Batman and Harley Quinn is a movie that in theory should’ve been great with Bruce Timm as a writer, but what we get instead is a weak story, and what amounted to an average episode of The New Adventures of Batman, where the jokes don’t always land and even relegated to potty humor.
Batman and Harley Quinn
(2017)
Genre(s): Animation, Action, Comedy
Warner Bros. | PG13 – 74 min. – $44.98 | August 29, 2017
Date Published: 08/27/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When a break-in at S.T.A.R. Labs leads to a secret dossier being stolen by the gruesome duo of Poison Ivy (PAGET BREWSTER) and Floronic Man aka Jason Woodrue, it’s a green light for crime and mayhem. Batman (KEVIN CONROY) and Nightwing (LOREN LESTER) are on the case, but they look for a certain wild card for help: Harley Quinn (MELISSA RAUCH) with her past relationship with Ivy. Recently released from Arkham Asylum and trying to acclimate to life out of the super villain spotlight, Harley finds herself suiting up and mouthing off once again.
Quick Hit Review: Batman and Harley Quinn is the latest in the DC Universal animated line which, frankly, has been on shaky ground with the god-awful Batman: The Killing Joke, though I did like Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and elements of Justice League Dark, and this new one is, well, a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s obvious this is more or less an extended episode from The New Adventures of Batman. On the other, it’s obvious this is more or less an extended episode from The New Adventures of Batman. There’s a lot more comedy in this than I expected, more on Batman’s part as obviously Harley Quinn is more comedic-centric. Now, in spite of a really weak story and even weaker villains, which is a shame given one of them is Poison Ivy, I did at least find myself entertained and even laughed a time or two at the lame jokes. And on the plus side, Kevin Conroy still has it voicing The Dark Knight, Melissa Rauch is good in a role now pretty much owned by Margot Robbie, while Loren Lester returns to the role of Nightwing, having previously voiced Robin in Batman: The Animated Series; he’s honestly annoying.
In the end, I did enjoy elements of Batman and Harley Quinn, but only just. The voice casting was decent enough but the writer subpar and clocking in at a mere 68-minutes (sans credits) makes this barely worthy of a rental and on the lower echelon of the DC Animated movies. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy and embossed slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. All features are on the Blu-ray disc. A Sneak Peek at Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (8:30; HD) looks at DC’s next animated movie with a look at the animation and story. Nothing on the voice casting, however. The Harley Effect (21:15; HD) is on, well, the popular Harley Quinn and her origins from Batman: The Animated Series and the growth of recognition over the years. This even breaks her down psychologically… Loren Lester: In His Own Voice (11:46; HD) is an interview with the actor who originally voiced Robin in the old animated series. Lastly, there are sneak peeks at The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 & 2 and Batman: Assault on Arkham, and Bonus Cartoons: Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Harley and Ivy’ and ‘Harley’s Holiday’. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Batman and Harley Quinn onto 4K presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer (HEVC/H.265 codec). This isn’t exactly a “disappointing” 4K title, but it’s also an ever so slight improvement over its Blu-ray counterpart. Detail, as 2D animation goes, is fine though the rough animation on the more distant shots is especially noticeable but through the HDR, there is fine boost to colors. On the negative side, there were several instances of banding, particularly noticeable during the opening sequence, but I kind of come to expect it from classic animation. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| Sorry folks, no Atmos track here, just the boring old DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This one sounds pretty good especially for animated fare where dialogue was crisp and clear, including Batman’s gravelly voice, and when the action picks up, some depth is on display as well as gunfire has some minor impact as the bullets hit their target, like Floronic Man during the first scene. It’s nothing amazing but still a nice lossless track. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Batman and Harley Quinn is a movie that in theory should’ve been great, with perhaps currently two out of three of DC’s most popular characters (the other being Wonder Woman), and Bruce Timm as a writer, but what we get instead is a weak story, and what amounted to an average episode of The New Adventures of Batman, where the jokes don’t always land and even relegated to potty humor. This 4K release, the first for DC Animated, is an okay release, the video and audio transfers are good but not great and the features are throwaway material. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.