THE EPITAPH VOL. 64 - ANIMATION MENAGE-A-TROI EDITION!
GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY'S PRIMAL: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (2023) - ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (2011) - JUSTICE LEAGUE X RWBY: SUPER HEROES & HUNSTMEN PART ONE (2023)
Label: WBHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: TVMA
Duration: 221 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Genndy Tartakovsky's animated series Primal returns for a fearsome and blood-soaked second season, the continuing story of a neanderthal caveman named Spear and his loyal T-Rex named Fang. The anachronistic prehistoric duo bonded in the first season by common tragedies when each lose their families to the same pack of primordial predators. In the second season they are joined by Mira, Spear's bald-headed love interest, and this season is not as streamlined as the first, trading one-off story arcs for expanded storylines, with the threat being more human in nature. We get a couple of wild detours, including a one-off story set in 19th century England where Charles Darwin is terrorized by a savage madman who has escaped the asylum, it's weird juxtaposition but I still dug it, but it does upset the flow a bit. Throughout the season the trio, including a newly pregnant Fang, are up against anachronistic enemies by way of a Viking chieftain and his son, plus a conquering Egyptian queen, both of which offers copious amounts of violent animated bloodlust, plus Spear finds himself in the Underworld, and a resurrected foe seeks demonic vengeance. The visual style of Tartakovsky's series is very much the same as the first with backgrounds that aren't quite as ornate as Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack series, but the the water-colored backdrop depicts the primordial, Egyptian and Celtic settings quite well. The Blu-ray looks solid, the hand-drawn animation looks terrific, though we do get some color-banding throughout.
Special Features:
- Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: Inside the Evolution (New Featurette) - Go Inside the Evolution of the Emmy award-winning show, with Genndy Tartakovsky and his team. They share their inspiration behind the second season and how a four-legged friend inspired one of the most beloved characters. (14 min)
- Slipcover
Includes all 10 episodes from the second season:
- Sea of Despair
- Shadow of Fate
- Dawn of Man
- The Red Mist
- The Primal Theory
- Vidarr
- The Colossaeus, Part I
- The Colossaeus, Part II
- The Colossaeus, Part III
- Echoes of Eternity
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (2011) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital
Label: WBHE
Region-Code: Region-Free, A
Rating: PG
Duration: 76 Minutes 36 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese Dolby Digital with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.78:1) , 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Sam Liu
Cast: James Denton, Christina Hendricks, Anthony LaPaglia, Ed Asner, Frances Conroy, Linda Cardellini, Arnold Vosloo, Steve Blum, Catherine Cavadini, Finola Hughes, Alexis Denisof, Obba Babatunde, John DiMaggio, Chris Cox, Robin Atkin Downes, Kevin Michael Richardson, Fred Tatasciore, Michael Gough
All-Star Superman (2011) is based-on Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's iconic 's 12-issie comic series that tells the story of Superman's heroic final days on Earth. This fantastic adaptation, directed by Sam Liu (Batman: The Killing Joke), does good work bringing in key elements from the the 12-issue run without feeling overstuffed, though it does come off as episodic, but in the best way possible. It starts off with the Man of Steel (James Denton, Desperate Housewives) rescuing an ill-fated mission to the Sun that's been sabotaged by his nemesis Lex Luthor (Anthony LaPaglia, Without A Trace), with the intended side effects of oversaturating Superman's cells with solar radiation - which begins a terminal cell degeneration for the formerly seemingly unstoppable hero. Realizing his end is near Superman reveals his secret identity to Lois (Christina Hendricks, Mad Men) and embarks on several final adventures in the lead-up to his death, managing to save the world multiple times. The adventures unfolding include Superman creating a serum for Lois that will enable her to have his powers for 24-hours, along with her own super-suit, plus encounters with mythical heroes Samson, Atlas and the riddle-espousing Ultra-Sphinx (Joe DiMaggio, Futurama); battling subterranean lizard men from the Earth’s core, misguided Kryptonian scientists Bar-El and Lilo, the super-power sucking Parasite, and the sun-eating entity Solaris. Luthor also gets his hands on that 24-hour super-power serum which causes quite a bit of fuss. It's quite well-paced and I love the animation style, while it's a departure from the comic artwork I feel the animation suits the story being told. This is just a wonderful story with a lot of heart and pathos to it, plus we get plenty of Man of Steel action, it's a top-notch Supes entry. The 4K UHD/BD/DGTL release is a solid foundational upgrade from the Blu-ray, though the accompanying Blu-ray disc in this set is a recycle of the 2011 disc and makes you appreciate the finer points of the UHD. There are well-over two hours of extras on this disc, including two new featurettes. There's some great peaks at the origin of the comic series, adapting the source material, a virtual comic, bonus episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, and Sneak Peaks of other DC Animated superhero flicks.
