Batman: Gotham Knight DVD Review

[steaner]

If you are any sort of Batman fan, chances are you are counting down the minutes until Dark Knight hits theaters in a little less than two weeks. To make the wait a little less painful, Warner Bros is releasing Gotham Knight, which has been promoted as a bridge between Batman Begins and its impending sequel. To fans of the character and films, Gotham Knight is a must buy. To be perfectly honest, that was our sentiment as well. However a couple screenings have given us a new perspective. Though this is an admirable effort to unite the anime and American animation industries, it falls far short of the high benchmark set by its live action counterparts, and is generally disappointed when compared to some of its predecessors in the animation field.


Before we dive right into a breakdown of the film, let's look at who is involved. By any standard, Warner pulled no punches in crafting this transitional story. First and foremost is producer Bruce Timm. Timm has overlooked recent animated DVD movies like New Frontier and Superman/Doomsday. He's also played a large role in Batman: The Animated Series as well as the JLA cartoons. To fans of superhero animation, there are few (if any) who carry as much respect as Timm. While Timm was a constant presence throughout the entire production, the rest of the film features rotating talent. Gotham Knight is split into six segments. Each carries a separate story, writer, director and animation studio. Josh Olson (writer of A History of Violence movie), Greg Rucka (popular comic book writer), Jordan Goldberg (producer for Batman Begins and Dark Knight), David Goyer (writer on Begins and its sequel), Brian Azzarello (another major noir comic book writer) and Alan Burnett (writer for Batman: The Animated Series) were hired to each pen a chapter.

The anime teams are equally impressive. Three studios were brought together, each bringing various styles with their directors. Madhouse, the studio behind some of the Animatrix shorts as well as Vampire Hunter D, Metropolis and Paprika, is the first. Production IG, the makers of Ghost in the Shell as well as the anime sequence in Kill Bill were definitely skilled enough to join Gotham. Finally Warner sought out Studio 4C, which has made such films as Steam Boy and Tekkon Kinkreet.



Sadly, Gotham Knight doesn't quite live up to any standard you set for it. On their own, the shorts aren't very memorable. Most hit themes we've seen or read before, and four of the six lack traditional Batman villains. The better segments were generally those featuring well-known villains. These pieces had to make a big impression incredibly fast. Those dabbling in minutiae just didn't hold our attention.

Other standards might try to determine how this film fits alongside Christopher Nolan's vision. It doesn't. Perhaps fearful of stepping on toes, perhaps ordered to steer clear of anything remotely related, perhaps simply uninformed, Gotham Knight's team really fails to make this feel familiar. Having just seen Dark Knight, the difference is night and day. Part of this comes from the more eccentric, bombastic nature of the anime directors, but most of it simply comes from the groundwork laid by the film's producers and writers. Nothing here ever feels like it matters. It doesn't feel like a teaser for what's to come. It might have been fascinating to see some winks towards the Joker even though the filmmakers clearly wouldn't be able to feature the Clown Prince of Crime (though I've never understood why Warner Bros prohibits such crossovers).

"Have I Got A Story For You" is the first piece in the film. Featuring a group of punk kids lounging about in the afternoon, Josh Olson's piece has each teen discussing his or her encounter with Batman. Each of them perceives the "hero" in a different way, allowing for some rather creative interpretations. This story works well for what it is, but it quickly becomes apparent that this film doesn't seem to have a larger purpose. Short stories are fun, but not when they're supposed to add to the lore and don't. This could take place at any time during Batman's legacy, and moreover it really doesn't feel like it belongs in Nolan's world.

Greg Rucka's piece does flesh out one important characteristic of Dark Knight - the conflict within the mob. Rival factions have emerged since Carmine Falcone's Arkham Asylum imprisonment, and Batman is trying to bring order to the situation. The story itself, called "Crossfire," looks at two cops attempting to reconcile their frustration/unease with the Dark Knight. (At least one of them is present in the upcoming Dark Knight, but no real groundwork is laid here.) The short moves into a really absurd action sequence that is a result of the anime studio not understanding the nature of Batman Begins. Nolan's world is grounded. This is not. We were pleased to see this short have something to do with the two movies, but were equally frustrated that it broke several unspoken, but established rules, about how this new vision works. Aesthetic and worldly design aside, the whole sequence is rather cheesy and lifeless anyway. There just wasn't enough time to really care about these two new characters.

