Customer Reviews

Batman Beyond: The Complete Series

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Apathy, Greed, Corruption, Power... Hope. This complete series collection contains all the episodes from Batman Beyond, the 1999/2000 series that focused on a new Batman and his mentor an aging Bruce Wayne 50 years after the setting of the very popular and emmy award winning Batman: The Animated Series. This 9-disc set contains all three seasons of the series which are comprised of the following 52 episodes:

Season 1

Rebirth (with optional commentary)
Rebirth 2
Black Out
Golem
Meltdown
Heroes
Shriek (with optional commentary)
Dead Man's Hand
The Winning Edge
Spellbound
Disappearing Inque
A Touch of Curare
Ascension

Season 2

Splicers (with optional commentary)
Earth Mover
Joyride
Lost Soul
Hidden Agendas
Bloodsport
Once Burned
Hooked Up
Rats
Mind Games
Revenant
Babel
Terry's Friend Dates a Robot
Eyewitness
Final Cut
The Last Resort
Armory
Sneak Peek
The Eggbaby (with optional commentary)
Zeta
Plague
April Moon
Sentries of the Last Cosmos
Payback
Where's Terry
Ace in the Hole

Season 3

King's Ransom
Untouchable
Inqueling
Big Time
Out of the Past
Speak No Evil
The Call (1)
The Call (2)
Betrayal
Curse of Kobra (1)
Curse of Kobra (2)
Countdown
Unmasked


Packaging: The series is nicely, and appropriately packaged, to be a match set with the Batman: The Animated Series complete series set. The only difference is that this packaging art has also appropriately been updated to match the more futuristic tone of the Batman Beyond Series. Similar to the previous set this one is comprised of one large DVD snapcase that holds the discs of the series, that snapcase fits into a binded case that's front lifts up. That case slides into a nice clear plastic casing (that is open on both ends) to add a nice level of dimension to the artwork on the cover of the box. Also inside the set is a nice and fairly well sized booklet featuring series artwork from the DC Archives.

*The nice thing about these complete series sets is that unlike certain others they do keep your discs well protected from scratches.


Special Features: All the previous special features will be included in this nicely packaged set, along with them will be a new ninth disc with new featurette's exclusive to this set.

Season 1 Special Features

Inside Batman Beyond: meet series creators - a sit down with Bruce Timm and other creative minds behind the show as they discuss the creation of the series.

Music of the Knight: score-only versions of key scenes

"Rebirth" Part 1 Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), Alan Burnett (Producer), Paul Dini (Producer), Glenn Murakami (Producer), and Curt Geda (Director)

"Shriek" Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), Alan Burnett (Producer), Glenn Murakami (Producer), Curt Geda (Director), and Stan Berkowitz (Writer)

Season 2 Special Features

Inside Batman Beyond: The Panel - discussion with Producer Bruce Timm, Producer Alan Burnett, Producer Glen Murakami, Producer Paul Dini and Moderator Jason Hillhouse

"Splicers" Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), James Tucker (commentator replacement for director Curt Geda), Glen Murakami (Producer), Andrea Romano (Voice Director) and Will Friedle ("Terry McGinnis/Batman" Voice)

"The Eggbaby" Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), James Tucker (Director), Glen Maurakami (Producer), Andrea Romano (Voice Director) and Will Friedle ("Terry McGinnis/Batman" Voice)

Season 3 Special Features

Inside Batman Beyond: Season 3 - the producers of Batman Beyond (Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini & Glen Murakami) join moderator Jason Hillhouse for the last installment of their in-depth panel discussion

Close-Up On...: Sit down with the creative minds behind Batman Beyond as they discuss their favorite moments from key episodes of the series' final season: "Out of the Past"; "The Call, Part 1"; "The Call, Part 2"; "The Curse of Kobra, Part 1." This feature was included with the final season rather than individual commentaries.

Special Features Exclusive to this set

Secret Origin: A Documentary on the Story of DC Comics

3 All New Featurette's regarding the Batman Beyond series


One downside to this set, which was also a downside to the previous BTAS set, is that the feature length Batman Beyond movie isn't included in this set. It's not something that one would usually expect a series set to do, including the movies that is, but the feature film ties so nicely into the series and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is usually regarded as a Batman Beyond series finale of sorts since the show was prematurely cancelled. In that same regard it would also be nice to find the episode of Justice League Unlimited, Epilogue, on this set. It actually did serve as a direct series finale not only to Batman Beyond but to the entire Batman Animated Series universe, but it likely won't be included on this set either.

Despite that small quarrel this complete series collection is great for fans who may not already own the series but also for some fans who don't mind double dipping for such a well done set. I already own the series on DVD but plan to still buy this set just as I did with Batman: The Animated Series, these complete series sets are just packaged so nicely and you're getting a fair bit of exclusive content including the artwork booklet and the new ninth disc. This set, like the previous one, will likely only be available for a limited time so act fast if you're interested. Thanks for your time.

*This is a great set. I'm happy I bought it, it looks great on the shelf with the BTAS set and I enjoyed getting the extra featurettes and the DC Secret Origins Documentary. Some DC fans and those who don't own the series will be happy with this purchase.