Special Features:
- The Art of the All-star Adaptation (New Featurette) – Go behind the scenes and inside the process of screenwriting, character designing and scoring the animated adaptation of the quintessential Superman comic series, All-Star Superman. This fascinating featurette includes insight from executive producer Bruce Timm, director Sam Liu, character designer Dusty Abell and composer Christopher Drake. (8 min)
- An All-Star Salute to the Silver Age Superman (New Featurette) – Explore DC’s historical inspirations in Grant Morrison’s love letter to the wildly fantastic Silver Age of Superman in comics. (7 min)
- Superman Now (Featurette) – In a moment of inspiration, Grant Morrison was provided an opportunity to revamp the Man of Steel into something modern, something more relevant for today's audience. This is the story of All-Star Superman - where it all started, and what it came to be. (34 min)
- The Creative Flow: Incubating the Idea with Grant Morrison (Featurette) – A detailed look at Grant Morrison’s original sketches and ideas. (34 min)
- Green Lantern: Emerald Knight "Sneak Peak" (12 min)
- Superman/Batman: Apocalypse "Sneak Peak" (12 min)
- Audio Commentary – Featuring the thoughts of Bruce Timm and Grant Morrison.
- Bruce Timm’s Picks (Superman: The Animated Series): Blast from the Past, Part 1 (20 min) , Blast from the Past, Part 2 (21 min)
- Batman: Under the Red Hood Trailer (1 min)
- Digital Comic Book – All-Star Superman
- Slipcover
- Digital Copy
Label: WBHE
Region-Code: Region-Free, A
Rating: PG
Duration: 80 Minutes 2 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HA MA 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen, (1.78:1) 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Kerry Shawcross
Cast: Natalie Alyn Lind, Chandler Riggs, Nat Wolff, Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech, Barbara Dunkelman, Ozioma Akagha, Jen Brown, Tiana Camacho, Aaron Dismuke, Jason Douglas, David Errigo Jr., Samantha Ireland, Miles Luna, Shannon McCormick, Neath Oum, Tara Platt, Jeannie Tirado, Tru Valentino
In Justice League x RWBY Part One (2023) DC’s Justice League and Rooster Teeth Animation’s RWBY team-up to battle an evil entity attacking Remnant. As the crossover event starts up Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Vixen are mysteriously transported to RWBY’s world, and even stranger, are turned into teenage version of themselves and presented in Rooster Teeth’s anime-influenced CGI animation style with anime redesigns. Materializing in Remnant the supes partner up with Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang to battle a superpowered creature Grimm before it destroys everything. Up front, I am not a huge anime fan, I dig older stuff like Akira and Metropolis, but I am particularly not a fan of RWBY's CGI anime-animation style and that holds true here, much like comics if I am not into the art the story means very little to me (with a few exceptions) and I couldn't get into this entry. That said, if you are a fan or more open to an anime JL this 4K UHD looks terrific with bold vivid HDR-enhanced colors, impactful audio and some new extras that dig into the crossover. Not my bag of superhero tea but the enduring power of both properties probably means this has some serious crossover power, it's just not for me.
Special Features:
- Justice Comes to Remnant (New Featurette) – When the Justice League find themselves on Remnant, they’ll have to deal with more than just their powers being altered. In this featurette, the filmmakers behind the film explore the world of Remnant, the Huntsmen that fight for it and how Earth’s mightiest heroes are forced to adapt. (8 min).
- You Look … Different (New Featurette) – Remnant, the world of RWBY, isn’t like Earth. The people are different. The powers are different. And the Justice League? Their entire appearance is different too. In this featurette, the creators of the film reveal the story behind the new look they’ve given to some old friends. (9 min)
- From the DC Vault – Justice League Unlimited – “Kid Stuff” (23 min)
- From the DC Vault – Justice League Action – “Plastic Man Saves the World” (11 min)
- Digital Copy
- Slipcover
