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| The Batman - The Complete Fifth Season | 
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| Directors: Andrea Romano, Christopher Berkeley, Ginny Mcswain, John Fang, Vinton Heuck
Actors: Rino Romano, Alastair Duncan, Evan Sabara, Danielle Judovits, Kevin Michael Richardson
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $11.99
You Save: $7.99 (40%)
New (58) Used (13) from $11.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 6072
Format: Ntsc
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WARD027127D
UPC: 085391186069
EAN: 0085391186069
ASIN: B0016OM3WC
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/08/2008
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 The curtain goes down... June 9, 2008
22 out of 25 found this review helpful
Okay, Season 3 was good and Season 4 was even better. Now here come thirteen more episodes. If you like your Batman integrated into the wider DC superhero universe, then Season 5 will be hog heaven (but don't get it twisted; THE BATMAN is not at all placed in the same continuity as the shows in Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe). This fifth season finds a darknight detective even more amenable to teamwork, although that's not to say he's all of a sudden the life of the party. Dude still broods muchly and cloaks himself in mystery and intimidation; that's just how he rolls. But, continuing the trend begun in Season 4, Season 5 showcases members of the Justice League. The two episode arc "The Batman/Superman Story" kicks it off by teaming up the World's Finest, Batman and Superman, in a nifty story featuring a whole gang of supervillains and the Bat going up against the Man of Steel. I guess it's appropriate that the season (and the series) would close with the two-part "Lost Heroes," a big-scale Justice League adventure.
Animated shows don't get a lot of run nowadays, do they? THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES animated series just got the axe. And, yes, horribly, this is the last season in THE BATMAN series, so all the more reason to enjoy this one. The best part is Batman and Robin teaming up with various of the Justice League. Robin's awed reactions to meeting these other heroes are priceless. One downside to so many spotlights on the JLA is that less time is given to the Bat family. I miss Batgirl and her sarcasm; here, she's relegated to less face time. We do learn that time hasn't been standing still for Barbara Gordon as she's now old enough to attend college ("Attack of the Terrible Trio"). Speaking of the Bat fam, there's a sighting of Nightwing; unfortunately, he's a character in an Internet game ("The Metal Face of Comedy"). The good news is that Bat Mite doesn't show up at all.
Regarding the storytelling and the visuals, I don't believe Season 5 to be better than the prior two seasons, which are very good. THE BATMAN was always intended for the younger set of kids, so the stories here aren't as dark or psychological or as thematically layered as those in, say, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Should this season find more favor with the viewers, it'll be because of its glittering star power. And if the driving theme song reminds one a bit of Hawaii Five-O, well, that's not such a bad thing, is it?
I can't envision a future in which there isn't an ongoing Batman animated series. Hopefully, the powers that be can dust off Kevin Conroy to do what he does best.
In the meantime, here are the 13 episodes of Season 5 (note that, depending on the reader, the following might contain some minor plot SPOILERS):
- Episodes 1 & 2 - "The Batman/Superman Story (Parts 1 & 2)" - Fun episode as Superman and the Bat finally meet and fight a lot of supervillains. But then Luthor gets the upper hand.
- Episode 3 - "Vertigo" - Green Arrow comes to Gotham to investigate Wayne Labs, which is somehow linked to people suffering mysterious ailments.
- Episode 4 - "White Heat" - Firefly and his brainy girlfriend steal radioactive isotopes; the debut of Phosphorus; and, finally, a sighting of Batgirl this season.
- Episode 5 - "A Mirror Darkly" - Flash comes to Gotham to help Batman and Robin take down the Mirror Master. One of my favorite episodes.
- Episode 6 - "Joker Express" - Get on board the Cuckoo Choo Choo. An outbreak of "giggle bandits" sweeping Gotham could only mean the return of the Joker.
- Episode 7 - "Ring Toss" - With Sinestro taking Hal Jordan out of action, the Green Lantern power ring ends up in the clutches of the Penguin.
- Episode 8 - "The Metal Face of Comedy" - A Joker henchman's invention leads to the formation of a digital Clown Prince of Crime.
- Episode 9 - "Attack of the Terrible Trio" - Thanks to Dr. Kirk Langstrom's mutagens, three college outcasts mutate into beasts and proceed to get their revenge on those what done them wrong. Also, Batgirl's a college freshman.
- Episode 10 - "The End of the Batman" - Gotham's criminal element gets its own costumed champions: Wrath and Scorn, who seem to hold a personal grudge against the Dynamic Duo.
- Episode 11 - "What Goes Up..." - A gravity-defying episode as Black Mask escapes with the help of the Shadow Thief, and the pair goes after a Thanagarian meteorite. Can a certain winged Thanagarian lawman be too far behind?
- Episodes 12 & 13 - "Lost Heroes" (Parts 1 & 2)" - Hugo Strange and the Joining return as, one by one, Justice League members begin to vanish until, finally, only the two least powerful heroes are left - Green Arrow and Batman.
The Batman Season 5 May 31, 2008
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
In Season 4, the writing and art improved.
Also, the last scene of Season 4's final episode introduced the Justice League.