Batman Beyond took the story of the Dark Knight and moved it 40 years into a techno-noir-anime future where an elderly Bruce Wayne has long since hung up the cape. A brash teenager, Terry McGinnis, stumbles upon Bruce's secret past as a superhero and picks up where Bruce left off as Gotham's newest Batman.

All 52 episodes of Batman Beyond's three-season run have been collected in this boxed set, along with a myriad of audio commentaries and behind the scenes documentaries. All but one of the discs are the exact same discs from the individual season sets, and the only "new" disc contains retrospective documentaries as well as the new doc Secret Origins: The Story of DC Comics. Narrated by Hollywood's newest superhero, Green Lantern's Ryan Reynolds, this piece examines the history of the comic book publisher responsible for bringing Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman to the forefront of American culture.

Notably absent from this set is the Justice League Unlimited episode Epilogue, Batman Beyond's de facto series finale. Batman Beyond wasn't renewed for a fourth season and the show's crew weren't notified that the third season would be the last, so the series never received the proper send-off until Epilogue. It never seemed like a problem for episodes from DC Animated Universe shows to be included in the DVD sets of the recent string of feature-length DC animated movies, so it shouldn't seem like such a problem to include Epilogue in this boxed set.

Also missing is the feature-length movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, but I'm almost willing to let them slide on since it wasn't specifically an episode of the series. But Return of the Joker is one of the highlighrs in the character's history and one of the best animated Batman films, so leaving it out of this set is disappointing. Considering the limited amount of Batman Beyond content (3 seasons, 1 movie, and only 2 or 3 appearances in the Justice League shows), you think it wouldn't seem like too much trouble to collect them all in one set. This entire set is a bit of fan service, so why not go the whole way?

Batman Beyond seems to be making a comeback recently. The story is being introduced into the comic book continuity with a wildly successful six-issue miniseries that has just been renewed as an ongoing series. It's no doubt that Batman Beyond has a following that this boxed set will definitely appeal to. The only things keeping Batman Beyond: The Complete Series from getting 5 stars is the absent Epilogue episode and Return of the Joker.

Batman Beyond was a pleasant surprise when it arrived on television in 1999. The original Batman The Animated Series had run out of steam and WB wanted a new Batman cartoon that would appeal even more to a younger generation in tone and style. Enter Terry McGinnis, just an ordinary kid who gets thrusts into the role of Batman for a new era. Though the creators have never publicly acknowledged it, to me the character of Terry has a lot of Spider-Man in him. If one were to combine the characters of Batman and Spider-Man into one, Terry's Batman would be a close approximation.

When I first heard of the show I was not very interested in it. It seemed gimmicky and I wondered how Batman would remain interesting with his rogue's gallery dead and buried in this futuristic setting. I am glad I did not trust my first instincts because had I done so I would have missed a quality series that serves as a nice bookend to the original Batman TAS. The first season in particular does a nice job of setting up the world for this new Batman. His early interactions with a crotchety old Bruce Wayne are a particular treat (and this future Bruce Wayne is pretty much exactly how one would expect him to turn out). His early exploits in the new bat suit show a Batman who is learning on the fly as he gets bailed out by the fantastic abilities his suit possesses time and again. As the series moves along though we see a more confident Batman who relies less and less on the suit's abilities and more on his own instinct and ability.

The futuristic setting is less of a gimmick than I had anticipated. In truth, it often matters little as Batman always had access to an assortment of "wonderful toys." Instead of having a plane and a car, the new Batmobile functions as both. Batman no longer has to throw bat-a-rangs at his foes, he fires them out of the suit. And even though his suit has stealth capabilities, the writers don't abuse it and more than once we see the suit letting him down. The suit's ability to fly is never exploited, though there also aren't as many roof-top chase type scenes that frequented the old cartoon.

The series' play to a younger crowd is obvious in tone but not to the detriment of the series. Terry has problems not unlike the aforementioned Peter Parker which makes him relatable, but the show isn't dumbed down to appeal to kids at the expense of the older crowd that grew up with Batman TAS. While it perhaps isn't as mature as the previous cartoon, it's approach in story-telling won't turn off older viewers. The visual style is less unique when compared with the old cartoon and it's painted background, but does have it's own flair. For me it's not as interesting as the old show but that's more a matter of taste than anything.

Really the only thing holding this series back, and one of the fears most had when it was announced, is its rogue's gallery. The first season was riveting as it set-up this new Batman for viewers but once season two hits it becomes apparent that Batman doesn't have the same villains he used to. And it's not just a lack of Joker that hurts, there just are few worthy adversaries for this new more powerful Batman and a lot of the villains lack the same tragic past as a Two-Face or Mr. Freeze (Freeze does make an appearance though in one of the show's best episodes). In season one, Derek Powers is set-up to be Batman's biggest adversary but he is used surprisingly sparingly in seasons two and three. The Royal Flush gang ends up being one of the better villains. Though their motivations are petty, things are made interesting when Terry establishes a bond with the youngest member outside of his Batman persona. In the end, the show is enjoyable but lacks that same sort of danger and sympathy the old series had. If rating them individually, season one is excellent while two and three are merely good.

