Batman: Gotham Knight

[Impreszive]

Kevin Conroy's doing the voice? Now I'm completely sold. I often find manga/anime-style Batman representations a little off-putting... maybe I'm just a little biased to seeing an American style for so long... so I was a little on the fence. But I love Conroy's portrayal. It's pretty much iconic for the character, in my opinion.

Right. When the new Batman cartoon was made, his voice wasn't used. I couldn't get past that. This is going to be awesome.

[Alpha OTS]

Right. When the new Batman cartoon was made, his voice wasn't used. I couldn't get past that.

I don't know if it's fair, but I had the same reaction. Conroy *is* Batman.

[Wes]

Wow is it just me or does Batman in one of those look like Femto? Damn you Miura you're supposed to be working on Berserk not side-projects! Unless this is Grifith's plan somehow...

[VF-2SS-BloodPhoenix]

Not sure if I should post my first impressions of this after watching all of it, but Kevin Conroy is back as Batman. A relief to finally hear the best voice of Batman reprising his role in all of the animated shorts.

Animation quality is good, stories are decent without giving away any movie plotlines, but certainly help build up Batman as a mortal character.

The art direction works well in all the styles and Conroy's voice fits nicely with all the iterations of the Batman.

The stories, sadly, are way too short. It's a great way of getting pumped up before the main feature on the 18th.

If anyone wants some screen grabs, it'll take a day (24 hours).

[Guest sh002]

just saw it and the deadshot episode was my favorite. wow there are some extreme batman costume designs but still cool overall. loved conroy's voice and same goes for alfred's voice actor.

[mpchi]

Did the DVD came out already? How short are te stories when you mean by too short?

[Kurisama]

The eps were a little short - but damn - where they sweet! Really dug most of them - I liked the various glimpses of the batmobile too - even brief shot of the old keaton mobile My fave is probably the 4 skater kids story for sure - mecha-batman lol. Bit of a Miyazaki Laputa robot vibe there - which is just all sorts of win

[hutch]

Got to see it Sunday at WWC. Really liked it a lot. The first ep was a little shaky for me, as it was just a 'do-over' of an ep from TNBA, but it picked up after that. A couple of the episodes were REALLY solid. Timm and Co. did something really nice here. I recommend it. The

Deadshot

and

Scarecrow + Killer Croc

eps were pretty awesome.

[VF5SS]

I felt the shorts ranged from terrible (like the first one) to mediocre. They just felt kind of hollow. Like, they hired all these studios like Madhouse just to make some "anime cool" Batman shorts without any substance. And the dubbing with the standard anime mouth movements looked terrible.

[terry the lone wolf]

The shorts featuring Deadshot & Scarecrow were awesome but I was surprised how much I liked "Field Test & Work through the pain". The latter shorts helped you to see Batman's human aspects. I was real pumped to see Kawajiri's rendition of Batman I didn't really care about the other stories. So I was pleasantly surprised on how excellent the entire movie was. It was real cool to see Alfred, James Gordon, Lucious Fox, & Crispus Allen(DC's new Specter) make appearances. I just wish they could've added Renee Montoya & Harvey Bullock(and their original voice actors too.).

[Guest sh002]

Bruce Wayne in work through the pain looked like neo from the matrix. the batmobiles were cool. maybe a new series can me made afterwards. there'll probably be something after the new film is released.

Edited July 1, 2008 by sh002

[bandit29]

I felt the shorts ranged from terrible (like the first one) to mediocre. They just felt kind of hollow. Like, they hired all these studios like Madhouse just to make some "anime cool" Batman shorts without any substance. And the dubbing with the standard anime mouth movements looked terrible.

there's a reason for the mouth flaps

Kevin Conroy:

In the past, we’ve always treated the shows like a radio play – we recorded the lines and then the animation took place. This time, the artwork came first, and that made the process interesting. Sometimes the artists put extra mouth flaps in, or they made the cadence different from the way I’d usually deliver a line. So we had to work within those parameters and try to time the acting to fill the space.

the rest of the interview

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/dcuam...view/conroy.php

according to the review, the Japanese track is missing from the Blu-ray

Japanese 5.1 track is listed on disc packaging, but is nowhere to be found on the disc itself.

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/dcuam...ital/bluray.php

or maybe not..lol

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....94#post14196363

EDIT. After watching this today...incredibly disappointing. The only good short was "Deadshot". This went from "must buy" to "when is this over, once is enough" lol

Edited July 2, 2008 by dejr8bud

[ssfsx17]

The majority of it was pretty good, except for that one where Bruce Wayne was drawn as a bishie. That chapter was incredibly cringeworthy. I was like, "WTF HOW IS IT THAT AN ANIME BISHIE MAY SPEAK IN THE VOICE OF BATMAN" and what not.

