Batman And Harley Quinn: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray Review
*Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of these titles I reviewed. The opinions I share are my own.*
The Movie:
Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue (a.k.a. The Floronic Man) embark on an ecological quest to save the planet – and, unfortunately, eliminate most of humankind along the way. To save humanity, Batman and Nightwing are forced to enlist Harley Quinn to catch Poison Ivy, Harley’s BFF and frequent partner-in-crime. But Batman’s patience is put to the test by the unpredictable and untrustworthy Harley during the twists and turns the reluctant companions face during their bumpy road trip.
DC animated movies are some of my favorite. There have been so many great stories (classic and original) that have come from them but also some “not so great” ones too. The thing with the DC animated films is that for the most part even the not so great ones are still really good and entertaining. This one however took a weird turn mainly because it felt like the film’s tone was “off”. The animation style was there completely and it felt exactly like Batman: The Animated Series but the tone and feel of it was all wrong. There was a lot of sexual innuendo and a bit too much comedy in it which made it feel very out of character. Even Batman, who normally is very serious, cracked a lot of jokes which seemed strange. The plot was really great though and I liked the inclusion of Poison Ivy and The Floronic Man (who is a character from left field). I personally think that the villain team up aspect is a nice change from the usual “hero and villain go up against each other” kind of thing. Admittingly, this really wasn’t the best DC animated film but it wasn’t terrible by any means. I think that the film just took a misstep and needed to be tweaked but it was entertaining otherwise. 6/10
4K Presentation:
Animation in this format is always a treat to experience but I was really excited for this one because it’s the first DC Animated Film in 4K. Everything looks really clean and smooth and the colors look vibrant but it doesn’t look like there is a super drastic difference. In comparison to the standard Blu-ray I find that it looks fairly similar. Since this is the first time we’re getting a 4K release like this then I think they just need to tweak things (just like the film itself) for future releases.
Special Features:
The Harley Effect – A nice feature that looks at the character and her history from the mouths of co-creators Bruce Timm and Paul Dini.
Loren Lester: In His Own Voice – This one is focused on the actor that voices Robin/Nightwing and how this movie felt like a reunion of Batman: The Animated Series.
A Sneak Peak at DC Universe’s Next Animated Movie – A quick look at the next movie which is Batman: Gotham By Gaslight. Looks like a such a fantastic movie and I’m really looking forward to it.
