Overview: An all-new original animated film, 'Batman: Soul Of The Dragon' does a deep dive into Elseworlds vibes by putting Batman in the midst of the swinging 1970s.

Faced with a deadly menace from his past, and along with his mentor O-Sensei, Bruce Wayne must enlist the help of three former classmates – world-renowned martial artists Richard Dragon, Ben Turner and Lady Shiva – to battle the monsters of this world and beyond.

Blu-ray Verdict: Taking it from the top, here's the overly intriguing storyline line: Batman, Bronze Tiger, Lady Shiva, and Richard Dragon join forces when they come to realize that they share a common acquaintance.

The Martial Arts Master that trained them has been missing for a number of years and under mysterious circumstances. When a cursed relic resurfaces, the mystery of their dead master re-opens and Batman and his former classmates must face-off in the ultimate test of their Martial Arts kills to gain control of this dangerous relic.

For those not in the know, 'Batman: Soul of the Dragon' marks the 41st installment in the long line DC Universe Movies, and it is also among the most unique, in my humble opinion.

Rather than acting as a direct adaptation of a particular DC Comics storyline, it loosely draws on the work of the late Denny O 'Neil to give the DCU a martial arts movie makeover from the past.

Indeed, if Warner Bros. had ever made a Batman movie in 1973 with Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen and Jim Kelly, it would have been a little something like this, if truth be told!

The resulting stew is just as fun and campy as it sounds, though, like many martial arts movies, the characters often take precedence over the action.

Ergo, 'Batman: Soul of the Dragon' is a relatively "outside the box" approach to the DC Universe Movies line, and luckily for all us devoted fans, the results are mostly satisfying.

OK, sure, the film is admittedly light on plot and heavy on action and '70s martial arts movie tropes, but it also boasts a strong voice cast, many of whom would be equally at home in a live-action version.

But while the straightforward nature of the plot isn't an issue, the lack of character development for Richard Dragon is. This is the rare Batman movie where Batman himself is the weakest link.

That all said, one of the biggest strengths of 'Soul of the Dragon' is the eye-catchingly colorful animation. I mean wow, there's a massive level of detail that has gone into this film’s animation.

From the hairstyles, clothes and backdrop settings of the '70s to the highly choreographed, and diligently captured fight scenes. These martial arts moments are tremendous fun to watch along with and are very much taken in a fluid directorial and animated stride, so to speak.[NS]

Being that this is a 4K Ultra HD presentation (Blu-ray Disc, Two-disc set - 1 BD-66, 1 BD-50), the Video aspects are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, and Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1.

Special Features and Technical Specs:
HDR Presentation of the Film
Batman – Raw Groove (New Featurette)– From the explosion of gritty cinema and kung-fu to the cultural changes spreading across the U.S., we explore the early '70s and how they inspired Batman: Soul of the Dragon.
Producer Jim Krieg's Far Out Highlights (New Featurette)– It's an off-the-hook and out-of-sight supercut of one of Producer Jim Krieg's funniest in-character appearances
A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection, Justice Society: World War II
Look Back: Superman: Red Son (Featurette) – Kal-El's rocket fleeing Krypton never reaches Smallville, but instead lands in the Soviet Union, single-handedly shifting the new world order. This is the epic re-imagining of Superman's origin story
Look Back: Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (Featurette) – Set against the backdrop of turn of the century Gotham, Batman is involved in a hunt for a criminal who has committed the most heinous acts of murder. This is Batman versus Jack the Ripper!
From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series, "Day of the Samurai" From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series, "Night of the Ninja" Optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, 'Batman: Soul of the Dragon' arrives today on Digital, and will be available on 4K Combo Pack & Blu-ray starting January 26th, 2021.

'Batman: Soul of the Dragon' | "Shiva-Dragon Vs. Ninjas" Clip

'Batman: Soul of the Dragon' | "Ben Turner Attack" Clip

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