[M'Kyuun]

Well,it is a Japanese take on Batman, and the bishi-type character is popular in anime now. I need only point to Princess Alto.

[Alpha OTS]

Eh. It was ok. Only shorts I really liked were the Dead Shot one and the Scarecrow one to a lesser extent. The rest? Eh. Kevin Conroy was good. I think part of it was just that I would have much preferred a feature length story than these shorts.

[azrael]

Eh. It was ok. Only shorts I really liked were the Dead Shot one and the Scarecrow one to a lesser extent. The rest? Eh. Kevin Conroy was good. I think part of it was just that I would have much preferred a feature length story than these shorts.

Conroy's voice was good, but it didn't feel like it matched certain shorts. Rino Romano's voice (from The Batman, 2004-2008) might have been better at the young Bruce Wayne in

"Field Test" and "Work through Pain"

.

[Scream Man]

i liked it myself. Not the greaest thing ever, but then none of the DC Animated films have been. All have been solid, but not great.

Better than marvel is doing. Ultimate Avengers was ok, but the rest were terrible....

[Fit For Natalie]

i liked it myself. Not the greaest thing ever, but then none of the DC Animated films have been. All have been solid, but not great.

What about Return of the Joker? I loved that. Great animation, dark story, great soundtrack.

[Fort Max]

Conroy's voice was good, but it didn't feel like it matched certain shorts. Rino Romano's voice (from The Batman, 2004-2008) might have been better at the young Bruce Wayne in

"Field Test" and "Work through Pain"

.

Is "The Batman" worth getting?

I have all the TAS sets but haven't seen the new show at all.

[bandit29]

Eh. It was ok. Only shorts I really liked were the Dead Shot one and the Scarecrow one to a lesser extent. The rest? Eh. Kevin Conroy was good. I think part of it was just that I would have much preferred a feature length story than these shorts.

Most people (myself included) seem to like the "Deadshot" short the best.

The rest..is mostly uninteresting..and the first short was terrible..

Worth a rental or a download..I wanted to buy this on Blu-ray...

[terry the lone wolf]

Is "The Batman" worth getting?

I have all the TAS sets but haven't seen the new show at all.

Most of "The Batman" is pretty weak compared to the brilliant Timmverse(Batman-Batman & Robin-Batman: Gotham Knights, Superman, Batman Beyond, & Justice League) but the final seasons introduced Batgirl, Robin, & the Justice League were a little better. The final season was almost like a set up for the newest Batman series Brave & the Bold where Bats teamed up with JLA members Superman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, & Hawkman. I'd buy the final season for the team-up episodes and the two-part finale where Justice League battled an alien invasion and robotic versions of themselves. One episode where Batman & Robin fought criminal versions themselves in the Wrath(from the Batman annual "The player on the other side")& Scorn was fun.

[Alpha OTS]

What about Return of the Joker? I loved that. Great animation, dark story, great soundtrack.

Not only that(which while you mention it also has an uncut version where you see the Joker really screw up Robin) but Justice League Frontier was fantastic, I thought.

I was tempted to watch Doomsday, then I read a detailed plot synopsis and review. Blech.

[Scream Man]

Superman/doomsday was fine as long as u ignored the original comics.

I didnt mind Frontier but it felt like a lot of setup and then a bit rushed in the ending. Not BAD by any means, just not great

Return of the Joker, ok u got me there. i was thinking the movies not included in the timmverse DC stuff.

[Alpha OTS]

Most of the reason I like Frontier is that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are essentially supporting characters, and I really like how Superman isn't around for most of the ending.

[baronv]

I thought Gotham Knight was a nice looking movie, but very plain and down right boring in parts. "Work Through the Pain" was the best section for me since it opened up another training aspect of Bruce Wayne that shows how he can take all the hits and near-death events and continue to survive.

"Deadshot" was a good section as well, closest to a comic book type story. The rest of the episodes were more in the vein of Batman vs. mobsters and moved slowly for me, they probably kept it this way to tie into the more Dark Knight theme without the more outlandish themes with more comic-type villains.

Did enjoy seeing the original Tim Burton Batmobile though.

[lord_breetai]

All in all I thought it was pretty awesome. A lot of good things in there, yeah it was short but it made effective use of linking elements in each story, and I thought it was pretty badass after all.

And Bishie Batman is pretty.

[glane21]

Most of "The Batman" is pretty weak compared to the brilliant Timmverse(Batman-Batman & Robin-Batman: Gotham Knights, Superman, Batman Beyond, & Justice League) but the final seasons introduced Batgirl, Robin, & the Justice League were a little better. The final season was almost like a set up for the newest Batman series Brave & the Bold where Bats teamed up with JLA members Superman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, & Hawkman. I'd buy the final season for the team-up episodes and the two-part finale where Justice League battled an alien invasion and robotic versions of themselves. One episode where Batman & Robin fought criminal versions themselves in the Wrath(from the Batman annual "The player on the other side")& Scorn was fun.

