Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: Directed by Sam Liu. With Bruce Greenwood, Jennifer Carpenter, Chris Cox, John DiMaggio. In an alternative Victorian Age Gotham City, Batman begins his war on crime while he investigates a new series of murders by Jack the Ripper.

“Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: It is Victorian times and Gotham is looking a little Londonish. There is a killer afoot named Jack the Ripper stalking the streets. Also stalking the night is a masked vigilante known only as The Bat. Can Commissioner Gordon solve the cases with the help of his prosecutor Harvey Dent and Dentu0026#39;s millionaire childhood chum Bruce Wayne?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Good: The greatest thing about Gotham by Gaslight is what it doesnu0026#39;t do. There are no Tesla or Lovecraft cameos. Nobody invents an airplane powered by a diamond. It is a realistic (relatively) style environment with people that act like people actually did back then (Guy in Bat costume excepted).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGotham by Gaslight also finds proper roles for Batmanu0026#39;s Rogue gallery and his allies. Commissioner Gordon, Alfred the Butler, and Harvey Dent keep their old roles. While otheru0026#39;s get to put on a new hat. Hugo Strange is a progressive doctor running a psychiatric hospital and Poison Ivy is a vaudeville stripper. The movie has Batman in the role of Sherlock Holmes with focus on detective work rather than Bat punching. Selina Kyle (Catwoman) takes the role similar to Sherlocku0026#39;s love interest Irene Adler and three Robins (Dick, Jason, and Tim) take a role similar to the Baker Street Irregulars. It is a lot of fun seeing well-known characters in their new roles. The movie handles this quite well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Bad: Why is this an u0026quot;Ru0026quot; rated film? There are some adult themes but neither Poison Ivy nor Selina Kyle shows any nudity despite some obvious story beats where it would have been expected. The violence is muted and the camera turns away from anything possible offensive. I have to think this us more of a marketing ploy (An Adult Batman Cartoon) rather than a reflection of the material. If you are going for an u0026quot;Ru0026quot; rating and your story is about a serial killer that murders prostitutes it is not as if there is no material to work with.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn Conclusion: A Sherlock Holmes mystery with a Batman dressing. It is a good mystery that will keep one guessing. Characters are well written and voiced with Selina Kyle and Harvey Dent being standouts. Overplayed Victorian elements (see above) and overplayed Batman elements (Joker) are nowhere to be found. A good family film despite the u0026quot;Ru0026quot; rating and an excellent treat for fans of the bat.”