Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) (V)

Directors:

Yasuhiro Aoki
Yuichiro Hayashi (co-director) (segment "In the Darkness Dwells")

Writers:

Bob Kane (creator: Batman)
Josh Olson (screenplay) (segment "Have I Got a Story For You")

Release Date:

8 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Get Ready....To Rage Against Evil

Plot:

A collection of tales of The Dark Knight of Gotham City, as conceived by noted anime talents.

Plot Keywords:

Batman | Anthology | Anime | Based On Comic Book | Skateboarding

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Kevin Conroy	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice)
Jason Marsden	...	Thomas Wayne / Doctor / Cop / Youth 2 (voice)
Scott Menville	...	B-Devil / Cop (voice)
George Newbern	...	Man in Black / Guido / Man / Youth 3 (voice)
Corey Padnos	...	Porkchop (voice)
Crystal Scales	...	Meesh (voice)
Alanna Ubach	...	Dander (voice)
Hynden Walch	...	Woman / Young Cassandra / Young Bruce Wayne (voice)
Corey Burton	...	Scarecrow / The Russian / Ronald Marshall (voice)
Gary Dourdan	...	Detective Crispus Allen (voice)
Jim Meskimen	...	Lt. James Gordon / Deadshot (voice)
Pat Musick	...	News Anchor (voice)
Ana Ortiz	...	Detective Anna Ramirez (voice)
Rob Paulsen	...	Sal Maroni / Mole Man / Youth #4 (voice)
Andrea Romano	...	Martha Wayne / Dispatcher (voice)

Also Known As:

Batman Anime (USA) (working title)
Battoman - Gossamu Naito (Japan)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for stylized violence, including some bloody images.

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA | Japan | South Korea

Language:

English | Japanese | Spanish | Portuguese | Thai

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Brazil:14 | UK:15 | USA:TV-14 (cable rating) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia/Ontario)

Company:

Warner Bros. Animation

Trivia:

Although known as a direct-to-DVD release, it was actually screened theatrically across Australia 5 days prior to its global DVD release as part of Dendy Cinemas' Reel Anime festival.

Goofs:

Continuity: Even though this film is intended to act as a loose bridge between Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), during the period when Wayne Manor is being rebuilt, the final segment, "Deadshot," shows Bruce Wayne and Alfred living in the manor.

Quotes:

Bruce Wayne: You have to know your enemy, Alfred. I'd never use one, but even I can appreciate the attraction of a gun. The heft. The sleekness. The cool steel. The precision. And the power. The power to change lives, history. The power of God.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#40.1)" (2008)

9/10 for style and whacked-out anime panache; 5-6/10 for stories

Batman: Gotham Knight is an anthology of shorts that are different from the original WB animated series in that it's not in the usual twenty-minute animated form (1/2 hour for commercials). It's more like a collection of comic books from Batman strung together without any real association aside from it being different interpretations from the Japanese directors. A similar mode went with the Animatrix years ago, in that it's partly a weird and intriguing exploration of the world created, and partly as a cash tie-in for the upcoming new movie (in this case, of course, Dark Knight).

All of the directors, to greater or lessor degrees, have a specific vision to share with us Batman fans, and at best it's a real visual 'trip'; things move past with lightning speed, but so we can see a lot of "things" happening, and every so often, like 'Working Through Pain', the animators don't kid us anymore and show Bruce Wayne going through kung-fu training with a spiritual twist (I chuckled at seeing Bruce as now being an Asian). For the most part, however, the shorts don't have a lot going on in terms of real substance- how can they with such short amounts of time. The first, 'Have I Got a Story for You', relies on Rashomon storytelling from a bunch of skater kids on Batman; this one has some of the most creative twists on just the design of the dark knight. Then there's maybe my favorite of the whole lot, 'In Darkness Dwells', which showcases the Scarecrow and, briefly, Killer Croc (apparently a fan favorite), and has a firm handle on its very dark atmosphere and the harsh story of Crane and the bums.

Other stories like 'Dead-Shot', 'Field-Test', and especially 'Crossfire', are enjoyable on the shallowest levels, and there is only bits and piece of a story going on (Crossfire relies also on a big mob shootout to make up for a paper-thin narrative). While it's great to hear Kevin Conroy back to voice Wayne/Batman, and to see some of the twists the animators take and the distinct styles coming through with a handle on making it fierce and graphic (it'll probably get a TV-14 when finally broadcast), it doesn't come close to the dimensions found in the original 90s animated series. It's a wonderful, absorbing garnish of sorts.