Batman: Gotham Knight

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre animated Starring Kevin Conroy, Gary Dourdan, David McCallum Directed by Various Publisher Warner Bros.

While attending Wizard World 2008 Chicago, I was lucky enough to be included in the very first audience screening of Batman:  Gotham Knight, which will be released on July 8th.  The overall idea behind this DVD is six mini-stores that take place in the Batman world as envisioned by Chris Nolan in Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight.  These stories supposedly take place before The Dark Knight, but seem more like side tales that breathe a life of their own.  Each ten-minute short is created by a different Japanese anime director, so each story has it’s unique tone and personality.  It’s a similar approach that The Animatrix used during the release of The Matrix sequels.  Just like The Animatrix, some shorts are fantastic and others are so-so. 

I will start off by saying that with a few exceptions, the animation and voice work is great.  Gotham City looks slightly different in each film, with sometimes appearing gothic and other times being modern.  Each director has their own vision, but is conscious enough to avoid being too outlandish.  The voiceovers are just as good a quality as an A-list cast, with my favorite being Alfred’s dry British wit.  He delivers a sarcastic quote in the final short that delivers a punch in the likes of Monty Python.

The first short was my favorite, as well as the audience favorite by the applause received.  A bunch of street kids bicker amongst themselves, claiming to have seen Batman in action.  Their stories are visualized as they are told, and some of the stuff they come up with is just ridiculous.  The reactions of the kids telling each other their stories are bull is laugh-out-loud hilarious.  Batman himself isn’t explored too much here, but the POV of the kids is quite endearing.

The second story revolves around a pair of cops, one who believes Batman is good and the other thinks he’s just a criminal.  It gets gritty near the end in a cool gunfight, but the story was pretty predictable as to what will change the naysayer cop’s mind into considering Batman as a hero.

Next, we were treated to Bruce Wayne (Batman’s true identity for those of you living under a rock) working with his lab technician Lucius Fox to create a belt that creates a shield that can deflect bullets.  This was a thematically strong segment as it shows that Batman will have to put his life on the line in order to save others.  There will be no taking the easy road out.

The fourth short played like a nightmare, as Batman descends into the seedy sewers in an attempt to flush out the menacing Scarecrow.  For the most part, this was a very well done cartoon.  The animation was frightening as hell, and tension lingers in the air.  What I didn’t like about this short was a run-in with a mutant referred to as Killer Kroc.  Giant demented half-lizard half-walruses just didn’t seem to belong in Nolan’s Batman universe.  Maybe Joel Schumacher’s.

The fifth short was all backstory, taking a glimpse into how Bruce learned to overcome his pain during some training in India, long before he travelled to meet Ra’s Al Ghoul.  This wasn’t one of the better shorts, as his mentor had no personality and their relationship didn’t seem plausible.  On a better note, the animation was fairly decent during this short.

Luckily, the DVD finishes with a bang as Batman goes head-to-head with a high-tech hitman known as Deadshot.  Deadshot is a scary creation, being loaded with as much gadgets as The Bat himself.  Only he uses them for evil, sort of creating an “anti-Batman.”  With the combination of a mind-blowing assassination from a ferris wheel to a nail biting battle on a subway train, adrenaline was everywhere to be found.  A great way to finish off an entertaining DVD.

Unfortunately, I was unable to check out any extras as the screening was all that was shown.  People who happen to be fans of both anime and Batman should definitely own this DVD.  Other people who aren’t fans of anime might not enjoy it as much, but I would suggest to at least rent it for the cool stories.