Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 wish i could give a rating of 2.5....... August 15, 2008
V. Lad (britain)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
i just watched "the dark knight" (tdk) at the cineams and i have to say.............. BEST FILM OF THE WHOLE CENTURY!!!! CHRISTOPHER NOLAN WE SALUTE YOU and as one of the other reviewers have said " this was the way batman was supposed to be.definately.
now moving on to the gotham knight dvd......... i was not impressed by it comparison to tdk!! it does give a little introduction into some of the first few scences of the tdk film and shows us a little as to what batman has been up to between batman begins and tdk. i know that the dvd has six different animated parts made by six different directors... but i wish they would all draw batman THE SAME WAY!! if you watch the first part then you will understand why i am saying this. it really throws you off. also it seems that the directors really did not communicate well with each other when, yes the six parts are interlocking.............. VERY LOOSELY INERLOCKING.......... like a bad jigsaw puzzle. example: at the end of one part batman is bitten by a creature (i wont totally spoil it by saying what) and at the beginning of the next part he has been shot.... HENCE ITS A BIG CLUE THAT THEY WERE NOT COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER!
on the upside the animation of the last few parts is very good anime style. clean bold and gruesome! the first one is a little roughly drawn but i think this may have been intentional.
overall........... OK......... but not as spectaular as the films
GOOD SOLID ATTEMPT, HOWEVER LACKS DEPTH August 1, 2008
Red Queen (Limbo)
After watching the Animatrix I had high hopes for this DVD. Unfortunately it hasn't lived up to expectations.
The six individual stories are a well animated and feature a mixture of different styles from the stylised animation in 'Have i got a story for you' to the highly detailed animation in the episode 'Deadshot'. The animation throughout is fluid, well animated and well handled. However, each episode looks very similar to the last with very little variation. This lack of variety is exemplified when you watch the superior Animatrix.
The stories themselves are interesting and explore Bruce Waynes/Batmans character. Sadly what we do learn about this character is nothing new or exciting and adds very little to what we already know.
The DVD also lacks any extras worth mentioning. There are no 'making of featuretes' which is a real shame as these would have added some much needed padding.
Unlike the Animatrix this not Anime. The animation is good, solid and there are a few standout episodes. However these are few and far between and as with the rest of the episodes lack any real visual impact. The stories are also underwhelming and provide very little insight in to a complex character. A good attempt, however Gotham Night is a missed opportunity.
 VERY, VERY good July 29, 2008
R. Wood
It is documented fact that the epitome of Batman animation, from an overall standpoint, is, was and forever will be Batman: The Animated Series. With such acclaimed writing, pioneering, great animation, quality music-score, unmatched voice work and overall cinematic presentation, it defined exactly what a superhero cartoon should be.
And then came various animated Batman films, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League and the godlike Justice League Unlimited, altogether making the Animated DC Universe, which is overall a thing of greatness. But like all greatness, it has to end sometime. So what do you do after that? Go into other areas.
And this, Batman: Gotham Knight, is one of them. Since Justice League Unlimited (and the whole Animated DC Universe) sadly came to its end back in 2006, Warner Bros. have done series like The Batman, films like Superman: Doomsday and various other direct-to-video releases with no continuity linking them together or anything else.
Gotham Knight is the latest original project from Warner Bros. and also does something a little bit different from before. Basically this is a collection of six short films, all produced by different, independent Japanese Manga studios. The premise of the films is that they take place in-between Batman Begins and its sequel The Dark Knight. While no major events happen, the stories are separate, very enjoyable one-offs with a continuity that nicely links them all together.
Right away, the whole thing screams `Animatrix', and like The Animatrix, it gets a lot of stuff right. First of all, is the fact that they've brought in Kevin Conroy to reprise his role as THE voice of Batman. And it's as though nothing's changed at all. Conroy has still got it, the darkness, the brooding, the menace; his Batman remains as perfect as it ever was.
Another merit for Gotham Knight is that they've brought in such acclaimed talent like David Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Alan Burnett, Greg Rucka, Josh Olsen and Jordan Goldberg to write the different stories, and they all deliver some cracking stuff, each pinning down the basics of what makes the Batman (and Bruce Wayne) such a fascinating character; the urban myth of the Dark Knight, his relationship with the police, his `mask' as Bruce Wayne, the road he embarked on to become what he is, his war against crime, the developing and refinement of his technology, hard learning curves and his code of honour.
