“Titans” Is a Solid Start for New Streaming Service DC Universe

Titans follows a group of young crimefightingamp160superpowered heroes that band together to stop a rising threatamp160 They include pictured at top left to right shapeshifter Gar LoganBeast Boy Ryan Potteramp160the psychicpowered Rachel RothRaven Teagen Croftamp160Dick Grayson Brenton Thwaites aka Robin once the Boy Wonder and alien princess Kory AndersStarfire Anna Diopamp160 The Teen Titans from DC Comics have received various animated adaptations in recent years including Teen Titans a rather dark and serious drama and Teen Titans GO a much lighter and comedic rendition coincidentally with the same voice castamp160 Titans very much harkens back to the formerFor the first couple of episodes the Titans team has not yet fully come togetheramp160 Batmanamp8217s former sidekick is at the center of the action having moved from Gotham City to Detroit and now leading a double life as a police detective by day and crimefighting vigilante by nightamp160 He soon meets Rachel a disturbed young girl whose mother was murdered by a member of the Doomsday cult that is now targeting her amp160Rachel says she recognizes Dick from a recurring dream of the tragic accident that killed his parentsamp160 Meanwhile in Austria Kory Anders wakes up from an auto accident with amnesia and soon discovers she has the ability to project fire from her hands and learns that prior to her accident she was looking for Rachelamp160 Determined to keep Rachel safe Dick seeks the help of crimefighting duo Hawk and Dove played by Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly respectivelyBrenton Thwaites makes a strong impression as Dick Grayson the resentful and reclusive young detective and the tender onscreen moments he shares with Teagen Croft are moving and show a more sensitive side to the otherwise amp8220tough guyamp8221 demeanor he gives offamp160 The stunt work and fight choreography in the premiereamp8217s big fight sequence first seen in trailers for Titans with Dick shockingly saying amp8220fck Batmanamp8221 is incredibly impressive as is the sight of the trio of amp8220bird heroesamp8221 Robin Hawk and Dove fighting off a gang of armed henchmen in the second episodeCroft gives an impressive emotional performance as the dual personality RachelRaven especially considering that Titans is only her third screen credit amp160Her take on Rachel is not only vulnerable and raw but also incredibly wise even without her psychic abilities so much so that she is able to awaken something in Dick to stop procrastinating and fulfill his destiny amp160amp8220Youamp8217re just scaredamp8221 she saysamp160 amp8220Sometimes thereamp8217s no time to be scaredamp8221 amp160Anna Diop is also awesome as Kory a young alien unaware of the full potential of her abilitiesamp160 There are many subtle nuances in her facial expressions and her movements but her larger reactions show she is like a firecracker ready to explode if sheamp8217s provokedAlso worth noting are the special effects used in the scenes revealing Andersamp8217 abilities as well as the transformations of my personal favorite Titan Beast Boyamp160 He is the Titans member that gets the least amount of time in the spotlight as the story focuses more on Dick and Rachel amp160This is understandable however as we donamp8217t want too much crammed into a single episode where weamp8217re meeting four major characters for the first timeamp160 But once Beast Boy shows up he becomes an instant favorite as his comedic timing and loveable personality are much needed amongst the darker details of the series amp160For those same reasons the storylines at the start felt a tad disjointed as the characters were not yet the titular teamDC Universe streams a new episode every week a smart move on the streaming serviceamp8217s part as Titans is its only original series so far and making the entire season available at once would likely result in cancelled subscriptions until the next series launched amp160Itamp8217s known as amp8220binge and boltamp8221The new service has several liveaction and animated series in development including a Titans spinoff focusing on the supervillain team Doom Patrol amp160Notably Titans is not aimed for younger audiences that may generally watch lighter superhero fare such as SpiderMan Homecoming or The CWamp8217s many DC series including The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow amp160Because of its grittier take on these younger perhaps even slightly naamp239ve characters and its heightened violence it is very much for an older audienceamp160 It feels like a natural progression for the audience that grew up watching the animated series Teen Titans which was a hardedged drama in its own rightNew episodes of Titans stream every Friday on DC UniverseClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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“Titans” Is a Solid Start for New Streaming Service DC Universe

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Juan Ayala

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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“Titans” Is a Solid Start for New Streaming Service DC Universe

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Juan Ayala

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