- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: VC-1
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish (Castilian) Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American)
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: PG-13
- Discs: 1
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Blu-ray Release Date: November 9, 2010
- List Price: $29.99
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003Z8ZCD4[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film(s)
[Rating:2.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film(s)
[Rating:2.5/5]
This latest DC Showcase release is anchored by only one never-before-seen animated short, Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam. The rest of the content has all been previously released as bonus content on earlier DC Showcase releases. Nevertheless, the shorts make for entertaining stops in the DC universe, particularly for those who do not own the previous releases.
Each film is anchored by an all-star cast of actors including Malcolm McDowell, Alyssa Milano, Thomas Jane, Michelle Trachtenberg and, others. Superman/Shazam!: Return of Black Adam is your typical action-packed superhero showdown that tells the origins of Shazam as Clark Kent’s latest interview subject is attacked by Black Adam, returned from thousands of years of exile and determined to destroy the ancient wizard Shazam’s latest pick to carry on the defense of the world.
The Spectre is a typically pulp crime story where the undead spirit vigilante hunts down the killers of a famous Hollywood actor.
In Jonah Hex, the post-Civil War era bounty hunter tracks down a wanted man only to come across a deadly madam in a brothel.
Finally, in Green Arrow, the billionaire archer from the Justice League must protect a young Princess who has inherited the throne from an uncle who has hired the villain Merlyn to assassinate her.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
This DC Showcase shorts collection has a fine 1080p VC-1 transfer that is free from aliasing and compression artifacts, has well-defined line art and strong color reproduction.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is an aggressive one, with deep low frequencies and heavy discrete use of the surround channels. The dialogue is clean and upfront in the mix, never lost in the fray of the sound effects.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Commentaries for each short and bonus episodes featuring each superhero make for a good amount of supplements on this DC Showcase release, but almost everything has been previously released and all the video supplements are in standard definition, so the strength of the supplements on offer is not as great as they initially appear.
The supplements provided on this release are:
- Behind the Story:
- Commentary on Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam
- Commentary on The Spectre
- Commentary on Green Arrow
- Commentary on Jonah Hex
- Bonus Episodes:
- Bruce Timm’s Picks — Four episodes from Bruce Timm’s personal selection of animation.:
- Jonah Hex — Showdown (From Batman: The Animated Series) (1.33:1; 480i/60; 0:21.10)
- The Spectre — The Chill of the Night (From Batman: The Brave and the Bold) (1.78:1; 480i/60; 0:22.46)
- Green Arrow — Initiation (From Justice League Unlimited) (1.78:1; 480i/60; 0:23.43)
- Shazam — Clash (From Justice League Unlimited) (1.78:1; 480i/60; 0:22.43)
- Bruce Timm’s Picks — Four episodes from Bruce Timm’s personal selection of animation.:
- Trailers:
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold (1.33:1; 480i/60)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
This DC Showcase Animated Original Shorts collection featuring Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam is surely great fun for DC Comics fans, but for a single original short and a few others that were previously available, it may not be worth the price. My recommendation is, if you can, rent it.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003Z8ZCD4[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
