Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Never judge a show by its screenshots...

Simmer, simmer. Hear me out. Batman: The Brave and the Bold deserves a shot. Not by way of episode clips and YouTube videos, but a real honest to God, in-the-face-of-cynicism chance to earn a cozy place in your DC fandom. I know at first glance, peering through the kid-friendly trappings and Saturday Morning Cartoon fisticuffs, it's hard to believe. But the Dark Knight is... dark!, you say. And you're right. An emotionally scarred, near-psychotic vigilante dressed as a bat desperately needs to be dark. Otherwise it's all a bit silly. (The Adam West TV series, the cheesier runs of "Detective Comics" and Batman & Robin, anyone?) Yet James Tucker and Michael Jelenic's The Brave and the Bold manages to walk a very tight rope between corny cowl and classic Bats, and even makes it look easy. Once you warm to the premise -- and you will warm to the premise -- there's a lot to love, including a fantastic voice cast, spirited animation, dozens upon dozens of obscure character cameos, and plenty of opportunity for father-son bonding. Not a parent? Don't worry, you don't need a kid to enjoy B&B, just an open mind, a good sense of humor and a willingness to have a little fun.

Flower-acid face bath inbound, right!? Um, right? No? Hrm...

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As long as you ignore the minor source-based banding that invades the skies and oceans every so often, The Brave and the Bold's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation won't disappoint. Colors are -- wait for it -- brave, bold and then some, splashing vibrant primaries and drizzling perfectly inky blacks across the screen as if it were a comicbook page being prepped for press. Detail is exacting and, again, nearly flawless as far as the series' animated source is concerned. There's the faintest hint of aliasing and pixelation here and there, but it all traces back to the original animation. Line art is laser sharp and every last stroke and curve is impeccably refined. Meanwhile, artifacting, ringing, noise and, really, any issues of consequence must be trapped in another dimension, because none of it makes its way into the fray. All told, the Warner Archive release of Season 1 is currently sitting pretty atop the Warner Bros. Animation pile next to the best-looking DC Universe animated series and movies available on Blu-ray.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track flexes surprising muscle too, and only underwhelms in that the stereo track is inherently flat. Dialogue is crystal clear and perfectly prioritized at all times and, even without the support of the LFE channel, punches, explosions and other weighty elements hit hard and kick harder, adding plenty of power to fights, battles, otherworldly encounters and displays of raw, Earth-shaking super abilities. I have to admit the fact that it all sounds so good on just two channels caught me off guard. I was quite pleased with the end result.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of The Brave and the Bold: Season One doesn't include any special features.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gear up. Dive in. Prep the Batwing. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a bright, bouyant blast. It's as much fun as any Batman series has business being, and successfully strikes a very difficult balance between comedy, light-hearted action and adventure, kiddie content and comic junkie fan service. Warner Archive's Blu-ray release is easy to recommend too, despite a complete lack of special features. Fortunately, the quality of WAC's video presentation and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track more than make up for any supplemental oversight. My advice? Don't assume you know what The Brave and the Bold has in store. Give it fair shot and see just how long you can resist its charm.