Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Batman: Soul of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie Review

B73.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 13, 2021

One of the few DCAU productions based on an original story, Batman: Soul of the Dragon serves up an entertaining Elseworlds story set in the 1970s. Nightclub owner Bruce Wayne (voiced by David Giuntoli) once again struggles to find a way to balance dual identities, especially after old friend Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos) returns to dredge up Bruce's past with intermittent flashbacks of their first encounter under the tutelage of O- Sensei (James Hong). Along with fellow former students Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu) and Ben Turner (Michael Jai White), they're tasked with taking down the villainous "Kobra" organization headed by Jeffrey Burr (Josh Keaton), who gets his kicks from torturing and killing prostitutes in a literal snake pit. Featuring obvious nods to Enter the Dragon, James Bond movies, and even Batman Begins, Soul of the Dragon is a fun but mostly frivolous outing made for a very specific audience.

Plot-wise, there's really not all that much more to Soul of the Dragon than the summary above, even though it only feels that simple in hindsight and, for some, will read more as an exercise in style over substance. But with this much style, it's hardly a complaint... and unlike the movie I ambiguously referenced in my tagline up there, this story actually is dependent on its throwback setting. After all, any production taking so many cues from Enter the Dragon would only work in one specific decade, which is brought to life in respectable detail: from period-specific costumes, signage, and architecture to appropriate references and even stylized opening logos, Soul of the Dragon works overtime selling its mostly authentic atmosphere. If nothing else, this laser-focused attention to detail works in tandem with its campy story elements to deliver an action-packed Batman origin story tailor-made for Bruce Lee fans.

However... one unfortunate casualty of the story's heightened focus on atmosphere, goofy villains, colorful supporting characters, and all-out action is Bruce Wayne / Batman himself, who ultimately takes a backseat to all that other stuff. He's inarguably one of the least essential parts of Soul of the Dragon -- and that alone doesn't sink the ship, though it does leave a slightly unusual aftertaste for what's otherwise a pretty fun and enjoyable throwback adventure. But if you gravitate towards DCAU movies for their typically strong superhero elements, proceed with caution: this not only features one of DC's least super heroes, but he ends up feeling more like a sidekick in his own movie.

At the risk of repeating myself, there's still lots to appreciate here and Soul of the Dragon is fine entertainment for the right audience. Many of its kinetic action sequences are first rate, and as mentioned before the look of this film really contributes a lot to its overall appeal...for the most part, at least. (Some of the animation just feels a little cheap, and one particular moment -- the sudden departure of Bruce Wayne's girlfriend as Richard Dragon arrives -- was so poorly rendered that I stopped to rewind it twice.) But yes, the good clearly outweighs the bad here and Soul of the Dragon continues DCAU's recent winning streak, which extends to Warner Bros.' dual Blu-ray and 4K packages as well. While it can't help but trail the 4K disc pound-for-pound in the visual department, this Blu-ray runs alongside a bit closer than most -- it's still a very well-rounded release featuring the same audio mix and solid bonus features.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Visually speaking, Soul of the Dragon shares a lot of similarities with other DCAU Batman entries, favoring a mostly dark and shadowy palette that occasionally bursts with vivid colors associated with the decade's style. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray handles almost everything perfectly, especially since the animation teams seem to have slowly gravitated towards a style that bypasses format shortcomings. Largely flat by design, the lack of excessive gradients prevents a lot of banding and other compression-related issues, while its ultra-smooth backgrounds and thin line work contribute to a thick and almost milky appearance. It's a good look that pairs well with Soul of the Dragon's distinct attempts to mimic early 1970s culture (pop or otherwise), resulting in a nice mixture of dark interiors, bold character designs, and sporadic bursts of color that give it tremendous visual appeal. Though I've recently warmed up to the style on display in Superman: Man of Tomorrow -- a thick, line-heavy approach that will be continued in the upcoming DCAU film Justice Society: World War II -- as a whole this current look seems to have reached its peak on Blu-ray here.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although I'm docking the default DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track a half-point for sounding a bit overcooked, after a ~5dB adjustment this proved to be as lively and enjoyable as most DCAU efforts. Obviously the intensity is dialed up greatly during the film's frequent action scenes, all of which feature hard-hitting kicks, punches, throws, and even a few supernatural elements that either feature strong separation or discrete panning effects that pack a real wallop. Otherwise, this is a very straightforward mix with clean dialogue that's mostly right up front, a rousing original score (which surprisingly mostly stays within the left and right channels), and a solid overall ambiance that feels like a good attempt to emulate kung fu films of the early 1970s. Overall, aside from the volume level there are no clear-cut complaints here -- this track is a lot of fun and really contributes to the film's overall effectiveness.

Optional subtitles (including English SDH) are offered during the main feature and most of the extras.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with painterly cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption slip. Extras run the regular DCAU gamut with at least one or two nice surprises.

• Batman: Raw Groove (30:30) - This surprisingly in-depth featurette immediately sets the tone by showing a few historical clips from the early 1970s while explaining how the specific time period was important to Soul of the Dragon's overall tone and atmosphere, as well as how growing up during the turbulent era affected the worldview of several contributors. These featured participants include Cal Lutheran history professor Dr. Michaela Crawford Reaves, executive producer Bruce Timm, Martial Arts History Museum president Michael Matsuda, filmmaker/author John Kreng, Filmsite senior historian Timothy Dirks, and many more.

• Producer Jim Krieg's Far Out Highlights (18:03) - A like-minded piece that summarizes the thoughts of "producer-man" Jim Krieg (as well several other contributors from the previous featurette, including director Sam Liu) while showing off a few storyboards and concept designs from the film's early stages.

• Sneak Peek - Justice Society: World War II (8:07) - Producer Jim Krieg returns to introduce a preview of the upcoming DCAU project, another period piece that done in what looks to be a similar style to the excellent Man of Tomorrow. We also get a few short interview clips with key voice cast and crew members.

• A Preview of Superman: Red Son (11:21) - A recycled featurette from Wonder Woman: Bloodlines.

• A Preview of Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (8:30) - A recycled featurette from Batman and Harley Quinn.

• From the DC Vault (44:41) - Two vintage episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, including "Day of the Samurai" (episode #55) and "Night of the Ninja" (#28). Unlike many of the previous B:TAS "Vault" offerings, these are at least sourced from the Blu-ray collection rather than the old DVD masters.

• Trailers for Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, and Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, all highly recommended titles.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though Batman himself takes a backseat in the action-packed, 1970s- infused Soul of the Dragon, this animated film's terrific style and attention to detail make it a fun and frivolous DCAU detour. It seems like it might hold up better than most, arriving at pretty much the perfect time for this type of throwback story and, though made for a very specific audience, could have some appeal outside of those circles. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray offers great A/V specs as well as a handful of entertaining bonus features, at least two of which establish a mood that supports the main feature perfectly. As a total package, Soul of the Dragon comes Highly Recommended to the right crowd.