and Batman: Bad Blood comes Recommended.