There is a very cool Season 4 Episode of The Batman where Mr.Freeze, who is essentially immortal, gets loose on Gotham 1000 or so years in the future, after Batman is dead and is thought of mostly as a legend. You get to see how Batman planned for that eventuality and also some cool "history flashback" scenes of a middle-aged Batman trying to keep up in a fight against the still-youthful Freeze. That one was very well done, especially if you like those glimpse of the future storylines. I'd recommend renting that disc just for that episode.

[terry the lone wolf]

There is a very cool Season 4 Episode of The Batman where Mr.Freeze, who is essentially immortal, gets loose on Gotham 1000 or so years in the future, after Batman is dead and is thought of mostly as a legend. You get to see how Batman planned for that eventuality and also some cool "history flashback" scenes of a middle-aged Batman trying to keep up in a fight against the still-youthful Freeze. That one was very well done, especially if you like those glimpse of the future storylines. I'd recommend renting that disc just for that episode.

I forgot about that one; it was almost like Frank Miller's Dark Knight mixed with The Batman. Also Nightwing(grown up Robin) & Oracle(Batgirl crippled by the Joker) was in it to. Yeah that was one of the better episodes.

[Roy's Blues]

I enjoyed it, and watched it several time since I bought it on Tuesday.

It was like watching an Elseworld's graphic novel set in the Batman Begins universe put on screen.

[bigkid24]

I was tempted to grab this at Target the other day but knowing how the other DC animated stuff has been I was reluctant to get it. Is the 2nd disc included in the Special Edition worth paying the extra money for? Or is the regular version good enough.

[bandit29]

I'd say netfilx or rent it somewhere..or download it..its not that good. Not worth more than a viewing or two..

[mpchi]

I'd say netfilx or rent it somewhere..or download it..its not that good. Not worth more than a viewing or two..

I have to disagree, and quite surprised how much 'negative' reviews or comments I've seen. I really like the DVD overall, and most of the stories worked well enough as a 10-15min short. Some better than others in storytelling, but nothing below average. Really great art, very smooth animation (Tekkon Kincrete, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust...anyone?), and very atmospheric. While some stories or script work out better than others, I find the overall package well worth the money I spent. It not like someone just did something cheap to cash in from The Dark Knight movie. This is actually some very very good animation.

I have a feeling that either people are just expecting something different, or they are not that used to the idea of being 6 stand alone 10-15min shorts. Seen some reviews even try to find elements to tie in each short to chain it as a disjointed 75min movie or to the Nolan Batman movies with any continuity. Think they are really missing the point and giving it a bad score for the wrong reason.

[bandit29]

I have to disagree, and quite surprised how much 'negative' reviews or comments I've seen. I really like the DVD overall, and most of the stories worked well enough as a 10-15min short. Some better than others in storytelling, but nothing below average. Really great art, very smooth animation (Tekkon Kincrete, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust...anyone?), and very atmospheric. While some stories or script work out better than others, I find the overall package well worth the money I spent. It not like someone just did something cheap to cash in from The Dark Knight movie. This is actually some very very good animation.

I have a feeling that either people are just expecting something different, or they are not that used to the idea of being 6 stand alone 10-15min shorts. Seen some reviews even try to find elements to tie in each short to chain it as a disjointed 75min movie or to the Nolan Batman movies with any continuity. Think they are really missing the point and giving it a bad score for the wrong reason.

The only animation I really hated was the first story. Poor design and terrible color choices. Bad way to start it off since most Batman fans are not anime fans. The "Deadshot" short was my favorite..the others had some good stuff. The girlie Bruce Wayne was nauseating.

As a whole, Batman Gotham Knight is really boring and uninteresting. Doesn't really capture the feel of Batman at all.

[mpchi]

The only animation I really hated was the first story. Poor design and terrible color choices. Bad way to start it off since most Batman fans are not anime fans. The "Deadshot" short was my favorite..the others had some good stuff. The girlie Bruce Wayne was nauseating.

As a whole, Batman Gotham Knight is really boring and uninteresting. Doesn't really capture the feel of Batman at all.

I actually like the first one alot. One of my favorites. But I can see why some get put off by the style. I find the story very intriguing on that one, and if you watch Tekkon Kincrete before, you'll probably appreciate this short more. And yeah, the girlie Bruce Wayne one is my least favorite. Still well animated, but the character design is just way too young looking for Bruce.

[lord_breetai]

I actually like the first one alot. One of my favorites. But I can see why some get put off by the style. I find the story very intriguing on that one, and if you watch Tekkon Kincrete before, you'll probably appreciate this short more. And yeah, the girlie Bruce Wayne one is my least favorite. Still well animated, but the character design is just way too young looking for Bruce.

He looked like Light Yagami... it was hot.