Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4K/Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros)

Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2019 animated film directed by Jake Castorena (Scooby-Doo & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Death of Superman, Justice League Action, & Batman Unlimited). It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation & DC Entertainment in association with Nickelodeon. It’s based off the 2015 comic book series “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” from writer James Tynion IV & artist Freddie Williams II. While touring at Powers Industrial, Barbara Gordon (played by: Rachel Bloom from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, BoJack Horseman, & Robot Chicken) witnesses a powerful generator being stolen by the Foot Clan. She also spots four mysterious creatures during the robbery that she believes are metahumans. She informs Batman (played by: Troy Baker from LEGO DC: Batman – Family Matters, Young Justice, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, & Justice League Action), who fights the Foot Clan at Wayne Enterprises before he is defeated by Shredder (played by: Andrew Kishino from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Batman: The Killing Joke). The four metas Batgirl spoke of are actually the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which includes Leonardo (played by: Eric Bauza from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lego Star Wars, Black Dynamite, & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Raphael (played by: Darren Criss from The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Glee, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, & American Horror Story), Michelangelo (played by: Kyle Mooney from Saturday Night Live, Arrested Development, Brigsby Bear, & Zoolander 2), & Donatello (played by: Baron Vaughn from Grace and Frankie, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, Black Dynamite, & Corporate) who have arrived in Gotham to stop Shredder’s schemes plus they find out who his new ally is. After defending Wayne Enterprises from Penguin (played by: Tom Kenny from SpongeBob SquarePants, LEGO DC: Batman – Family Matters, Lego DC Comics franchise, & Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), the Turtles meet Batman in an alley and proceed to fight as both sides believe the other is working with Shredder.

Donatello manages to lead the Turtles into the Batcave, where they have a brief scuffle with Robin (played by: Ben Giroux from FML & Hart of Dixie). After Batman & Batgirl arrive, the Turtles introduce themselves to everyome including Alfred (played by: Brian George from Seinfeld, The Big Bang Theory, Batman: The Killing Joke, & Green Lantern: The Animated Series). They decide to work together to stop these powers. Robin reveals to the group that Shredder with the Foot Clan are working with Ra’s al Ghul (played by: Cas Anvar from The Expanse, The Strain, Room. & The Vatican Tapes) & the League of Assassins. They are building a machine that will transform everyone in Gotham into insane mutants using a mixture of mutagen & the Joker’s venom. Ra’s & Shredder break into Arkham Asylum giving Joker (played by: Troy Baker from Lego DC Comics franchise, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, & Batman Unlimited) a canister of mutagen in exchange for the formula for his venom. Commissioner Gordon (played by: Jim Meskimen from Critters: A New Binge, Parks and Recreation, & Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) tells the super group of heroes that Joker used the mutagen to transform all of the inmates which includes Bane (played by: Carlos Alazraqui from Justice League: Doom, Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, & The Funhouse Massacre), Mr. Freeze (played by: John DiMaggio from Batman and Harley Quinn, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Batman: The Killing Joke, & DC Super Hero Girls), Scarecrow (played by: Jim Meskimen from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Boondocks, & MAD), Harley Quinn (played by: Tara Strong from Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, New Teen Titans, Beware the Batman, & Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), Two Face (played by: Keith Ferguson from DC Super Hero Girls, DuckTales, & Robot Chicken), & Poison Ivy (played by: Tara Strong from Batman Ninja, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, & Batman: The Killing Joke) plus himself. Shredder & Ra’s al Ghul have much bigger plans than this, can this unlikely combination find a way to stop these monsters????

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is already one of my all time favorites when it comes to DC animation & I’ve seen most of them so far. As a kid of the 80s, seeing the universe of Batman & the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come together like this was crazy. Before they did the comic book series, I would have never thought of this unlikely combination ever happening in something like this. When it was originally announced that they were actually doing this film, my excitement was off the charts & I am happy to report that it lived up up to all the hype! It was everything that I expected from it & more which is rare. The interaction between Batman, Robin, Batgirl, & Alfred with the TMNT was great. You get to see The Dark Night battle the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was wild to see Batman fight Shredder multiple times & the Teenage Mutant Turtles go against some of Gotham’s worst criminals in the same production. The animation here was top notch, I love seeing what happened when some of these known characters got mutated, it truly mixed both worlds when they pulled that off. It had lots of familiar voice talent from past DC Comics animated projects which elevated everything. It also had some odd choices with some comedians & actors that you would never expect for this type of feature but I thought everyone brought something different & unique to the table with their performances. It was full of action, like I said before it had fights that you would never imagine witnessing in your entire lifetime with these two franchises. It had some nice humor added to the mix & it kept a good balance with everything. It was very fun, & as far as animation goes this was one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve ever had with one. The replay value is all over the place, this is a must own in your collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Warner Bros! This 2160p (1.78:1) transfer with HDR10 looks fantastic on 4K! All the classic characters look awesome in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles especially when some of them get mutated. Gotham always shines when it comes to a location. It has 3 different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, & Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the UHD. This is action packed so you know it has a killer boost to it. The dialogue is very clean & the music adds to the atmosphere. It also has English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, & Norwegian subtitles.

Let’s discuss the special features from Warner Bros! None of the extras show up on the 4K disc, they are all on the blu ray. “Cowabunga Batman! When Comic Book Worlds Collide” is a little over 12 minutes. It has interviews with director Jake Castorena, actors Rachel Bloom, Troy Baker, Eric Bauza, Andrew Kishino, Ben Giroux, Cas Anvar, Darren Criss & various members of the production. They talk about being fans of both franchises. They mention their history a little bit. They chat about the crossover & staying true to the original comics. They go over the chemistry of the different characters together for the first time. They bring up their experience from the production. “Fight Night in Gotham” is a little over 18 minutes. It has interviews with various members of the production. They talk about the characters fighting style. They chat about how action has changed for animation since video games stepped their game up. They go over some of the fights from the film & what roles crossed paths in this. “A Sneak Peek at Batman: Hush” is a little over 9 minutes. It has interviews with the cast & crew. They talk about the iconic graphic novel & it’s creator. They chat about all the characters that show up in it. They go over the story & concept for the project. It takes you behind the scenes for it. It also includes a slipcover, a digital code, & a blu ray copy of the release. If you are a fan of both franchises, you need to watch this right now & add it to the collection because it’s a must own. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT ASAP!!!!