Righteous Recommendations
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Batman Beyond the Movie is a good way to check out the series without buying an entire season. It's more or less obsolete now that you can get the entire season 1, but this version does a better job with the presentation of the double-length pilot episode also known as “Rebirth.”
There is 1 and only 1 DVD although it is offered in different packaging and can be bought in bundles with other Batman toons.
The Movie is a single disc DVD release.
Video:
1.33: This is the TV standard ratio. It's a bit fuzzy with a little bit of trash here and there.
Audio:
2.0 Dolby: The stereo surround sound is clear and strong with enough fill in the rear channels to not feel like everything is coming from the front. There is a little bit of pleasant bass rumble.
Packaging:
It originally came in one of those crappy cardboard cases. It’s been in my DVD player so many times that the plastic snap is starting to tear away from the case. I have seen a new listing for it (the second link at the bottom of the page) that offers it in a sturdier plastic case (if the product listing can be trusted).
There isn't much to the interface. It's simple but functional with a static image and a music loop (not the theme song).
Extras:
-Episodes: The extras for the set are additional episodes (which, of course, you can get in the season 1 or complete series box sets). The extra episodes seem to be chosen at random because if going by the storyline “Ascension” would have been the best compliment to “Meltdown” with the Inque episodes in-between since they deal with the Wayne/Powers-Batman/Blight conflict the most. For whatever reason, though, we get no sense of a storyline with the episodes that are included. More details below.
-Trailer: A typical ad for the release.
Other Editions:
There are none.
Final Thoughts:
So to bottom line it for you, this is maybe a good release to get if you want a cheap sampling of the series. While I do like the presentation of “Rebirth” more than the season 1 presentation that really doesn't make “The Movie” worth getting if you already have the full season/series. Whatever the season 1 set's failings it's still nice to be able to see all the episodes in proper order rather than a random assortment. I plan to keep my copy of the Movie around, but if I hadn't already bought it before season 1 was released I would never have gotten it.
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Episodes:
This release is a mere 5 episodes (6 if counting the double-length pilot as 2 as it's presented everywhere but here) which you can read more about in the season 1 episode guide.
Unlike the versions on the season 1 TVD, these episodes are divided into chapters. Unfortunately those chapters are not particularly well placed. The end of the opening theme, for example, is the most helpful place to have a chapter stop, but only “Rebirth” has a division there.
There is a Play All feature which has become pretty standard on releases like this but was more rare at the time this DVD came out.
1) Rebirth: Originally presented as two episodes (and presented that way on the season 1 TVD), here the halves are combined to form a whole. I prefer this presentation and watch this version instead of the season 1 TVD whenever I want to see the pilot. This is the setup of the series and has Terry meeting Bruce Wayne for the first time and becoming the new Batman.
2) “Gotham Golem” is also just known as “Golem” (I don’t know why "Gotham" has been added to the title on the package). Willie Watt attacks the city with a giant robot. Terry has to be resourceful to bring down a mechanical GLM too big to be defeated with brute force.
3) In “The Winning Edge” the Venom drug resurfaces. Wayne knows only Bane has the formula so Terry sets off to find the old criminal. Meanwhile, Terry’s mom starts suspecting he’s on drugs himself, and he doesn’t know how to get out of it since he can’t very well tell her the truth.
4) In “Dead Man’s Hand” Terry runs up against a new incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang bent on revenge on Batman. Batman destroys Terry's relationship with Dana, but he finds a new spark with Melanie. His determination to make the relationship work may destroy the one he’s built with Wayne.
5) In “Meltdown” Mr. Freeze is revived in an experiment to find a cure for Blight. Freeze appears to work towards making amends for his past life, but Wayne doesn’t trust him. Terry ends up caught between Freeze and Blight, and he’s no match for either of them.