Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided SDGT Entertainment with a free copy of the DOOM PATROL: The Complete First Season for the purpose of the review seen below. The opinions I share are my own, so without further ado... let's jump in.
DC's DOOM PATROL is an interesting show, to say the least, starting off with Eric Morden speaking in the third person (as a narrator) about how he came to be Mr. Nobody. I think it's fitting based on his... dastardly abilities. Mr. Nobody is played by Alan Tudyk.
The show is centered around a cast of scarred superhero oddballs, each with their own jacked-up backstory. It's safe to say most Superheroes have a jacked-up backstory but the focus of this review are the heroes in DOOM PATROL. One could argue that their personalities really make them stand out as oddballs... but I don't know, I've seen the personalities of other superheroes and some fit right in.
The DOOM PATROL goes from being stay-at-home Superheroes... to answering a call sent out by none other than Cyborg. He comes to them seeking their support to find the Chief who made a huge impact on their lives... regardless of how reluctant they might be to act. They can also be deemed as Cyborg's support group. While it's a show giving these four particular characters their shine as they come into their own, it also feels like Cyborg's road to the Justice League... which is cool.
DOOM PATROL gives you a variety of adventures... which are quite entertaining, and I like how the creators played their cards this season with the names of each episode. The team is named DOOM PATROL, and the comical superhero'ish group is put/zapped/jumped/sucked into different situations to accomplish a number of objectives on the road to track down the Chief.
Each episode ends with "Patrol", including S01 E05... which is titled "Paw Patrol", so looking at some of the titles... I was curious to see how it centered around the title. They're still cohesive... even when it doesn't seem like it. The flashbacks weren't a huge favorite of mine... because it felt abrupt at times, as they presented more character backstory.
The Cast:
Robotman aka Cliff Steele is played by Brandon Frasier... from The Mummy franchise.
Elasti-Woman aka Rita Farr is played by April Bowlby... from Two and a Half Men.
Negative Man aka Larry Trainor is played by Matt Bomer... from White Collar.
Crazy Jane, is played by Diane Guerrero... from Orange is the New Black.
The cast did a great job... even if I'm not familiar with anyone other than Cyborg. I say that to say... I don't know how spot-on the cast was with the other characters, but as far as Joivan Wade is concerned... I think they made a great choice. I've watched a crapload of Teen Titans, so hearing the actor talk... I smiled. There is one particular episode that involves him taking a dive... into a donkey, and if you know the anime version of Cyborg... you know what I'm talking about in terms of how he talks. Granted, it's not as animated but... you can hear it in the way he pronounces his words when he's worked up and speaks heroically. This made me curious about whether he was going to join the Justice League while in this show... and whether there was going to be a Cyborg Web Tv Series.
Cyborg aka Vic Stone is played by Joivan Wade... from Doctor Who.
Outside of Cyborg, I believe that Crazy Jane could possibly branch out into her own... if she can get a hold of herself. I'm curious as to how she would really take off as a superhero based on all the beings she has inside her. She almost reminds me of Ben10 except you switch out the aliens with her inner beings... because you never know what you will get from that mixed bag. Mr. Nobody starting things off as the narrator and got my attention... but so did she because she was actually the spark that set all this off by getting them to go out.
If you're wondering about the special effects & CG, I have to say they're not bad at all. It started off a bit wonky with the race track scene in the pilot, but... they seemed to improve beyond that as I dove deeper into the season's episodes (minus a scene or two). Regardless, it doesn't make or break the story, which gave enough of a spark in the pilot episode to boost my interest in watching more. I don't want to give any spoilers, but they rounded the season out well and I look forward to Season 2!
I listened to the show on 7.1 surround sound... which was enjoyable, outside of the theme music. It's fitting (I know its fitting), but I'm just not crazy about it. The intro is crazy and cool looking, so I don't have a problem with that... it's just the theme music. Special effects audio was solid, especially when that deep base would carry after someone used an ability that pulsates.
Anyway... Doom Patrol: The Complete First Season is available on DVD and Blu-Ray October 1st! It contains all 15 episodes, plus gag reel & deleted scenes. The DVD set is available to own at $24.98 ($30.99 in Canada) and on Blu-Ray for $29.98 ($39.99 in Canada). Doom Patrol: The Complete First Season is also available to purchase in digital format alone... but I think the better deal is to get the Blu-Ray version that includes a free digital version (score & score). I guess the price for these is okay, they land below $30... with hours upon hours of content to enjoy... even if $25 would really catch my eye for the Blu-Ray version.
The episodes are one hour each, released in 1080p Full HD Video (16X9 Widescreen Format) with DTS-HD Master Audio for English 5.1.
Running Time is 900 Mins
Enhanced Content: 25 Mins
Overall, I think Berlanti Productions did a solid job on this first season and I look forward to season 2. There is enough room to go even deeper... and it's uncommon ground for me, so I'd like to see where this crazy train goes. !Choo Choo!
Story 5
Visuals 4
Pace 5
Price 4
4.5 out of 5 Cool Points
