Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Titans: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 25, 2019

Marvel’s and DC’s cinematic offerings take all the headlines and earn the big bucks, but not to be forgotten, and arguably more interesting, is the slew of Marvel and DC superhero TV shows on the small screen. None may be better than Marvel's Daredevil, but DC’s offerings have been largely well received, too, from focused character shows (Arrow, The Flash) to more sprawling backstory constructs like Gotham. Titans is one of the newest DC properties to transition to the small screen. Like so many of its other Superhero/world ventures on that format it's a dark and gritty and deeply character driven experience, quite unlike some of its more prominent interpretations for the screen which exist in the animated realm. Showrunner Greg Walker and Developers Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti have done well to embrace the darker envisioning and bring a fresh approach to some of DC's more treasured second-tier characters.

Official synopsis: This gritty new take on classic Teen Titans characters follows a team of soon-to-be Super Heroes. Detroit detective Dick Grayson, aka Robin, emerges from the shadows of his traumatic past in Gotham when he crosses paths with Rachel Roth, aka Raven, a teen possessed by a strange darkness. When they become entangled in a conspiracy that could spark Hell on Earth, they are joined by the mysterious Kory Anders, aka Starfire, and lovable Gar Logan, aka Beast Boy.

The series begins with a focus on Raven, the purple-haired teenage girl with incredible -- and terrible -- powers. It quickly establishes Titans as her show, from her perspective, defining her darkness and her journey through it. She finds in Robin a mentor, someone not necessarily with a shared experience but someone whose own experiences have created a shared vision of the world, a shared place in it and a shared desire to escape from it. These characters are carefully considered and constructed. They are extremely well performed by both Teagan Croft and Brenton Thwaites who capably handle the look and costume work, the action, and delve deep into character, helping to shape Titans as both comic book extravaganza and darkly detailed and themed character work.

The show of course finds plenty of time to focus on its other characters. Starfire and Gar are integral, and interesting, companions through the show, each adding a different perspective and dynamic to the Titans soup that doesn't push it away from the Robin/Raven internal and external grimness and crises but that does work to bring some balance to the program. The show doesn't shy away from an expanded universe, either, making Doom Patrol and the next Robin, played by Curran Walters, central figures throughout the relatively economical, but narratively rich, 11 episode season run.

The following episodes comprise season one. These rather terse summaries are courtesy of an insert included with the Blu-ray set.

Disc One:

• Titans: Meet the four Titans.
• Hawk and Dove: Dick Grayson seeks help from old friends Hawk and Dove.
• Origins: Rachel Roth, Kory Anders and Dick visit Rachel's former home.
• Doom Patrol: Rachel hides out with Gar Logan's family -- the Doom Patrol.
• Together: Dick, Kory, Rachel and Gar band together as a team.
• Jason Todd: Dick reluctantly teams with the new Robin, Jason Todd.

Disc Two:

• The Asylum: The Titans set out to rescue Rachel's mother from an asylum.
• Donna Troy: Dick turns to old friend Donna Troy/Wonder Girl for answers.
• Hank and Dawn: The origins story of vigilante Super Heroes Hawk and Dove is revealed.
• Koriand'r: Kory discovers her true reason for finding Rachel.
• Dick Grayson: Dick takes a dark journey back to Gotham in the sensational season finale.

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

Titans: The Complete First Season's 1080p transfer handles the show's predominantly dreary visual structure quite well. The image is often bleak and bland, with heavily desaturated tones of dark blue and gray and black dominating the show. Some of the more intense shades, even existing under those tonal confines, enjoy robust presentation, including Rachel's purple hair and Starfire's pink locks. Shadow details, obviously critical to the show, are presented with exceptional balance, while denser blacks hold pure. Skin tones are fine within the bleak parameters. Textures are well rounded. Dense city details are sharp and accurate, as are various costumes and character skin textures. The picture never struggles with any source or encode shortcomings to bothersome excess.

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

Titans: The Complete First Season features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, the only soundtrack available. The track is appropriately large. It handles deep end intensity and piercing highs with equal definition and detail. The middle range is very good, too, offering well balanced core music and sound effects with pleasing stage stretch. Surrounds carry a healthy allotment of action as well, occasionally with dynamic localization but often in support of core elements, including thunder right out of the gate, the opening title card, and environmental atmosphere in the police station. Action scenes are of high intensity, full stage command, and solid clarity. Gunfire pops with appropriate cracking and zipping during Starfire's introductory sequence while various examples of hand-to-hand combat enjoy solid thumps and quality depth. The track is never wanting for richly defined and audience enveloping goodness, folding in a wide range of sound elements with commanding clarity and expert placement. Dialogue is likewise well delivered for accuracy, position, and prioritization.

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

Titans: The Complete First Season contains a large number of mostly throwaway snippet-length featurettes on disc two. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Raven and Robin: Dark Rebirth (1080p, 8:08): A look at the season's dark tones and themes and its focus on Rachel and Dick. It looks at beginning the series with Rachel Roth, Teagan Croft's performance, Robin's character arc, and his relationship with Rachel. The piece also looks briefly at Dick's relationship with Koriand'r and Donna.
• Hawk and Dove Origin Story (1080p, 2:35): A quick peek into the characters and the actors who portray them (this is the first time they have appeared in live-action).
• Igniting Starfire (1080p, 2:15): A discussion of the character who is described as Starman meets Saturday Night Fever. It also peeks into Anna Diop's performance.
• Becoming Beast Boy (1080p, 2:01): Like the previous extras, a fairly fast-paced and superficial look at the character and the actor (Ryan Potter) who portrays him.
• Conjuring Raven (1080p, 2:22): Exploring Rachel's character: her background, her power, and her relationship with Dick Grayson. It is essentially an alternate take on the first supplement above.
• Meet the Doom Patrol (1080p, 2:15): An all-too-short introduction to the characters' first live-action appearance and the role they play in the series.
• The New Robin (1080p, 2:17): A quick look at Jason Todd (played by Curran Walters) who is introduced partway through the season.
• From Page to Screen (1080p, 2:23): An all-too-fast look at adapting the original source material to television. The cast also talks up working with Creator Geoff Johns. The piece ends with a list of the "firsts" that the show can claim.
• The One and Only Wonder Girl (1080p, 2:13): A look at Wonder Girl's place in the original comics and in this TV show as a character foil to Dick Grayson.
• The Redemption of Robin (1080p, 2:29): This piece explores Robin/Dick Grayson's role in the show with emphasis on his effort to escape the dark character Robin that Batman has created.
• Team Titan (1080p, 2:25): The show's structure, plans for the future, the character and genre blending, the Dick and Rachel relationship, and the show's adherence to comic book lore.
• What Does It Mean to Be Cast as Starfire? (1080p, 1:53): An emotional Anna Diop shares her thoughts on what it means for her to play the part.
• Anna Diop Having Fun with Teagan Croft (1080p, 3:10): Croft drops in on Diop during her interview.

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

Titans is a show of great character depth with richly realized and performed leads. It's entertaining albeit grim and violent, finding a harmonious balance between deep characterization and bloody action. Like several of its contemporaries, including Daredevil, Titans is proof that superheroes are not necessarily at their best, most well structured and engaging on the big screen. Indeed, the small screen ventures are paying big dividends for fans. Titans: The Complete First Season features excellent video and audio presentations. Supplements are long in number but short on meaningful content. Highly recommended.