"Field Test" feels similar to "Crossfire" in that it continues to play up the friction between elements in the mob. A rather ridiculously young Bruce Wayne (in looks but not actual age) also plays golf with a rival, but the scene seems to be included just to get a cheap laugh. Not one of the finer moments. We're saving design/art issues for a separate section, but Production IG's Batman and Bruce Wayne figures are bizarre and don't work well at all.

David Goyer, one of the writers of Nolan's films, is responsible for the segment that started to turn Gotham Knight around for us. Featuring Scarecrow and Killer Croc, "In Darkness Dwells" brings out familiar villains, which was great to see. This let Batman do something besides fight generic henchmen. Goyer creates a reasonable explanation for Croc, fitting him somewhat within the boundaries that exist for this universe. If you have the option of just watching one segment (borrowing a friend's copy, perhaps?), be sure to make it this one. Also, a big plus on the music here, which really helped sell some of the final sequences for us.

The continuity for these shorts confused us a bit. We were originally under the impression that though each story would present its own tale, they would be governed overall by a larger narrative. Brian Azzarello's "Working Through Pain" could have been perfect for that, but changes at least one detail that eliminates that option. We're not really sure why (lack of communication, we suppose). This chapter shows how Bruce Wayne learned how to work through his pain through an extensive flash back. The piece is written well, and plays out well, but the ending felt a little arbitrary to us, emerging out of a moment that had nothing to do with the flashback. Ultimately a decent segment but one that isn't very memorable.

It's no surprise that the final chapter, "Deadshot," written by Alan Burnett, is another that had our attention. Featuring the villain of the same name, it was great to see a new character brought into the Nolan 'verse. Far more suspenseful than any of the other shorts, we thought this one was right on par with "In Darkness Dwells." We were pleased to see the movie end on a relatively high note.

What makes evaluating this series of shorts difficult is that while many of them are competently done, the sum of them is pretty underwhelming. The decision to break the narrative into self-contained chapters was a bad one. Having several studios, directors and writers could still have been a fascinating exercise had the team been working towards a common goal. Sadly the result instead is a product that is all over the place. There's something to like in every piece, and none of them are outright poor, but many are exceptionally boring. We continuously wondered when we'd really start to see a strong connection between Nolan's films, and we never really got what we wanted. Perhaps it was an error to try and make that claim since Gotham Knight absolutely doesn't live up to it. (In fact in one chapter you can see the Tim Burton-era Batmobile.)

From a design perspective, it's fascinating to see each director leave a mark on each segment. Only the third segment featured art that was too eccentric for our tastes. Bruce Wayne looks like he's far more youthful than he should be and Batman looks like he was inspired by an armadillo or bird. The rest of the character art in the shorts ranges from excellent to quirky yet fun. We especially dug the various iterations of Batman as relayed by the group of teenagers in the first story. The anime aesthetic isn't for everyone, but we found it was a welcome change of pace and at least had our attention during the duller plots.

A production like this is one that many fans will love before they even see it. It's the definition of geek fan service. The biggest anime production houses team with some of the biggest writers related to Batman, and they in turn team with a legendary producer of DC animation. It's the perfect pedigree. Sadly the structure chosen for Gotham prevents it from being remarkable, delegating each chapter to be a relatively forgettable short story that has little impact on the overall lore. Though the animation and design are frequently snappy, plots aren't as lively, which will leave many viewers bored as they wait for things to pick up. We realize people are frothing at the mouth to see Dark Knight, but this does not live up to the bar set by either of Christopher Nolan's films. A notable production for what was accomplished behind the scenes, but not for what ultimately made it onto the DVD.

[opqr727]

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[larsenhaze]

I enjoyed the whole DVD for what it was, entertainment. Property In Darkness was the best band for me. Dead Shot was good too, but the plot and portrayal of Batman in the dark was one I loved most.

[mathewparse]

Well, do not create Ramirez on how narrow is not? Do not just put Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent, which is fine with me. They also made a scarecrow and realistic, as the Nolan version of Killer Croc.