Batman: Gotham Knight
Review by Jason Gaston
A few years back, there were animated companions coming out for
every damn movie in theaters. Riddick had one, Van Helsing had
one, The Matrix had one. Some were pretty good, others were so
forgettable that I can't recall a single darn thing about them. Now it
looks like the tradition is being revived with Batman: Gotham
Knight in which six different animators get a shot at showing
off their own take on the Caped Crusader.
The first story is
called "Have I Got a Story for You" and, derivative of the Batman
animated episode, "Tales of the Dark Knight," a bunch of kids get
together and relate their tales of running into Batman. One sees him
as a robot, one sees him as a bat-creature, and one sees him as a
moving shadow. I liked the story, but I felt as if I'd already seen it
once before.
Next is "Crossfire" in which two of Gotham City's police officers
discussing the Batman while transferring a prisoner and, yes, it's
just as boring as it sounds.
"Field Test" is more like it as Batman tries out a brand new defensive
weapon in taking on the mob. This segment captures Batman's reverence
for life, no matter how dirty it is.
The fourth segment is called "In Darkness Dwells" and, in it, Batman
comes cowl to snout with Killer Croc as he investigates what The
Scarecrow is up to. I can't help but think that this segment should
have been better than what we ended up with. Sure, the look at Killer
Croc was cool and everything, but when it gets bogged down in the
Scarecrow business, it becomes less and less interesting.
"Working Through Pain" is an insightful and thoughtful look at how
Batman deals with hurt. It's told through a combination of flashbacks
and a present-day tale of an injured Batman trying to get to safety
that is both perceptive and sad.
"Deadshot" comes last and has Batman facing a deadly assassin. It's a
big gratifying ending to the compilation and has the first really
satisfying bat-action. Just balls to the wall action.
Gotham Knight is a somewhat unbalanced affair, but it's a must
have for fans of DC animation as it welcomes back Kevin Conroy as the
voice of the Bat. Personally, I liked half of the segments and didn't
care for the others, but it is passable and a nice companion piece for
The Dark Knight.
Just don't get your expectations up too high for this one.