In the 1960s, Mort Weisinger ran more than a few stories speculating on what would happen had Superman and Batman married and had offspring, although no two stories were connected. Under Murray Boltinoff, World’s Finest Comics in 1973 began a series of stories about Clark Kent, Jr, and Bruce Wayne, Jr., which had its following. More recently, Superman and Lois had a son, Jonathan, while Batman met Damian, his biological son, grown in a test tube by Ra’s al Ghul. Once they established themselves, it was inevitable the youngster would be paired up and a series of entertaining Super Sons stories ran, mostly in the capable hands of writer Peter Tomasi.

Now, Warner Animation has paired them in a brand-new animated feature, Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons. This is one of the most consistently satisfying offerings from the studio in some time and was fun to watch, despite some obvious beats.

Interestingly, for the second time in a few years, the threat comes from Starro the Conqueror, although in this telling, it came to Earth from Krypton and is an evolving visual, unlike the original Mike Sekowsky design. One by one, Starro takes over Earth’s super-protectors, keeping them all aboard the JLA Watchtower, slowly infiltrating the humans around the globe.

As this story develops in the background, the first two-thirds of the film deals with Jonathan Kent (Jack Dylan Grazer) discovering first his powers, then that his father (Travis Willingham) is the World’s Greatest Super-Hero. Bringing Jon to the Batcave for an examination, Batman (Troy Baker) introduces them to Damian (Jack Griffo), who is as arrogant and self-confidant as he was initially in the comics. The boys are even more diametrically opposed as their fathers once were, and it takes time for them to find a way to work together.

This has to be the most entertaining Super Sons story not written by Tomasi. Jeremy Adams, who also writes for the comics, does a fine job with the characters. It is marred by a predictable final third that lacks suspense or surprise.

Visually, the new CGI tools at their disposal provide some nice panoramic backdrops for the story and nice character motion, with a smattering of hand-drawn animation. (Note: The opening visuals, silently recapping the origins, is from comics veteran Michael Golden.)

We can fully appreciate this thanks to a brilliant 2160p/HDR scan, coupled with a fine DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix. Together, it is a terrific home viewing experience.

The Special Features (only on the Blu-ray disc) are perfunctory with Rival Sons: Jonathan and Damian (14:41), featuring the hammy producer Jim Krieg, DC creative director Mike Carlin, supervising producer Rick Morales, director Matt Peters, Adams, and a clinical psychologist.

Additionally, we have From the DC Vault – Batman: The Animated Series’ two-part “The Demon’s Quest”.

I have to give Jordan Peele credit for original thinking. His stories tackle interesting ideas and premises, but each one comes with a shortcoming in narrative or structure. I wasn’t as impressed with Us or Get Out as I was with his BlacKKKlansman. I do give him credit, though, for always trying something different.

This summer’s Nope, now out on disc from Universal Home Entertainment, is almost an homage to Steve Spielberg as it once more delves into science fiction, similar to his foray into the Twilight Zone with a dose of M. Night Shyamalan’s paranoia.

It’s grounded by the story of two siblings— OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Em (Keke Palmer)—struggling to keep the family farm after one debacle after another threatens to derail them. After a series of unfortunate occurrences, it becomes clear that a UFO and its occupant have been behind it all and have malevolent plans. This is a far more engaging SF Western than Cowboys and Aliens ever was.

Peele, who wrote and directed, handles characters marvelously and gets strong performances from his lead, ably supported by Keith David, Brandon Perea, and Steven Yeun.

The film is available in the usual assortment of packages, including the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Digital HD Code. The 4K has a solid, if unspectacular, 2160p/HDR scan, letting you admit the countryside and details. Interestingly, the 1080p is slightly better, crisper with the subtle details.

Both come with an excellent Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

The Special Features are adequate. Included on the 4K are five Deleted Scenes (9:25); Gag Reel (5:29); Shadows: The Making of Nope (56:05); Call Him Jean Jacket (14:22); Mystery Man of Muybridge (5:30). These are also on the Blu-ray, but many are at 480p not 1080.

If you like Peele’s brand of filmmaking, this is for you.

When The Flash arrived on the CW, it was pitched as the anti-Arrow, a feel-good series about the joy of being a superhero. After all, the title character (Grant Gustin) was wearing a crimson and yellow suit; hard to be moody in that.

As with all CW superhero series, it was quickly over-populated with too many powered supporting players, frequently taking the focus off the hero. It also grew too reliant on speedsters, the Speed Force, and time travel, so a sameness was infused throughout each successive season. There was every reason to believe this was to be the final season, so it was plotted as such. They could have done better. Much better.

With The Flash: The Complete Eighth Season now on Blu-ray from Warner Home Entertainment, we see how weary the producers and writers had become, seeking to find ways to pump new life into the show. We began with the five-part “Armageddon” crossover event that aired separate from the remainder of the season, featuring a boring Despero (Tony Curran), who wasn’t a conqueror as a misguided figure trying to preserve one timeline. Yawn. At least we were minded that the Scarlet Speedster operated in a world with other heroes as it guest-starred, among others, the Atom (Brandon Routh), Black Lightning (Cress Williams), Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), Ryan Choi (Osric Chau), Mia Queen (Katherine McNamara), and Batwoman (Javicia Leslie).

