Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
R1 / NTSC DVD
Warner Home Video / 2008
Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka & Shoujirou Nishimi
Written by Brian Azzarello, Alan Burnett, Jordan Goldberg, David S. Goyer, Bob Kane, Josh Olson & Greg Rucka
Review by Brian Harris

Before The Dark Knight hits theaters, the good folks over at DC Comics and Warner Brothers figured they’d cobble together an eclectic assortment of animated, interconnected short films created by renowned Japanese animators and American writers, a Batman Begins 1.5 of sorts. The shorts are quick, brutal and absolutely beautiful with only one glaring flaw in the concept, even at a running time of 76 minutes the entire DVD runs way too short!

Folks, this DVD isn’t just for Batman fans but for fans of pure, unadulterated animation, adult animation. This isn’t the kind of stuff one might find on any old cartoon cable channel, these shorts are cutting edge, inspired and positively breathtaking. The different interpretations of Batman, how he’s perceived by the citizens of Gotham and how he interacts with the criminal element are nothing short of brilliant.

Now after watching the entire thing, I can’t honestly say there were any instances in which I leapt from my seat in a bloodlust or even let out a snort of approval but the action was solid and the shorts captured just enough of the essence of Batman to satisfy those looking for a Bat-fix. The episodes are as follows:

Have I Got A Story For You: A small group of teens relate their encounters of Batman to one another though each tale depicts the Batman as something other than a man. Is the Batman a shadow, a monster or an invincible robot?

Crossfire: Two Gotham police detectives are caught between two warring gangs and the only person capable of saving their lives may be the very person they mistrust, Batman.

Field Test: Batman and weapon’s designer Lucius Fox have devised an ingenious satellite capable of detecting small arms gunfire and deflecting it from Batman like a force field. Unfortunately while out on a test run of the new “armor” a stray bullet strikes a less-than-innocent bystander and Batman must face the consequences of calling.

In Darkness Dwells: Batman must venture into the sewers of Gotham in order to locate a religious leader suspected of being kidnapped by Killer Croc, The Scarecrow and his drug-crazed followers.

Working Through Pain: Bruce Wayne learns to conquer his physical pain from an outcaste Indian woman but his spiritual and emotional pain may be something neither can control.

Deadshot: Batman must protect Commissioner Gordon from a deadly mob assassin capable of killing anytime, anywhere but is it Gordon the murderous Deadshot really wants or a prey far deadlier?

• Screen Format: 1.78:1 Widescreen / Color / Animation
• Audio: English, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai / Dolby Digital 5.1 & Stereo
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai
• Running time: 76 mins.

• Audio Commentary
• Wonder Woman Sneak Peek
• Featurette – “Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story”
• Featurette – “A Mirror for the Bat”
• Batman: The Animated Series (4 Episodes)

This is where animation should be going in America; this is the future of animation. It’s diverse, innovative and engaging and DC should seriously consider tapping these incredible animators for feature-length animated films instead of another anthology. This was a teaser, a mere taste of a revolution. After the Animatrix was released I was convinced we’d start seeing mature anime hit the mainstream like a 50 megaton blast but it would seem people still aren’t ready to start demanding something new.

Batman: Gotham Knight is worth owning; it’s slick, dark and entertaining. The only thing this was missing was a soundtrack by Deltron 3030, Gorillaz and Bobby Digital. I ran out the minute this hit shelves and snatched me a copy of the two-disc steelbook edition from Best Buy so if you’re a collector geek like me and you need all the bells and whistles, head to Best Buy and prepare to shell out a cool $25.

“…intense! The darkest Batman yet!”