Teen Titans Go!: to the Movies - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Teen Titans Go!: to the Movies

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Teen Titans Go! has been one of the more fun entries into the DC animated universe over the last few years. Instead of being all grim and “new 52” like as has been the case with the more adult oriented films, the TV show has been fun and light hearted. Aiming directly at the children’s market (while still keeping a ton of winks and nods and sly humor for the older fans), the series bounces along with a grin and a smile, and Warner Brothers finally got around to adapting the small screen to the big screen. Sadly the theatrical film didn’t go crazy and light up the box offices (much to my chagrin), but it DID rake in $51 million on a $10 million budget, which is nothing to complain about from a producers stand point. The film is just like the TV show, and while the niche audience didn’t grab onto it like The Lego Movie and other films of that nature, it’s cult following definitely was attracted to the theater.

The Teen Titans may be little, they may be young, and they may not get much done, but they are still super heroes in the DC universe. Well, at least they think they are. Sadly all that they have done to date is whack off of a few baby villains and dance around to their own theme song. The rest of the super hero world kind of chuckles and pats the kids on the head while they “play super hero”, but Robin (Scott Menville) and the rest of his team just want to be accepted by their older counterparts. The REAL success for ANY super hero is naturally getting a movie made about your exploits. Thinking that he’s next on the agenda for a feature film, Robin gets his heart broken when everything from Alfred to a utility belt gets it’s own feature film without even a nod from the super hero community.

Refusing to give up, the Titans head out in the world to gain some noteriety, and the only way that they can do that is find their own arch nemesis. Stumbling upon a robbery at STAR labs, the band of misfit teenagers run right into a plot to rule the world by a mysterious masked super villain, and the only one who can actually stop them is the Teen Titans (or at least, they’re the only ones available while the rest of the super hero community is hob nobbing in tinsel town for the premiere of Batman’s movie). Along the way they are tested to their max, finding out what they’re made of and stressing the bonds that have formed in the team as well.

Cartoon Network has a hit with Teen Titans Go!, and it’s one of the better kept secrets out there for people who think that only the more adult oriented films/shows are worth anything by kiddy fodder. The truth is the exact opposite, as Go! is a delightfully fun series that pokes fun at pop culture, the super hero genre in general, and employs some great comedy along the way (one of my favorite gags in the film is actually a poster in the background titled Justice League: Yawn of Justice). The film fires on all 4 cylinders, setting up a super hero film that works well for the kids, but also has enough sly gags to make it fun for adults too. I make no bones about the fact that Teen Titans Go!: to the Movies is a hilariously fun ride and one that has fun without being too kiddy either.

The film actually got some quality voice actors as well, not only incorporating the standard actors for the TV show, but having Nicolas Cage voice superman, Michael Bolton Tiger, and Will Arnett as Slade Wilson (would have loved to see Will take up the voice of Batman as a wink and a nod, but he does a great job as Deathstroke). The characters all have great chemistry, and the more established “Hollywood” actors have a blast with the roles they’re given as well. The narrative is actually rather impressive too. I was expecting a couple episodes worth of storyline on the big screen, but they actually create a fairly complex film that pits the Teen Titans against their own fears and weaknesses, and does so in a rather cinematic way.




Rating:

Rated PG for some action




Video:

Despite not getting a 4K UHD disc (it would have been neat to see it due to the ultra bight and shiny colors that would have gotten a boost from HDR), Teen Titans Go!: to the Movies gets a really REALLY nice 1080p Blu-ray encode. The film is literally resplendent with bright primary colors EVERYWHERE, and while the 2D animation isn’t overly wildly detailed, every line and digital marker in the film is near picture perfect. Unlike the DCTV animated films that Warner puts out there is no massive color banding backed into the source material. The digitally created film is clean and clear of most artifacts (a few flickers of banding, but nothing like the baked in stuff seen in the DTV films) and the shiny colors really pop off the screens. The film isn’t overly dark, but the limited dark sequences look great, showing just as much detail, and being artifact free, as the daylight shots.







Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is impressive, but not overly wild and theatrical. The film is decidedly front heavy, with most of the activity remaining in the front three speakers and the subs. The surrounds do get some activity, but it’s not nearly as noticeable as I would have hoped for, and the activity is mainly during the battles or the score. LFE is powerful and deep, not overly nuanced, but more than acceptable for the crashes and bangs that the Teen Titans get themselves into. It’s an overall good track that sounds pleasing to the ear, but the limited budget for the film, and the TV nature of the movie in general keeps it from being a demo worth track.







Extras:

• Lil Yachty Music Video: "Teen Titans GO! Rap"
• Sing-a-long with Silkie "DC Super Hero Girls: The Late Batsby" Mini-Movie
• Red Carpet Mayhem
• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies: WB Lot Shenanigans
• "Everything is Fake": Exclusive song not in the movie
• "Teen Titans GO!: Translated"
• Storyboard Animatics:
- Storyboard Animatics: Time Cycles
- The Final Battle

Final Score: ​

I really wish that Teen Titans Go!: to the Movies had lit the box offices up a bit more as I would LOVE to see more films, but the decent turn out may allow the series to continue on the big screen at some point. The film is quirky, cute, fun, and full of bright shiny colors to appeal to those super hero fans of ALL ages. The Blu-ray is excellent, with great video and good audio, and even a decent array of extras as well. While it’s not a dark and PG-13/R rated film for adults only, it is a great film that segues directly from a fantastic series (I’m finishing up season 5 as we speak) and is a great family oriented super hero flick. Worth a watch.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell, Khary Payton, Nicolas Cage, Michael Bolton
Directed by: Aaron Horvath, Peter Rida Michael
Written by: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS 5.1, French, Spanish, Portuguese DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG
Runtime: 84 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 30th 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Worth a Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. My kids love this series. Will check out the movie.

 

[Asere]

My wife went out and rented this one last night on DVD even though I specifically said Bluray. Turns out the LFE was very powerful and I mean powerful with the DD 5.1 track. I can only imagine how much better the DTS HD MA is. As far as the movie I only saw half of it since I had to go to bed for work but I enjoyed the parts that I saw and enjoyed the rumble from the lfe from my bedroom while trying to sleep lol.