‘Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants’ DVD Review

Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants is the third film in the Batman Unlimited series. I found the new installment to be hilarious, action-packed, and fun.

The very first scene in Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants starts with a mutated Killer Croc destroying Gotham City. We see Batman entering the battle in his gigantic robot suit and the two begin fighting. After that, we go back in time to understand why the confrontation took place. The whole thing reminded me of Pacific Rim. The mutated version of Killer Croc clearly looked like an animated Godzilla. He also knew how to shoot beams of ice. The movie’s beginning score is very energetic and went well with the overall tone of the film.

While Red Robin was featured in the previous two installments, we get Damian as the new Robin in this one. He might feel a bit out-of-character to some fans as he isn’t his angry self anymore. The Damian we see in Mechs vs. Mutants is more level-headed and eager to learn. Alfred told Damian that Red Robin was busy with his own team, and I have my fingers crossed that we get to see the Teen Titans in future installments.

My only gripe with the current series is the lack of female characters. We did get Cheetah and Silver Banshee in the previous two movies, but as far as superheroes are concerned it’s still a ‘Boys Only’ Club. I do hope we get to see one of the many Batgirls – or even Catwoman – be part of future films.

Coming to the plot, Penguin and Mr. Freeze start working together in order rule Gotham. They go and break Bane, Killer Croc, Clayface, and Chemo out of Arkham Asylum for their nefarious plans. Mr. Freeze combines chemicals from Clayface, Chemo, and Bane to create a mutating serum. The whole thing is quite simple, which makes sense considering that children are the target audience for this series.

Batman and Green Arrow hop into their gigantic mechs to battle the colossal versions of Killer Croc, Bane, and Chemo while Nightwing, Flash, Damian, and Dr. Langstrom work together to stop Clayface. The action sequences are very well done and I have to say that the choreography was comparatively better than the last two movies. The animation style looks cool and the colors are bright.

There are also some references that comic book fans will notice. Damian experienced a nightmare related to his grandfather, and Bane made a quip about breaking Batman’s robotic back. Also, if you’re someone who likes shipping fictional characters, then you’ll find a lot of shipping content for Batman/Green Arrow and Nightwing/Flash throughout the movie.

Coming to the DVD, the front has the official artwork and the back includes details for the movie and a list of special features. The DVD cover is of standard size and the disc has a silhouette of Batman’s robot suit and the logo for the film. Inserting the disc will show you a simple-to-navigate menu. The standard video and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio are of good quality.

The subtitle options include English, Spanish, and French. The DVD also has a Batman: The Brave & The Bold ‘Night of the Batmen’ Bonus Cartoon. I love it when DVD releases include extra content as it helps provide better value for the price point. This is the only film in the series, as of yet, to not have been released on Blu-ray by Warner Bros., and I’m not quite sure why that is the case.

The film features Roger Craig Smith as Batman, Chris Diamantopoulos as Green Arrow, Will Friedle as Nightwing, Charlie Schlatter as The Flash, and Lucien Dodge as Robin/Damian. The villains include Oded Fehr as Mr. Freeze, Dana Snyder as The Penguin, Carlos Alazraqui as Bane, John DiMaggio as Killer Croc, Dave B. Mitchell as Clayface and Troy Baker as Joker. Phil LaMarr voices Dr. Langstrom.

Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants is produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It will be released on DVD ($19.98 SRP) on September 13th, 2016 via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It was made available on Digital HD on August 30th, 2016 via purchase from digital retailers. It has an approximate run time of 72 minutes.

Have you watched Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants yet? Let us know!

Note: I received a review copy of Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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