The films also use the continuity established by Batman Begins to great and creative effect. Along the way, we see how great the ramifications of the events in Batman Begins truly are. The Arkham Asylum breakout making the whole Narrows island abandoned to madness is such a haunting premise, along with the Scarecrow's reign of terror and still-at-large threat. The realistic approach established by Batman Begins is also utilised brilliantly, as we get fantastic incarnations of Killer Croc and the assassin Deadshot to provide the Dark Knight a real challenge.
As for the supporting cast, we obviously have our favourites Lt. James Gordon (now in full swing with his alliance to Batman) and Alfred. We also have Detective Crispus Allen (a great favourite of mine from the comics) and Detective Anna Ramirez (a new character that appears in The Dark Knight). Both characters are used very well in the films, becoming nicely established as a result. Lucius Fox also plays a guest role here, and his sardonic friendship with Bruce Wayne is mirrored to great effect. We also have local crime bosses Sal Maroni and The Russsian serving as minor antagonists, with their war acting as a good little sub-plot.
So...writing is excellent, soundtrack is excellent and the voice-work goes without question. But how does the animation fare overall? I have a great deal of respect for Anime and the whole Manga style. While it personally isn't my favourite, it can be truly spectacular, especially when it has the strong story to back it up. It's the same here, more-or-less. Although the animation style in the first film, "Have I Got A Story For You," is the weakest out of the lot, and I dislike how Batman is drawn in "Field Test", it's very, very good indeed overall, capturing the whole feel of the Dark Knight nicely. The presentation is excellent.
For Special Features, you can expect a nifty trailer for the Lego Batman game (that plays as soon as you pop the disc in) and Audio Commentary for the whole feature film, provided by Gregory Noveck (DC Comics Senior Vice President/Creative Affairs), Kevin Conroy and legendary former Batman Editor/Writer, Dennis O' Neil. The commentary is very good, as we get discussions over inspirations for the films, the premises and some interesting outside, real-life stories relating to Batman. It is a shame though that that's all we get. Surely there could've been room for the trailer and documentary on the disc, as that would've rounded everything up rather nicely.
As I said before, the epitome of Batman animation is The Animated Series, Mask of the Phantasm, Return of the Joker etc but this isn't trying to be anything like that. This is something new and while not perfect, it's truly a thing of high-quality. I would really recommend Batman: Gotham Knight to all fans of the Caped Crusader and Japanese animation itself. It's a great tie-in product to the film franchise, and at such a bargain price, there's no real reason NOT to get it. The ideal thing to purchase until The Dark Knight comes out on DVD.
Good - but not great July 26, 2008
Simon Blackburn
As a BIG fan of (almost) everything "Batman", I was looking forward to this new animated film. Having just watched the movie "The Dark Knight" at the cinema, I bought this DVD to watch the events that take place between this new movie and "Batman Begins". As a fan, I enjoyed "Gotham Knight", and give it a solid 3 stars out of five. The animation is, from a certain point of view, quite wonderful. However, I think it will be something I don't re-watch too often (unlike my B:TAS dvd collection), and I don't think kids will enjoy it (it's just not designed for children - thus its '15' rating).
This DVD is an ensemble of short animated stories (each about 10 minutes long), each produced in a different animated style (by different writers and different artists). As such, this is quite distinct from previous Batman animated dvd's. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with this - and, for the adult fan of Batman, I fully recommend it.
However, I felt the overall effect is one that emphasises 'style' over 'story'. There is little in terms of character development, and with only 10 minutes per story so very little exists by way of plot. Rather, we see Batman engage with his enemies - in bloody fights.
For me, this DVD is (a) too short, at about 70 minutes; (b) lacking in overall story; (c) rather disjointed in terms of how each short film, with its own animated style, fits together to form a supposed whole; and (d) lacking with regard to special features - there is merely a commentary, and no 'making of' or other added extras.
If you are a fan of such dvd's as the 'Animatrix', and enjoy how it relates to the Matrix trilogy, then you may well enjoy this. My final comment is this: with such excellent productions as "The Dark Knight" film, and "Batman: The Animated Series", a lot is to be expected in terms of new Batman releases. This is an ok contribution - but it adds nothing new, and I see it as a missed opportunity. Buy it if you're a fan, otherwise rent or borrow it!
Dark...but not enough July 24, 2008
Mark Pearce (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Mildly effective styling of Batman works only sporadically because although the six stories are "interlocking"(a stretch in my eyes),the animation style is different in each segment and the lack of continuity is more self indulgent and gimmicky than it needs to be.
Segments themselves are variable in substance with "In Darkness Dwells" and "Deadshot" both head and shoulders above the rest.Darkness is simply brilliant.
A series of vignettes more than a "film" and as such does not bare comparison to the almost dated but superior "Mask Of The Phantasm".
Sophisticated in style but patchy in content.
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