Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray Movie Review

H.Q.'s new HQ.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 18, 2021

Riding the wave of gleefully defiant comic films like Deadpool and last year's Birds of Prey (which it technically predates by a few months), DC Universe's Harley Quinn is a recent adult-themed animated series celebrating the unpredictable TV-MA exploits of "Joker's girlfriend". Now entering its third season of production and set for a return later this year on HBO Max, it offers a free-form take on the typically overcast world of Batman, throwing giddy gobs of shade at its well-trod legacy while still feeling like a labor of love by fans, for fans. I've always had a soft spot for the franchise and my inner middle child absolutely loves a good pot-stirring, so it's safe to say that Harley Quinn's right up my alley.

Most of these 26 episodes go down smooth, even if their taxing level of energy doesn't exactly make Harley Quinn ideal binge-watching material -- I can handle about three or four outings at a time, but your mileage may vary. Yet this is a great show to get lost in thanks to the inspired voice casting, creatively serialized storytelling, and a fever-dream atmosphere that absolutely defines the phrase "anything goes". The first season kicks of with an uneven debut "Til Death Do Us Part", bulldozing through its arrival with a ridiculously violent and profane opening scene -- which honestly felt like a daydream, but nope -- and a lead vocal performance by Kaley Cuoco that just didn't have the right amount of flexibility yet. But from there, Harley Quinn irons itself out very quickly and, like its title character, learns to develop a more unique identity while learning to push the envelope in a way that doesn't feel like forced screams for attention. And with the welcome introduction of original supporting characters like Frank the Plant (J.B. Smoove) and shrewdly recycled DC remnants of yore including Doctor Trap (Alan Tudyk), King Shark (Ron Funches), and the almighty Kite Man (Matt Oberg), Harley Quinn does a fantastic amount of world-building in relatively short order.

Anyway, Season 1's story goes like this: perpetual doormat Harley Quinn has been led around by The Joker (Tudyk, again) for the last time -- maybe -- with their latest caper confining her to Arkham Asylum for exactly one year before finally busting out with help of Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), who she ends up rooming with. Desperate to carve out her own path separate from "Mr. J", Harley ends up recruiting other like-minded misfits including Clayface (yep, it's Tudyk), Dr. Psycho (Tony Hale), Sy Borgman (Jason Alexander), and others, pulling off elaborate heists to turn heads over at the Legion of Doom. Unfortunately some of Harley's early solo and team jobs don't go too well, from a botched robbery at the Bar Mitzvah of Joshua Cobblepot (Sean Giambrone) to a planned kidnapping of Batman (Diedrich Bader) that nets them Robin (Jacob Tremblay)... and though she finally makes the cut, her real end goal this season is getting even with the masochistic Joker. Detours along the way include Clayface's missing hand befriending a rock-bottom Commissioner James Gordon (Christopher Meloni) and a bloodbath at the Praxis Family Reunion courtesy of The Queen of Fables (Wanda Sykes), who had been trapped inside a U.S. Master Tax Guide Book by the mystical Zatanna.

That rundown should serve as a pretty good gauge for your potential enjoyment -- or at least tolerance -- of Harley Quinn's niche appeal during its breakout season, which combines quick-cut gags and absolutely absurd plot twists and characters with a tangled but irresistible story that's often more layered and rewarding than each episode's 23-minute running time suggests. Season 2 doesn't alter the basic format but advances its serialized elements, picking up right after the first season left off with a dramatically different Gotham City as its desolate backdrop... not to mention the formidable threat of a brand-new supervillain group made up of The Penguin (Wayne Knight), Bane (James Adomian), Mr. Freeze (Alfred Molina), The Riddler (Jim Rash), and Two Face (Andy Daly). All told, Harley Quinn is pretty great stuff and, at the risk of abusing acronyms, it serves up plenty of WTFs and literal LOLs... which is something I can't say about too many comedic-driven shows and movies these days. (I'm usually more of a light chuckler.)

And what better label to bring Harley Quinn to Blu-ray than the consistently great Warner Archive, who as usual serves up a perfectly authored disc that supports the film's lively atmosphere with a great 1080p transfer and lossless audio... without squeezing both seasons on one or two discs, like their parent company. While the lack of bonus features is a little disappointing, this is two seasons of a fun show for well under $30 so you'll get over it pretty quick.

Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As expected for such a recent production, Warner Archive delivers a very strong and stable 1080p presentation that's basically the best-case scenario for animation fans. Harley Quinn, like the majority of DC Universe animated shows and movies, employs a very simple visual style with thin line work and slightly more expressive backgrounds, both of which are often filtered with faint but noticeable colors for mood and given something of a textured appearance. It's not terribly dynamic when the action heats up or synonymous with elastic compositions, but this specific style can still look great in the right hands. Luckily, Warner Archive has again done things right: each of these 26 episodes gets plenty of room to breathe since they're stretched across three dual-layered discs, which minimizes any sort of compression-related issues such as artifacts or banding (which is also aided by Harley Quinn's added visual textures, allowing it to sidestep those potentially problematic flat colors). Simply put, they've had time to perfect the formula.

Not surprisingly, this is a very colorful show that ranges from dark and moody Gotham nights to neon-infused hues on costumes, signage, and its ventures into surreal territory like the early standout "Being Harley Quinn", in which the gang travels to the subconscious and plays by Being John Malkovich rules. Specific colors stand out strongly, such as Poison Ivy's vivid magenta hair. Yet the predominant muted colors really steal the show, offering a lot of visual interest in deep shadows and a bleak but inviting atmosphere that plays nicely with the series' black comedy roots. Perhaps the only hiccup here is that a few of the more brightly-lit scenes are slightly blown-out on high end, with Harley's ice-blue pupils almost becoming invisible as a result. This is clearly visible on several of the included screenshots... but then again, I'm newer to the show so perhaps it looked the same way on DC Universe or is baked in to the source material. Either way, it's a negligible issue at worst and, at the end of the day, Harley Quinn looks better than expected.

Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's much less to say about Harley Quinn's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, but not because of any limitations or shortcomings. It plays by pretty standard rules for the genre, offering crisp dialogue that mostly stays up front but opens up nicely during action scenes or during those more surreal moments, when the rear channels get some love or we're treated to a few stray panning effects. Even the subwoofer gets something to do, although the moments where it kicks in are technically spoilers so I won't give them away. Overall, Harley Quinn's sound design basically works in tandem with the story and visuals, breaking a few walls at unexpected moments but otherwise just getting the job done in a clean, unobtrusive manner that keeps your ears constantly entertained. It's just good, solid work and due to the show's very recent creation, there's obviously no damage or drop-outs to be heard anywhere.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 26 episodes; these are formatted nicely and, like the audio itself, contain no sync issues or other defects.

Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a swinging inner tray -- no stacked Blu-rays here, thank goodness. Episode names are printed on each disc in lieu of an insert... and while there are no bonus features on board, the amount of content here for the asking price more than makes up for it.

Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The ongoing DC Universe Originals animated series Harley Quinn begins its third season later this year on HBO Max but, in the meantime, Warner Archive has made it easy for non-subscribers to get caught up easily. The show itself is a wildly entertaining and unpredictable ride featuring memorable characters and great voice acting, not to mention an almost embarrassing number of WTF plot twists between all the belly laughs. It's a no-brainer for anyone who doesn't take their superheroes too seriously, and Warner Archive's three-disc Blu-ray set features great A/V specs and gives these 26 episodes plenty of room to breathe. This one comes highly recommended to fans or as a blind buy.