Batman: Bad Blood, Great Adventure

When a crew of masked criminals set to work, they're attacked by a bat-like caped figure. But it's not Batman who's making the scene but a new player: Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski). And she's a far less merciful fighter than he is! However, when Batman (Jason O'Mara) does show up, it's just in time for Batwoman to see him blown to bits, making her the last person to have possibly seen Batman alive as the days turn into weeks with no appearance from the Dark Knight in Gotham.

Batwoman -- aka Katherine Kane -- has no one to turn to but her father, Colonel Kane (Geoff Pierson), to tell her story. But when the Batmobile rumbles down the street, she pursues it and quickly deduces that the Batman role is being filled by the former Nightwing (Sean Maher), accompanied by Robin (Stuart Allan) who also returns to Gotham after hearing about Batman's disappearance.

It's not just the regulars of the Bat family who come together during this crisis (although Batwoman is hardly a 'regular'). The show also introduces Luke Fox (Gaius Charles), the son of Lucius Fox (Ernie Hudson), in the role of the high-flying Batwing.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that Batman isn't dead, but telling you where he is and what is happening to him is something I'll withhold from this review -- except to say that it involves Talia al Ghul (Morena Baccarin, THE FLASH) and a masked muscleman calling himself The Heretic (Travis Willingham).

What I will tell you is that this DC Animated Universe film isn't for the younger viewers. Batwoman's character sticks to the comics, and isn't coy about it. The violence has very little filter on it, and there's a decent amount of strong language. For the older viewers, it's a thrill ride of a storyline featuring our favorite DC heroes and villains, and the elevated rating gives writer J.M. DeMatteis room to deliver on the action and suspense. Furthering these qualities is the driving score from composer Frederik Wiedmann.

And if you REALLY want a juicy tidbit -- about who shows up in the last 5 seconds of the film before the credits roll -- well, you'll just have to watch and see for yourself, but one of my favorite characters who hasn't been animated in the DCAMU yet makes a debut.

This Blu-ray/DVD/Digital release comes with some Blu-ray exclusive bonuses -- documentary features "Putting the Fight in Gotham" and "Expanding the Batman Family," and two bonus cartoons from the DC Animation vaults. Other bonuses are available on Blu-ray and DVD, and include a sneak peek at the next film, JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. TEEN TITANS (with a decent explanation of Cyborg's role in the story) and the full trailer for SUICIDE SQUAD.

Before-the-menu previews on this disc include BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, LEGO JUSTICE LEAGUE: COSMIC CLASH and TEEN TITANS GO: EAT, DANCE, PUNCH.