This collection is not unlike the one already done for Batman TAS, which is to say, it's well done in terms of packaging. It's an attractive piece to own and looks good beside the old one. The special features are a tad light considering the price but some are definitely worth watching. Of particular enjoyment are the round table discussions and interviews with the creators who share their thought process when creating the show. As mentioned in a previous review, it's a shame WB did not include the feature film Return of the Joker, one of my favorite Batman movies of any kind (as far as animated features go, it's second only to the brilliant Mask of the Phantasm and overall exceeded only by the two Nolan films). That film can be had for a few dollars now so WB wouldn't have been cutting into its profit line a whole lot while packaging it here. The price is a bit steep considering it's roughly the same as the longer and better Batman TAS. If you're only interested in the episodes themselves you'll save money by just picking up the individual seasons which is why I say that this is for collector's primarily.

All in all though, most won't be disappointed with this set. It's a very good series that had to follow in the footsteps of a truly great one and managed to create it's own identity. A lot of people really enjoy the character of Terry McGinnis and it's not hard to see why. For those who already enjoy the series, you know what you're getting. For those on the fence I say give it a go. I think most who like the previous series will enjoy this one and if you have the extra coin this set is a nice piece to own.

I want to start out and say that the show itself is a 5 star show, but ultimately, it would have been cheaper for me to buy the seasons seperately. I'm not sure why, but I didn't do much research into this show before purchase. The show only had three seasons, and the first and last season were kind of short. Inside the box case, there is a info book with some rough sketches, and a normal size season case that hold all three seasons. It does look nice, but not worth the extra money, and the special features and case are not worth the money, regardless of how nice they are. The show itself is a spin off of of the much love batman animated series that has garnered more love online than even the new Christopher Nolan entries, and while I'm not exactly sure where my loyalties lie on that front, I will say that this show is nowhere near as good as its predecesor. It tries to hard to be very relevent and new, and goes very far in what I like to call the trend of children knowing, or think they know as much as the parental figure. I find that to children it can lead to thinking they know as much as parents, but as I started watching this show much older, I can tell you that there is still a lot to be enjoyed by adults. The foremost being that a lot of unanswered questions from the previous show are answered somewhere in this canon, though to really complete your collection you need to get the Return of the Joker direct to video movie and the conclusion of Justice League unlimited. i really do enjoy the art direction and a lot of the new interpretaions, but it also looks a little more mass produced than the other series, as it seems that cartoons are much more a niche art, as there are no three or four networks competing in that department on a limited air time for after school and saturday morning attention, but networks devoted to children, as this originally ran between wb and cartoon network. Less market share, less budget. Over all, if you are going to get into this, just know that you don't need to in order get everything out of the old series and you are better off getting it seperately.

The content for the Batman Beyond box set was excellent, as expected. I was a big fan of the series and this was a must-have form. My only real complaint is that, when I received my set, the DVD case and its cover had been partially torn (the plastic cover-sheath, the paper cover and the plastic box as if someone had taken a box-cutter to them before packaging). The disks were undamaged, which is the important thing, but I'll be shopping about for a replacement case.

The product was a great product. the only thing I had a problem with is one of the sides to the top was bent a little. I'm a collector so it bothered me a bit but overall a great product.

Batman Beyond is another masterpiece of animation from the creators of Batman the Animated Series. It's the future, and Bruce Wayne no longer can keep up with Gotham City's Villainy, so he enlist the help of a teenager (Terry McGinnis) with similar circumstances as him, to be the next Batman. New Villains and setups makes this series cool and different. A new take to Batman's future, pick it up without hesitation, and start enjoying it.

Apathy, Greed, Corruption, Power... Hope. This complete series collection contains all the episodes from Batman Beyond, the 1999/2000 series that focused on a new Batman and his mentor an aging Bruce Wayne 50 years after the setting of the very popular and emmy award winning Batman: The Animated Series. This 9-disc set contains all three seasons of the series which are...

I loved this series and Im glad i got it all in one amazing collection. The art book was great too.

This collection is great. It has all the episodes on the same number of discs as the individuals seasons, but in one sturdy DVD case the size of two normal DVD cases back to back on a shelf.

The outer box has a wonderful presentation, with a thick clear plastic sleeve displaying the main artwork of the future Batman, and a high quality material for the actual box that stores the DVD case and art booklet.

The booklet inside shows many different landscape/scenery backdrops from the show, as well as diagrams and designs of some main characters and Bat-gear. If your are into that kind of stuff, the booklet is fun to peruse through.

The price is not too bad either, considering that it has all three seasons of the show and the extra booklet and beautiful case. Individual seasons of shows can cost from $15 to even over $50 dollars. I estimated that the 3 Batman Beyond seasons would be about $20 each, and the box would be worth the extra $10, so it was fine. I bought mine new for $71, and then my friend saw the same thing at Best Buy going for about $90. I'm glad that I bought mine online. Now if only the price for the matching Batman TAS would drop.