Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Batman: Gotham Knight: Review


Batman: Gotham Knight is a collection of 6 Batman stories, produced in an Anime style.

The opening episode sets the scene, with four skateboarding oddballs giving their account of their encounters with Batman. This is the most impressionistic episode, with a primitive and exaggerated drawing style that reinforces the 'urban myths' that these kids are creating.

The next five are more 'classic anime', with exaggerated perspective, dramatic lighting and massive fight scenes. At around 16 minutes apiece, there is not time for character development or any real story, but the pacing is excellent, and the character voicing is convincing and appropriate. Batman's voice is brilliantly handled by Kevin Conroy, who has been the voice of Batman in nearly every animated form since the 1990s.

Image quality on the Blu-ray disc is exemplary and the soundtrack moves from brooding to explosive, introducing, complementing and reinforcing each episode.

The disc also contains a generous helping of 'extras' including an informative commentary; a fascinating documentary on Batman's creator, Bob Kane and an intriguing 'first peek' at the impending Wonder Woman movie.
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