Check Out Batman – Gotham Knight
Batman – Gotham Knight
Posted January 20th 2010 at 1:47 pm by chongyh01
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The clips are too short to build any emotional attachment and too loosely connected… There is no engaging story that pulls you in.
The animation is interesting at times though. If you didn’t like the animated Matrix, you’re not going to like this DVD.
Batman
OK, so having Kevin Conroy voice the bat was a much appreciated move. Quite simply the best voice artist Batman ever.
But BTAS this ‘aint. Stylistically and quality wise the old Batman The Animated Series was streets ahead of this interesting, yet faintly disappointing tie in with The Dark Knight. Sort of an “Animatrix” deal, 6 linked but different stories. The animation was patchy in both style and quality and while there are some lovely touches here and there, it never drew me in like BTAS and it’s later related shows. Even Batman Beyond was more interesting and consistent. And there’s your problem. It’s 6 snapshot views by different writers and directors, not all of whom were perhaps well versed in Batman lore, otherwise we’d not have seen a revamp of the hoary old “Batman as described half a dozen ways by a buncha kids” story. This was actually handled pretty well and the animation was amongst the best of this collection, but original…nah. (Or maybe it was a deliberate homage to those older comic stories that I’ve seen at least a couple of times over the years, who knows?) The previous animated version of this trope, in Batman Beyond I think, was again streets ahead of this and the inclusion there of stuff lifted directly from The Dark Knight Returns, tickled my fanboy heart in a way this modern version failed to largely.
That said, if you are into Batman, even if you are a die hard BTAS purist, you will find something of value here. It’s not expensive and it’s worth a look. Expanded, some of this has potential, but it’s a one off as far as I know. With my expectations suitably lowered, I did enjoy watching this, if only for the distinct pleasure of listening to Kevin Conroy do his thing, but if you are expecting it to live up to BTAS, you’ll end up distinctly “meh”
Batman
After a great trailer on Amazon, I decided to try out the DVD without consulting any further reviews. After all, The Animated Batman was one joy after the other if we consider the various episodes and the various talents involved, so what could go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually!
Some of the episodes were heavily manga-influenced and the characters appeared to be more Dragonballz than Batman- especialy the first episode was a cause for concern. Where was the true Batman after all these fantasies? The chubby-looking figure at the end of the story didn’t resemble him either.
The next episodes mollified me somewhat although I was increasingly disturbed that Kevin Conroy voiced all the versions irrespective whether the Batman looked about 16 or 28! Thjere were highlights, though. The Scarecrow was suitably creepy though the story was confused. The involvement of Cris Allen was convincing and realistic – after all what cop should support a vigilante.
The penultimate story suffered from an unclear concept: to combat physical pain, train in India. To combat mental pain, no solution. Was that the whole message?
Thankfully, the Deadshot story was exciting and satisfying. Perhaps this art team should have provided more of the episodes…
All stories were the products of one author; just getting comic luminaries to script them soesn’t change the basic input.
There was a lot to enjoy in retropsect but also a lot that could have been much better. If you’re not sure about the DVD, go for the first Animated series in preference.
Batman
i hated this film I thought that it would be a action packed batman film and it didn’t disapoint. But the short storys were terrible!
Batman
This is a great `Bento Box’ pack to feed the imagination of graphic novel, anime, comic & movie fan.
Warner Bros & DC presents 6 tasty takes on Batman, much as you would find in any great comic shop, where illustrators and writers since the 1940′s have given their own take on the Batman. How he looks, how Gotham looks & how others perceive him.
Kevin Conroy,(Batman the Animated Series) , is back to provide the deep rasping tones to this Bat of few words which is the only consistent element, but he is in great company with a plethora of characters. In the Batman’s corner Allen & Ramirez, Alfred & Gordon Vs Arkham Inmates Scarecrow & Croc and the impeccable Deadshot.
The Japanese animators create very different styles, with the opening story `Have I got a story for you’ providing the perfect prelude. The Gotham you see here is not a world away from the backdrop you see in Frank Miller’s (Dark Knight Returns) & the Chris Nolan /David Goyer Dark Knight films. I won’t take you through each episode, that would be like someone else opening your presents!
For me, I loved the different interpretations, the Shadow Batman, Man-Bat , Zoltar-esq (Battle of the Planets aficionados will hopefully share this view!) youngish Bruce dealing with pain . As well as why Bruce draws the line in terms of defence and weapons – if there is no risk, no danger what is there to lose?
Batman