Batman: Gotham Knight (Video 2008)

Batman: Gotham Knight: Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka, Jong-Sik Nam, Shôjirô Nishimi, Yûichirô Hayashi. With Kevin Conroy, Jason Marsden, Scott Menville, George Newbern. A collection of key events mark Bruce Wayne’s life as he journeys from beginner to Dark Knight.

“Batman: Gotham Knight is an anthology of shorts that are different from the original WB animated series in that itu0026#39;s not in the usual twenty-minute animated form (1/2 hour for commercials). Itu0026#39;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 itu0026#39;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).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll of the directors, to greater or lessor degrees, have a specific vision to share with us Batman fans, and at best itu0026#39;s a real visual u0026#39;tripu0026#39;; things move past with lightning speed, but so we can see a lot of u0026quot;thingsu0026quot; happening, and every so often, like u0026#39;Working Through Painu0026#39;, the animators donu0026#39;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 donu0026#39;t have a lot going on in terms of real substance- how can they with such short amounts of time. The first, u0026#39;Have I Got a Story for Youu0026#39;, 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 thereu0026#39;s maybe my favorite of the whole lot, u0026#39;In Darkness Dwellsu0026#39;, 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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOther stories like u0026#39;Dead-Shotu0026#39;, u0026#39;Field-Testu0026#39;, and especially u0026#39;Crossfireu0026#39;, 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 itu0026#39;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 (itu0026#39;ll probably get a TV-14 when finally broadcast), it doesnu0026#39;t come close to the dimensions found in the original 90s animated series. Itu0026#39;s a wonderful, absorbing garnish of sorts.”