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Batman: The Animated Series - Secrets of the Caped Crusader
Warner Bros. // Unrated // October 19, 2004
List Price: $19.97 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
When I saw that Batman: The Animated Series - Secrets of the Caped Crusader was available to review, I quickly snatched it up. As a lifelong fan of the Dark Knight, I didn't even think to pause and find out what episodes were on the disc. Unfortunately, it wound up being a complete waste of my time, but maybe I can help some readers not waste theirs. Secrets of the Caped Crusader collects four episodes from the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. In the two-part "The Cat and the Claw", Catwoman stumbles upon a terrorist plot that threatens a viral attack on Gotham as her alter ego attempts to establish a wildlife preserve outside the city. "Heart of Ice" introduces Mr. Freeze to the animated series, taking a frequently dismissed character from the comics and using him as a centerpiece in one of the series' best episodes. In it, a scientist trapped in a sub-zero suit seeks revenge on the bottom-line-obsessed executive that stripped him of his humanity. Finally, an ex-con uses an invisibility suit to pull off heists and chat with his daughter outside her bedroom window in "See No Evil".
Secrets of the Caped Crusader is not worth buying. I say that not because the material's bad -- I'm a huge fan of Batman: The Animated Series, although I will admit that this isn't the most impressive assortment of episodes -- but because its existence serves no reason or purpose. The sticker price at most stores is going to fall between $15 and $20, and with just four episodes on the disc, that's not a particularly stellar value. All of these episodes are already available on the four-disc Batman - The Animated Series, Volume One. Admittedly, that set is pricier, but using Amazon as a baseline, what makes more sense -- paying $17.97 for four episodes ($4.49 a piece) or $37.49 for twenty-eight episodes ($1.34 each)? I wouldn't even use Secrets of the Caped Crusader as a sampler since the episodes are somewhat uneven. "The Cat and the Claw" is an alright but not particularly memorable two-parter, notable for introducing Catwoman to the series but little else. "See No Evil" is one of the most forgettable episodes of the entire run of the series; when I was reviewing the four-disc set, I had to start this episode over because I fell asleep. The remaining episode, "Heart of Ice", is phenomenal, showcasing in 22 minutes everything that makes Batman: The Animated Series so exceptional. Then again, this DVD ditches the audio commentary from the Volume 1 set, and the pop-up trivia track that takes it place is hardly a suitable substitute, offering comments like "As you can see, the show's opening sequence pretty much rules". There are a couple of other extras that differentiate this DVD from the Volume 1 collection, and I'll talk about those later...but as a preview...? Not worth an extra fifteen bucks. The only appeal that I can see Secrets of the Caped Crusader possibly holding would be to parents who want to get a few episodes of Batman for their kids and don't want to shell out thirty or forty bucks for a more comprehensive collection. Sure, not everyone's a completist, but I'd tend to doubt those people would go to the trouble of researching a review on a DVD enthusiast website anyway. If you've made it this far in the review, you're probably not part of Warner's target demographic for this DVD. Buy Volume 1 instead, if you haven't already.
Video / Audio: The 1.33:1 video and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio are indistinguishable from the Volume 1 release, so rather than rattle off the same comments again, I'll point anyone who's curious to that review. Again, subtitles and soundtracks are offered in English, Spanish, and French, and these episodes are closed captioned. Supplements: "Bat-Signals" overlays various bits of facts and trivia over "Heart of Ice". Most of the comments are fairly general, relating to the comic book and animated series as a whole, but there are a handful of comments specific to the episode. There's nothing particularly revelatory, and it's not nearly as informative or entertaining as the excellent audio commentary on the Volume 1 collection. This disc also includes a first look at one of the featurettes on the upcoming Volume 2 set, the eight-minute "Voices of the Knight". This featurette consists of interviews with Adrienne Barbeau, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efram Zimbalist Jr., and voice director Andrea Romano, who provide an overview of a recording process that's likened to a radio serial. The voice actors discuss their approach to their characters and the influence their vocal performances have on the finished product.
Rounding out the extras are plugs for other titles in the DC Comics Kids Collection, upcoming Batman and Superman box sets, Codename: Kids Next Door, and the Kids WB's new series, The Batman. Like the other individually released episode collections, Secrets of the Caped Crusader is packaged in a snapper case, and the DVD features a set of static 16x9 menus. Each episode is offered as a single chapter stop, and they can be played one at a time or all at once. Conclusion: If Secrets of the Caped Crusader were ten bucks, I probably wouldn't have been as hard on it. To charge $20 for four episodes is laughably overpriced, especially when a superior and far more reasonably priced collection containing these same episodes is already available. While I very highly recommend the four-disc Batman - The Animated Series, Volume One set, don't waste your money on Secrets of the Caped Crusader. Skip It.
Related Reviews: Since I've mentioned the Volume 1 set a couple dozen times, I guess it might not be a bad idea to link once again to that review.
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