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Releases - DVDs - Batman: The Animated Series - Out of the Shadows

Packaging
Menus
Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: July 22, 2003
Run Time: 88 minutes
Episodes: Two-Face, Part 1; Two-Face, Part 2; It's Never too Late; I've Got Batman in my Basement
Aspect Ratio(s):
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.33 Standard [4:3 Transfer]

Audio
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)

Edition Details:
- Encoding: Region 1
- Animated, Color

Special Features
- Tour the Batcave
- Episode Introductions with Producer/Directory Bruce Timm
- Visit Arkham Asylum
- Darknight Detective
- Languages & Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese

Review
Releasing more of the earliest produced episodes, Batman: The Animated Series - Out of the Shadows brings us four more episodes from the classic animated series. Aside from a horrid Penguin episode, this is actually a pretty solid single disc volume release.

Once again, there's no reason to go into detail about the history of this DVD - especially given the site these reviews are appearing on – so we're going to dive right into the DVD.

Containing four episodes - "Two-Face, Part One and Two," "It's Never Too Late," and "I've Got Batman In My Basement" - this is a pretty good collection of episodes. Good episodes...until you get to "I've Got Batman In my Basement," easily one of the worst things to feature Batman...ever! It's that bad. It's a piss-poor introduction to The Penguin, and features two plucky kids saving Batman. Need I say more? It's pretty much "Schumacher" bad, festering in a dark pit alongside "Moon of the Wolf," "Cat Scratch Fever," and "The Terrible Trio" among others. It's just so terrible.

In fact, that episode is so bad, the two-part origin of Two-Face and "It's Never Too Late" barely compensate. Thankfully, the other three episodes are engaging from the get go, making it very easy to forget the screwdriver/sword fight between Batman and the Penguin. That's right...a screwdriver/sword fight? Yeesh. Alright, let's just move right along and get back to the DVD itself.

The episodes themselves are offered in full frame with standard 2.0 audio mixes. Dust and scratches intentionally remain on every episode, on request from the producer. As usual, there are no chapter breaks within the episodes and the menus are not animated and lackluster.

The extras, like the previous releases, are pretty slim. Included are a couple useless tour features where we get a look at Batman's Batcave as well as Arkham Asylum (keep an eye out for an easter egg featuring Paul Dini), and a boring game. Thankfully the episode introductions were apparently extended on this release. We get more information from Bruce Timm, providing some interesting facts about each episode on the DVD (What? No apology for "I've Got A Batman In My Basement?").

For anyone interested in giving Batman: The Animated Series a shot or wondering how much pain one can endure by watching "I've Got A Batman In My Basement?," this DVD is worth the $10 purchase. The extended episode introductions and informative easter egg add up to some solid extra material. It's a pretty standard release that's easily recommended.

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