DVD Review: "Batman: Gotham Knight"

I remember the first episode I ever saw of “Batman: The Animated Series”…

It was the episode entitled “I Am the Night,” which is still one of my favorites from the show. In the episode, Batman blames himself when Commissioner Gordon is seriously injured in a bust gone wrong. In fact, he is so ridden with guilt that he considers giving up being Batman altogether.

I remember being totally surprised by what I was seeing. This was a cartoon. We weren’t supposed to see heroes bordering on suicidal.

But that was the magic of “Batman: TAS.” It was a cartoon, but it was real. It was nothing like we had ever seen before.

Now, the people behind that beloved show have taken it one step further with the new DVD release, “Batman: Gotham Knight.” Once again, they have given us something we have never seen before. And this time it’s equal parts brilliant and frustrating…

“Batman: Gotham Knight” is a new original movie from DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation. The movie is actually six different segments, each directed by a different revered animation director.

“Have I Got a Story for You” is appropriately the first segment since it foreshadows what we will see for the rest of the segments—six different views of Batman from the minds of six different directors. In the segment, three teenagers share with a fourth friend their differing opinions of what Batman looks like—a shadow, a bat, and a robot. But the fourth friend gets to see for himself when Batman surprisingly shows up to interrupt their fun…

The second segment, “Crossfire,” introduces us to Detectives Allen and Ramirez, members of Gotham City’s Major Crimes Unit. Allen doesn’t like Batman, while his new partner, Ramirez, sticks up for him. But when the detectives get caught in a crossfire between warring mob factions, Allen changes his view.

This segment is where the frustration first comes in because it’s just not long enough. You will absolutely want to see more. Ana Ortiz (“Ugly Betty”) is fantastic as Ramirez (a role she did not get in “Batman: The Dark Knight”) and Gary Dourdan’s (“CSI”) voice lends just the right ominous air to the moody piece. And this is the first segment where we really get to hear Kevin Conroy reassume his rightful place as the voice of Batman…

“Field Test” gives us a look at Bruce Wayne as he tries out the newest toy from Wayne Enterprises’ Lucius Fox—body armor that repels bullets. The bonus with this segment is that we get to hear Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne voice in addition to his Batman voice. And the anime look of Batman in this one is pretty cool.

Plus, “Test” teaches Bruce—and us—a valuable lesson about his crimefighting. This lesson runs throughout the rest of “Gotham Knight” and will no doubt resurface during “The Dark Knight” film for which “GK” is meant to be a prelude…

Madness reigns in the fourth segment, “In Darkness Falls,” as Batman takes on both Killer Croc and the Scarecrow. The animation is both dark and twisted as we see the action through Batman’s fear toxin influenced eyes. However, we do get to hear some of Conroy’s trademark sarcasm, although the anime-style makes it come off a little more stilted than usual.

According to an interview with Conroy provided by DC Comics, the animation was completed before the voicework this time, so he had to change up his cadence at certain points to match the animation. For those of us who are big Conroy fans it shows in a few places, but not enough to take away from his brilliant work…

“Working Through Pain” is the most psychological of the segments as we watch a wounded Batman remember how he (as Bruce Wayne) learned to work through pain from Cassandra (Parminder Nagra, “ER”). And let’s be honest. Is there anyone who can grimace in pain like Kevin Conroy? (The answer to that is no, by the way.) This one is also a little frustrating because there is so much that could be told about Bruce’s time with Cassandra. However, the ending of the segment is quietly stunning as we watch Batman deal with his true nemesis—the gun…

Which leads beautifully into the final segment, “Deadshot,” as Batman is forced to taken on an assassin who is practically a human gun. The segments finally come together in this one and we get a slight foreshadowing of the psychological conflict within Batman we’ll see in “The Dark Knight.” Plus, David McCallum (“NCIS”) steps into the role of Alfred beautifully.

This one is probably the most frustrating of the six, because the entire movie could have been just about Deadshot. He’s that good of a villain.

But then, that’s not really what “Gotham Knight” is about…

“GK” is meant to give us a glimpse into Batman’s psyche by viewing him through six different sets of eyes. Each of the segments—no matter how frustratingly small they are—share just a little more about who Batman is and for what he stands. When you put them all together, you get a better understanding of not only Batman, but the way we see him.

However, more than anything, “GK” leaves us wanting more. In this case, that more is “The Dark Knight.” And “GK” will leave you wanting to see “DK” so bad, your head will hurt. In fact, I’ve already bought my tickets…

“Batman: Gotham Knight,” which I should point out is rated PG-13 for its graphic violence, is available in both a single-disc and a two-disc collector’s edition. I highly recommend the two-disc set because it contains two outstanding documentaries which focus on Batman’s Rogues Gallery and the life of Batman’s creator Bob Kane. Plus, the two-disc set contains four episodes of “Batman: TAS” and its follow-up “The New Batman Adventures” including the phenomenal “I Am the Night”…

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