Batman Gotham Knight (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Version: U,S.A / Region A, B, C
VC-1 BD-25
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Running time: 1:15:59
Movie size: 13,54 GB
Disc size: 20,92 GB
Average video bit rate: 20.49 Mbps
DD AC3 5.1 640Kbps (English / Japanese)
DD AC3 2.0 192Kbps (English / German / Spanish)
Subtitles: English / Japanese / German / Spanish
Number of chapters: 40

#Commentary featuring DC Comics Senior Vice President Gregory Noveck, former Batman editor Dennis O'Neil and the voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy
#Featurette: `Mirror of the Bat: The Evil Denizens of Gotham City' (35:47)
#Documentary: `Batman and Me, A Devotion of Destiny: The Bob Kane Story' (38:25).
#Four Batman animated episodes (`Heart of Ice', `I am the Night', `Legends of the Dark Knight' and `Over the Edge') - 4:3 standard definition
#Wonder Woman Sneak Peak (10:29)

Ok, well, it's alright. Not really great but acceptable. I think that the last episode was likely the best of the bunch, but it's a real shame I sat through all the other ones to get there. The snippets are interesting enough, but the presentation is a little discombobulated and readjusting to the changes in animation gets a little annoying after a while. Now I realize that there are some who will read this and say "well, duh, different directors..." but you know I watched the Animatrix and really enjoyed that, but this was something wholly different and likely should have been a rental rather than a purchase. Just my two cents...

What was that? Yup, that's what I exclaimed as I started watching, continued watching, and finished watching the BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT DVD. I grew up and loved watching superhero cartoons every Saturday morning. I have tens of animated and live action superhero DVDs. However, this one was a definite stinker. Were these animated segments the winners of a contest...or the losers? Batman & Robin had a better plot.

The only thing good about this DVD was the animated Wonder Woman sneak preview. And that was only in rough sketches.

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT is a six-piece anthology film that explores various aspects of the legendary hero. Scripted by American comics writers such as Greg Rucka, Brian Azzarello, and David S. Goyer, it is brought to life by an assortment of Japanese directors and animation studios, giving it a blend of eastern and western styles.

The stories are as follows:

Have I Got A Story For You: a group of kids tell each other stories of their encounters with Batman, replete with embellishments. It is a beautifully-rendered exploration of the Batman as urban legend, and it shows how everyone has their own personal impression of him.

Crossfire: Officers Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya are assigned to take a prisoner across town and find themselves in the middle of a gang war. This is more of a police story than a Batman story. There isn't much to it in either case, and I found it to be the least interesting of the lot.

Field Test: Lucius Fox develops a new defense for Batman, but it turns out to have undesirable consequences. These are consequences which should have been forseen by both Fox and Batman, which puts rather a hole in the story. This piece has the most traditional (or rather, stereotypical) anime look of all of them.

In Darkness Dwells: While working on an abduction case, Batman trails Killer Croc to the Scarecrow's underground empire. Some nice hallucinatory sequences, but rushed.

Working Through Pain: Batman recalls how he learned from a wise woman in India how to manage the pain he's bound to encounter in his work. This is another episode with particularly nice artwork.

Deadshot: Batman must stop the hitman of the title from fulfilling a contract on Commissioner Gordon's life.

This is a problematic release on more than one level. It's supposed to fill the gap between the two Christopher Nolan films. The trouble is that there isn't a gap. The Dark Knight picks up shortly after the end of Batman Begins. Aside from utilizing some characters from the films, it doesn't fit into its continuity at all.

Taken on its own, it still isn't successful. All the stories, or vignettes, are supposed to link together into a cohesive whole but although there are some direct connections, it doesn't really come together. With the exception of the first segment, which is a perfect standalone piece, they feel like fragments that are never fully fleshed out. I was left unsatisfied as I was expecting something more substantial than a bunch of brief glimpses into the life of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

The BluRay disc has several bonus features:

-Audio commentary with DC Comics' Gregory Noveck, longtime Batman editor and writer Denny O'Neil, and Kevin Conroy, who voiced the character in this production as well as in the various modern animated television series. Even though I wasn't thrilled with the main feature, I still enjoyed listening to this (particularly Denny's contributions.)

-A half-hour featurette on Batman's rogues gallery.

-A half-hour biographical featurette on Batman creator Bob Kane.

-A sneak preview of the upcoming Wonder Woman animated movie, with interviews and voice samples with storyboards.

-Four complete episodes of Batman: The Animated Series:

Legends of the Dark Knight: Three kids discuss their ideas of what the Batman is. Clearly an inspiration for the first part of the main feature, this one draws on two very different interpretations of the character from the comic books. The first, based on the work of Dick Sprang, is campy in the extreme and almost seems like a parody. The second, based on Frank Miller's grim futuristic interpretation, apes Miller's style poorly. The segment from the main feature is a much better use of the general theme.

Heart of Ice: Mister Freeze is carrying on a personal vendetta with a major Gotham corporation, and Batman must find out why. This Emmy-winning episode re-envisioned the villain as a tragic figure, and in turn revitalized him for the comics.

Over the Edge: Held responsible for the death of Batgirl, Batman, Robin and Nightwing find themselves on the run from the law.

I Am The Night: Batman begins to doubt his methods after Commissioner Gordon is seriously wounded in a sting.

You certainly can't claim Warner skimped on this disc. Even though I was a little disappointed by the "movie" it is still worth renting. (I really, really loved the first chapter...)

Being a pretty big batman fan is what led me to purchase this DVD. A few of the shorts showed promise, but were ultimately doomed to extinction. The different renderings of batman showed talent, but I like the main character to look the same at least for some duration. The same goes for the plots. Although they were loosely tied together (very loosely), the continuity was lost throughout the shorts. I think they should have picked one of these six designs and developed a substantial plot that batman fans could enjoy. Completely absent was the detective-like appeal that batmans fans have come to expect.

So, if you're a hardcore batman fan, you may want to pick this up but don't expect much except a sketchbook rendition of a hero who deserves much more. Otherwise, don't bother - it's just not worth the utter disappointment.

-disappointed and feeling a little ripped-off