Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Teen Titans Go!: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

"Aren't you guys as excited for this as me!?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown April 21, 2015

I can't get enough of Teen Titans Go! It began with my son, as these things so often do. Skeptical as I was, I watched it out of love; that taste-transcending blend of patience and selflessness that allows moms and dads to suffer through just about anything with a smile, no matter how irritating a cartoon or family movie may be. But then somewhere, very, very early in the series' first season, something strange happened. My dad-smile wasn't forced. Patience wasn't required. I wasn't indulging in a guilty pleasure. I was... frequently cracking up? Grinning like an idiot? Admiring the wit, unpredictability, references, and laugh-a-second animation? Yep. I was hooked. Am hooked. As much as my son and wife actually, perhaps even a bit more so. I don't just "get" Teen Titans Go! It gets me. If that bothers you -- if you're looking to adopt another member into the TTG Dissenters Club -- best not read on. I'm a big fan. No two ways about it, and I'm not ashamed to say as much, loudly and as often as anyone is willing to listen. It's not a must-see, top-of-my-list classic, I'll be the first to admit. But it delivers the goods.

What happens after everyone's favorite teenage super heroes have saved the planet from total annihilation? Swing by Titans Tower and find out as Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy chill out after a hard day of crime fighting and take on some real challenges like laundry, chores, video games, hunger pains, and plain ol' trying to get along. Enjoy the laughs when Beast Boy introduces his new villainous girlfriend, Raven's demonic father stops by for a visit, or Cyborg has his birthday bashed by an evil pie baker. So suit up, order a pizza and check out Season One's 52 adventures, at least until the next time the world needs saving!

Cards on the table. First: I've long been a Marvel kid, though strictly as a matter of preference. I still enjoy DC's stories and cast of characters, so no need to hold that against me. Second: aside from The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time and Gravity Falls, the current crop of uber-referential animated comedies clogging Cartoon Network, the Disney Channel(s) and Nickelodeon aren't typically my thing. They're too hit or miss and quickly wear out their welcome. Third: no, everyone is not going to react this favorably to Teen Titans Go! Some will, some won't. Complaints usually stem from Cartoon Network's chronic and unceremonious axing of more traditional animated fare like Young Justice and Green Lantern, which inadvertently transforms a seemingly aimless, gag-riddled superhero comedy like TTG! into salt in an open wound. One forum member recently lamented, "Why does Cartoon Network insist on renewing this unfunny, meaningless nonsense but cancel all the good stuff?" But there's room for both, and CN's treatment of one series shouldn't be used to damn another.

Teen Titans Go! is hilarious -- if it's your cup o' joe, that is -- with surprises around every corner. It's not only well written, with gut-busting dialogue and one-liners, rapidfire sight gags, clever jokes, and blink-and-you'll-miss-em DC Comics easter eggs by the hundreds, it nails far more punch-lines than it fumbles, targets kids and their parents with multilayered humor, and doesn't make a habit of repeating itself. And with heroes who aren't limited to fighting a villain or saving the world, there's plenty of mundane, everyday ground to cover and no end to the places TTG! is able to go. Think of it as the hyperactive Seinfeld of superhero series; "a show about nothing" that still manages to work, relying on its overzealous love of and enthusiasm for all things DC, a tight handle on genre parody, and a memorable quintet of characters -- temperamental, egomaniacal team leader Robin (Scott Menville), naïve alien princess Starfire (Hynden Walch), cynical half-demon Raven (Tara Strong), fun-loving, shapeshifting Beast Boy (Greg Cipes) and easily amused hero-jock Cyborg (Khary Payton) -- to barrel along at a breakneck pace and keep its fans entertained. Even binging my way through a season I've already watched has been a blast. (Itching for extra laughs? Focus on the backgrounds and try to spot all the DC cameos, in-jokes and nods. There's no nobler TTG! pursuit.)

But hey, maybe it's just me. Adage time: there's no accounting for taste. The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release of Teen Titans Go! The Complete First Season features 52 episodes spread across two BD-50 discs:

1. Legendary Sandwich
2. Pie Bros
3. Driver's Ed
4. Dog Hand (FKA Raven's Daddy Dearest)
5. Double Trouble
6. The Date
7. Dude Relax!
8. Laundry Day
9. Ghost Boy
10. La Larva Amor
11. Hey Pizza!
12. Gorilla
13. Girl's Night Out
14. You're Fired
15. Super Robin
16. Tower Power
17. Parasite
18. Starliar
19. Meatball Party
20. Staff Meeting
21. Terra-ized
22. Artful Dodgers
23. Burger vs. Burrito
24. Matched
25. Colors of Raven
26. The Left Leg
27. Books
28. Lazy Sunday
29. Starfire the Terrible
30. Power Moves
31. Staring at the Future
32. No Power
33. Sidekick
34. Caged Tiger
35. Second Christmas
36. Nose Mouth
37. Legs
38. Breakfast Cheese
39. Waffles
40. Be Mine
41. Opposites
42. Birds
43. Brain Food
44. In and Out
45. Little Buddies
46. Missing
47. Uncle Jokes
48. Mas Y Menos
49. Dreams
50. Grandma Voice
51. Real Magic
52. Puppets, Whaaaaat?

Teen Titans Go!: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Teen Titans Go! The Complete First Season features a terrific 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. There are hints of aliasing here and there -- aliasing that will go largely unnoticed, if not completely overlooked -- but no other anomalies or distractions rear their ugly heads. Not even banding. Colors are bright and bold, primaries pack power, black levels are inky, and contrast is consistent. (And vibrant. Sickeningly vibrant, just as it was meant to be.) Clarity is excellent too, with razor sharp line art and crisp background details, and the image rarely disappoints. You won't spot a hint of noise either. The image is straight-from-the-digital-tap pristine. Not everyone will warm to the series' animation style, but no one will grumbling about the quality of the encode.

Teen Titans Go!: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like other animated series released by the Warner Archive Collection, Teen Titans Go! The Complete First Season is presented with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track. Without a six-channel mix, there's no LFE output or rear speaker activity to comment on. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a strong, engaging experience to be had. Voices are crystal clear and intelligible, without anything in the way of prioritization issues. Effects are clean, crisp and suitably punchy, bursts of music are nicely represented, and there aren't any elements of the series' sound design that are overcrowded, under-supported, or underwhelming. The Titans Tower may not be brought to you in 5.1 surround, but fans will still be pleased with the results.

Teen Titans Go!: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of Teen Titans Go! The Complete First Season doesn't include any special features.

Teen Titans Go!: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Love it. Hate it. Teen Titans Go! at least elicits a strong reaction; compared to most animated comedies, which often earn little more than a "meh" and a quick change of the channel. If you dig the schizophrenic, reference-slinging zaniness Titans delights in dishing out, you're in for a ten-hour treat. If it grates your nerves... stop now while you're ahead. Fortunately, the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release of The Complete First Season makes it easy to judge the show on its merits and its merits alone. There aren't any special features, but the AV presentation is strong enough to make this one a cinch to recommend. To fans anyway. If you've yet to sample an episode, you might want to catch six or seven online or on TV before committing to a purchase.