Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 11
Duration: 45 minutes (per episode)
Titans: Season 1 (DVD) – Series Review
We’ve seen a lot of live-action content coming from the DC Universe during the last few years. We’ve had blockbusters such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam grace the theaters but when it comes to series, there hasn’t been that much content from DC’s corner. We all know the cartoons from Batman, featuring Robin, who later became the captain of the Titans, which was somewhat the teen version of the Justice League. This team was compromised out of younger superheroes, who weren’t quite on top of their powers just yet. Compared to the Batman cartoons, the Teen Titans often featured lighter stories, even with Raven’s dark character background. Be prepared to see these young superheroes take over the tiny screen in your living room, with a certain darkness you’ve never seen before. We all know the gloomy content from the DC movies, but this series feels somewhat different in the sense of certain elements just being downright spooky and violent. We were intrigued, and for the most part, impressed.
Titans is pretty much a collection of origin and redemption stories of the (Teen) Titans. You’ll first come across Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), who used to be Robin, but now has donned a different mantle, namely one of a police officer. It doesn’t take that long before he comes into contact with Rachel Roth (Taegan Croft), who houses a dark power inside her. She seems to be the focal point of this season as there are different people out to get her. She seeks protection with Dick, but it doesn’t take long before they get separated and Rachel ends up in the hands of a psycho assassin family, working for a big organization. Rachel gets rescued by Kory (Anna Diop), another person with superpowers, who has forgotten all about who she is and why she was also looking for Rachel. Truth be told, we can’t tell that much more without spoiling the entire season. It’s all about Rachel, her origin, her past and the future of the world, which she plays a big part in.
The flow of the series, as well as the separate episodes, is a bit odd. There is no real intro, middle and ending to be found, as each episode seemingly handles a different topic, forming a bigger story. You’ll get to see a lot of flashbacks about Dick’s past, while also seeing the origin story of Hawk and the Dove. You’ll also be learning about Rachel’s past and present, which is the main focal point of this season. Later on, there’s also a bit about Kory and her origins, as well as a small introduction about the life of Gar. There’s a lot of (brutal) action to be found in many of the different episodes, while the creators also tried to make Rachel as dark as possible, who is one of the key members of the Titans. There is a lot going on this season, and even though not every episode hits its mark successfully, we get a lot of interesting facts and did-you-knows about these DC characters, without straying too far away from the source material. The reason for them joining each other might be different than the original story, but the characters themselves feel like they were built from the ground up with great respect for the comics and the cartoons. We do have to state that some episodes feel a bit off and don’t properly fit in the flow of the season, and some actually feel as if they were made by a different crew than the others. We’re not really sure where to place our finger on what’s wrong, but the season’s finale fits that picture of being somewhat ‘off’.
It’s clear that the casting has been handled with care for this first season of Titans. Brenton Thwaites plays a rather convincing Robin, as he isn’t too muscular and still has the boyish looks that made him the boy wonder. Teagan Croft was chosen to play Rachel, a.k.a. Raven for the series and while she hasn’t that much experience under her belt, she plays a convincing troubled teen with a very dark presence emanating from inside her. Anna Diop is a surprising choice for Kory/Starfire, but she nails the role quite well. While this version of Starfire is a bit more ‘ghetto’ and gangster-ish, it does feel just right for the series. We also get to see Beast Boy, Gar, this season, who is played by Ryan Potter. Potter has the right childish and innocent attitude to play the somewhat comical Beast Boy. Supporting roles have also been cast properly and there is actually nothing worth complaining about when looking at the stage presence of all the cast members.
There are many different bonus features to explore on the DVD version of the first season of Titans. Sadly, they are all only around two minutes in length, making sure you blast through them in less than thirty minutes. Most content is about the creation of the different characters this season, with a few opinions from the different cast members. While the content is certainly interesting, a few more making-of sequences would have been nice, and perhaps a few motivations on why they took this very dark road for the series could also have been appreciated. Nonetheless, the content that is present is fun to watch.
Conclusion
Titans: Season 1 is a must-watch for fans of the DC universe. Granted, not every scene or even episode is as qualitative as the previous one, but the series as a whole is a very dark tribute to the (Teen) Titans. While you might not like the cliffhanger at the end of this first season, the characters are done just right for you to be driven to the edge of your seat. That being said, if you’re kind of squeamish when it comes to violent scenes, this series does have a lot of blood and gore in it.
Titans: Season 1 (DVD) - Series Review,
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