This season will see Batman interacting with both his own Gotham team (Robin and Batgirl), and the Justice League. Superman is added to the cast of characters too.
We can expect a great 13 episodes to wrap up the five season series.
Cover art looks terrific too.
The series has told back stories not covered in the equally addictive (Kevin Conroy voicing:) Batman cartoons of the 1990s. The gradual introduction of the Justice League as semi-regular supporting characters is a plot device in both The Batman Season 5 and Smallville Season 6.
Enjoy them both for comparison.
And Warner, how about throwing in the live 1997 Justice League pilot as an extra in future releases of DC shows. I'm surprised it never made to the Justice League DVDs, when they came out.
 Welcome to the Big Leagues July 5, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Dark Knight welcomes the Justice League to Gotham City in "The Batman: The Complete Fifth Season". As the mysterious crime fighter Batman, young industrialist Bruce Wayne has dedicated his life to protect Gotham City from such dangerous rogues like Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze, but now he must test his courage and skills along side Earth's greatest superheroes. In this action-packed season, Batman joins the Justice League and teams up with Superman, Green Arrow, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter against such villains like Lex Luthor, Mirror Master, Count Vertigo and more. "The Batman" is the Emmy Award-winning animated series based on the DC Comic hero created by artists Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The animated series maintains faithful to the comic books. The animation style and character designs are certainly different than previous television shows. The fifth and final season offers plenty of amusement and features guest voice stars like George Newbern, Dana Delany, Louise Gossett Jr., John Larroquette, Dermot Mulroney, Miguel Ferrer and Robert Patrick.
"The Batman: The Complete Fifth Season" offers a great DVD presentation at an affordable retail price. All 13 action-packed episodes of the final season are presented in their original full screen broadcast format. Like the previous season sets, the picture quality is really good and its 2.0 Dolby Digital sound certainly gets the job done. Its only special features are "Joining Forces: The Batman's Legendary Team-Ups" (9 minutes) and "The Batman: Justice League Profiles" (12 minutes) featurettes and trailers of other Warner Brother DVD releases and "Speed Racer" video game. Despite the lack of solid bonus features, "The Batman: The Complete Fifth Season" earns a "B".
All good things must pass July 8, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
It is not easy following in the footsteps and being constantly compared, usually unfavorably, with a series as revered and admired as Batman TAS. From a fan's point of view, and the creators would certainly concur, it is best to judge every new endeavor with fresh eyes and on its' own merits, which of course is easier said than done. In the case of The Batman, this should be made slightly more doable due to the passage of time and the fact that we are somewhat contrasting and evaluating different products. The first and foremost observation being that The Batman is targeted at a much younger audience, which is not just a consideration that needs to be factored in, but one that makes it fairly difficult for adults to even objectively critique it, since this primarily was not designed with us in mind. Comparisons can however provide a basic framework and reference point for many, with a few being quite similar and eye opening. The focus on Robin and Batgirl was reminiscent of BTAS's last, lighter and for some arguably best season, and may have been a precursor for this incarnation; indeed even the overall tone and style possibly was a carryover from it. Another similarity is the exceptional, although admittedly different, animation and the generally higher consistency of the episodes. While there may not have been many great ones, there are few if any weak ones either. The main emphasis of season 5 is the concerted prominence of guest stars, noticeably Superman, Hawkman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow to name a few. This spotlighting of the DCU's best was possibly their way of going out with all guns blazing. The series bowed out exhibiting many of the same strengths and weaknesses that it debuted with, but fortunately for its' fans, its' final ledger account is heavily balanced on the plus side. Living in the shadows of a popular and iconic cartoon is not easy and essentially unfair. BTAS had a lengthy and stellar run, but its' time had come. The Batman is and was a totally different animal, whose time now has also come, but for what is was, it succeeded. We now have a new and forthcoming Batman toon, Brave and Bold, on the horizon which supposedly will be aimed at an even younger audience. As with The Batman, I will maintain an open mind and look forward to its' debut next spring.
Who Would Of Thought... July 9, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Seriously, who would have even begun to think that this serious would really last this long? I didn't believe it would, because I wouuld be what you call a Batman: The Animated Series fanatics. I grew up with that Batman series and I was sure that BTAS would be the pinnacle of Batman in animation. I was wrong though, this series was totally different from the original and in some respects this series was even better than it's predecessor.
Now the real shame is that The Batman has figuratively and literally ridden off into the sunset. The cast, producers, directors, animators, etc should all be proud of what they accomplished considering that they had to constantly be compared to very heavily favored Bruce Timm Paul Dini spawn. This show in my opinion will be sorely missed considering that superhero cartoons now are at a premium with that Chaotic and coutnless others that kids really now.
The series really grew into it's own at around the midpoint of season two and it was magic from there. The first season was very mediocre and then it seemed to just flourish with the animation and the writing, the voices were spot on. Rino Romano wasn't that great in the beginning but he really took to a whole new level all the other seasons. You could safely say that Rino Romano and Kevin Conroy in different respects are the voices of Batman.
The fifth season was the best and you would be making a grand disservice to yourself if you don't pick up a copy of this season and enjoy something that was really special.
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