The rest of the season juggled multiple storylines, mostly involving or dealing with the repercussions of Iris (Candice Patton) suffering from time sickness. We also get the introduction of Tinya Wazzo (Mika Abdalla); in the comics, she’s the 30^th Century legionnaire known as Phantom Girl. With so many threads, quite a bit of time was with Iris and Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss) chasing Tinya while the rest of Team Flash dealt with other silliness, including yet another speedster Fast Track (Kausar Mohammed).

The most interesting developments were non-super as Allegra (Kayla Compton) grew into her role of a journalist, and Caitlin Snow (Danielle Pennebaker) coped with the loss of her alter ego, Frost. And these were downplayed in favor of familiar storylines.  With a ninth and final season in the offing, one can hope for a more satisfying resolution for the characters.

All 20 episodes are presented with a strong 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. For such a colorful series, it requires a good scan and here we have it, along with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, capturing every sound effect and music cue.

The discs are packed with a handful of Special Features, notably 22 minutes of deleted scenes, some of which focused on character bits and are missed. There is also The DC Heroes – Path To Glory (17:00), focusing on the larger DCEU; The Flash – Standing the Test of Time (9:00), looking at its overuse of time travel; and the ever-popular Gag Reel (10:00).

I first discovered Jeff Lemire as an inventive cartoonist was with the Vertigo title Sweet Tooth, and to my delighted surprise, it got turned into an equally enjoyable Netflix series. And now, thanks to Warner Archive, the Complete First Season is now available on Blu-ray.

In a near future, the world has gone to the Great Crumble as a result of a plague known only as the Sick, coupled with the arrival of human-animal hybrids that engendered fear among the survivors. Most people blame these innocent creatures for the plague although there is no direct proof.

Puppa (Will Forte) saw the writing on the wall and went into the wilderness, raising Gus (Christian Convery) for the next decade. When Puppa is killed, Gus goes on the run, encountering the haunted bounty hunter Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie). The gruff man wants nothing to do with Gus, seeing him as a nuisance, hinderance, and likely dangerous. Gus’ naiveté, though, turns Jepperd, dubbed the Big Man, into his protector and then friend. They travel together as Gus seeks the woman; he thinks is his mother.

Meantime, we get flashbacks to how hybrids were developed along with other storylines featuring those hunting the hybrids and others protecting their own. There are a lot of characters and backstory to cover in these eight episodes but producer Jim Mickle takes him time so the show never feels rushed.

Convery gives a winning performance and the largely unknown cast does a nice job making oyu feel their anguish, their hopes, and their dreams.

Thankfully, the show has been renewed and you can see for yourself.

The 1080p transfer is nice and clean, making for fine at home watching.

Starting in fall 1964, children across America could watch CBS’ The Munsters but come January 1966, they seemingly all flipped the dial to ABC and Batman. The superhero series’ smash ratings cast a death spell on the humorous take on the classic monsters, with the exaggerated look as perfected by Universal’s horror films of the 1930s. Fred Gwynne was a delight as Herman Munster, paired nicely with Yvonne DeCarlo and Al Lewis. The sitcom transferred traditional family drama tropes to the residents of 1313 Mockingbird Lane and for 70 episodes, it was tremendous fun, revived for wildly successful syndication.

Ever since, there have been revivals in feature films, animated series, and failed attempts at series revivals. Now, here comes director Rob Zombie with his take on the classic characters, largely retaining the look of the original series, but in garish color.

The film, now available both on Netflix and disc from Universal Home Entertainment, lacks the charm of the initial performers and atmospheric black and white look. Over the course of approximately 1:50, we get an origin story for Herman Munster (Jeff Daniel Phillips), created by Dr. Wolfgang (Richard Brake), and his idiot assistant Floop (Jorge Garcia). [They appear straight out of the Hammer remake with Brake looking like Peter Cushing.] At the same time, Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie) has been seeking her perfect mate, when she sees Herman on Good Morning Transylvania.

What we know and they don’t until later, is that much as Fritz stole the wrong brain in the 1931 classic, Floop fails to obtain the brain of the second smartest man in the world but has, instead, taken the brain of Shecky, as big a moron as he is. There’s still Grandpa (Dan Roebuck) but added is Lily’s brother Lester (Thomas Boykin), a werewolf.

As the romance heats up, the gypsy witch Zoya (Catherine Schell) conspires to force Lester to have Herman sign over the house to settle his gambling debts. Ho hum.

It’s padded, not terribly funny, and the actors just don’t feel right for their roles. Maybe at half the length, with some judicious editing, it could have been a serviceable pilot for a new series or a special. But it fails as a tribute, a revival, and as entertainment. Perhaps the best parts of the film are the cameos from Cassandra Peterson, as the realtor, and the original stars Butch Patrick (their son Eddie) and Pat Priest (their ‘plain’ cousin Marilyn), who provide voiceovers.

The film, on Blu-ray, looks just as garish as a superior 1080p transfer. It is visually strong and well matched to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio track.

The only Special Feature is The Munsters: Return to Mockingbird Lane (1:01:52), a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. This is only for the handful who may have been entertained by the misfire. Zombie provides an audio commentary that attempts to show what he had in mind but failed to execute.