Blu-Ray Review: Vixen: The Movie
Should you get the new Vixen home release? Find out in this review.
Vixen: The Movie debuted and it’s a phenomenal DC animated universe flick. Vixen, aka Mari Jiwe McCabe is a unique character. Most heroes and villains fall into one of two categories: human or enhanced. The former includes the likes of Batman, who is just a regular dude with cool gear. Then there are the likes of Captain America who’s been injected with the super soldier serum. Vixen, however, is a normal human that’s graced with magical power a la the Anansi Totem.
The Blu-Ray of Vixen: The Movie is a solid home video release with great presentation and video content. Vixen comes packaged in a traditional Blu-Ray package. But on the outside, there’s a cardboard slipcover. It’s one of the slipcovers where the Blu-Ray case pops out of the side. While the slipcover isn’t shimmery, it’s got a high-end feel with thick cardboard rather than the thin slipcovers which slide on over the top or bottom of the Blu-Ray.
On-disk special features are fairly barebones. There’s a just shy of seven minutes video entitled “Vixen: Spirit Animal.” This probes Mari’s backstory and her unique position as a mix of human and supernatural. Plus, this lends an overview of the characters in Vixen such as the vigilante Arrow and IT specialist Cisco.
The next two special features are both Justice Leauge Unlimited episodes. Both naturally center on Vixen. “Hunter’s Moon” and “Grudge Match.” I really enjoyed the “Spirit Animal” feature, as well as both episodes. Including two Justice League Unlimited episodes is a great touch for both series fans and newcomers. I’ve only seen a handful of episodes and quite appreciated watching these. But I imagine even diehard Justice League Unlimited junkies would enjoy viewing these along with the Vixen feature film.
Along with the Blu-Ray there’s a digital copy of the film. Additionally, my Vixen: The Movie Blu-Ray came with an eight dollar movie credit for Wonder Woman. I was actually really excited about this inclusion. If you use that, you get an almost 50% discount. Special features are admittedly sparse. There’s just one special feature related to the movie and it’s sub-10 minutes. But there’s almost an hour of Justice League Unlimited content. These may have more replay value than special featurettes like “Vixen: Spirit Animal.” With its premium packaging and two bonus episodes, Vixen: The Movie is a solid pickup for both fans of the series and newcomers. For those unfamiliar, I’d suggest this as it’s a neat exploration of a lesser known, but completely awesome, character. This DCAU release bridges two seasons of the CW series, so it’s perfect for the uninitiated. There’s no complete film with commentary track, or action figure, but hey it’s a great no-frills package.
I hope this turns out to be another Gravity Falls-type show with an overarching storyline.