DVD : Batman Gotham Knight [Blu-ray]

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Hit and Miss
This DVD was very hit and miss for me. Some sections were done in a style that did not hold my attention, while others were stunningly beautiful. All in all, the story is fairly good (if a bit disjointed). Not my favorite Batman DVD, but worth seeing.

Rating:

- "Gotham Knight" - Prequel to "The Dark Knight"
Not a bad look at the Batman franchise, but the animation style may not be for everyone. The six stories included on the blu-ray are somewhat interesting. The picture quality of the blu-ray was ok, but looking at the animation sytle it couldn't of been much better. Also, there is no lossless sound included on the blu-ray.

Buy for Batman fans, worth a rent otherwise.

Rating:

- Waist of time
The animation on this is something a four year old would have drawn. The first story is a bunch of made up bat man stories from kids. This is just a cash grab off the popularity of the movies with no real effort put into it at all. The fact they bill it as linked to the two recent movies is just ridiculous.

The writers and animators should be ashamed of this work. I would not have my name on it.

Rating:

- Only worth it for the last 3 short stories
I saw this feature on Cartoon Network and while I felt it had potential, it didn't live up to it. It didn't totally suck but definitely not as good as it could've been.

I didn't mind that it was in anime as I am a fan of that style of animation but the first story definitely sucked! The stories progressively got better as the feature went on with the final story called "Deadshot" being the best of the bunch! I also liked the one with the Scarecrow and I did like how they tied the features together.

Overall, not a bad buy but I'd wait to get it for under $10 or something. I wouldn't pay full price for this!

Rating:

- A Glimpse of What Animated Batman Should Be
I caught Batman Gotham Knight on Cartoon Network and I was very impressed. Similar to the Animatrix in format, it gives a sample of some of today's top animators' vision of the Dark Knight. More importantly, it echoes the sincerity, psychology and grit of the Nolan films, and that's where the character really shines. Made for promotion of last summer's The Dark Knight, Batman Gotham Knight follows the continuity of Batman Begins, including characters Scarecrow and Jim Gordon (plus a really cool, though brief take on Killer Croc). The return of Kevin Conroy voicing Batman/Bruce Wayne is really the icing on the cake.

The saddest thing about the history of Batman is the seemingly unavoidable marketing campiness that pops up every few years. This set of anime shorts really show what animated Batman should be - a mature, deep psychological analysis of what is essentially a psychopath redeemed only by his unfailing sense of justice. If only Warner would greenlight a serious Batman anime series like this!

The first chapter is a rehash of an old Animated Series episode called "Legends of the Dark Knight." It's worth skipping, but the rest are outstanding. "In Darkness Dwells" and "Working Through Pain" are worth owning this set alone.

Initially I had passed on Batman Gotham Knight when it was released, due to its similarity to the Animatrix. But after watching it last weekend, I have to have this DVD set to add to my collection.

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