Movie/DVD Review: “Batman: Gotham Knight” (2008)

I’d been wanting to see Batman: Gotham Knight ever since I first heard about it. The screenshots we saw early on, and then the five-minute scene we posted totally got the blood flowing.

There was another reason to check it out. Word was that it bridged the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, due in theaters this Friday.

That’s all a thing of the past now. I’ve seen it and loved it.

And if you get a chance to rent it or buy it before you see The Dark Knight, I’d do it. Not that the movie has any crucial details, but there are a few bits I’m curious about.

For example, there is nothing in the six animated stories in Gotham Knight that have to do with The Joker or Harvey Dent.

But there is the fact that The Narrows has been sealed up, fenced in and turned into a prison for psychopaths. Will it be the same in The Dark Knight?

I wont know until Friday morning. But I hope so.

Gotham Knight begins with a group of kids recounting their stories about Batman and what they think he looks like. It was so brilliantly done by taking into account the very nature of children and their propensity to exaggerate and one-up each other.

One thought he was more of a puff of smoke, a spirit even. The other saw him as a giant robot. Still another described him as an actual man-bat.

But then they all see him at the same time and realize he’s just a man. And from there we launch into the rest of the six stories, written and animated by different people.

The cool aspect of the separate stories is that a few of them have some common police characters like Commissioner Gordon, Crispus Allen and Anna Ramirez.

Each part is done by a different writer, using a different style, but the entire thing is meant to be seen as a whole.

The beauty of the six stories is how unique they are and what they deal with. One has a popular bad guy in it, while another shows Bruce Wayne’s early days in training for his quest. But they are all important and very deep insights into Batman and who he is.

The final chapter ends with what I think may lead us into The Dark Knight, because the trailers seemed to have hinted as such.

Again, since I can’t say it enough, you need to check this out before you visit the theaters to see the Joker battle it out with Batman. It’s not vital, but it will get you excited for what is coming.

Mike’s Rating: 9 out of 10

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4 Responses to “Movie/DVD Review: “Batman: Gotham Knight” (2008)”

  1. Picked this up last Tuesday and watched half so far, it's pretty good! Haven't had time to finish it but definitely will by this Friday.

  2. It's only like an hour and 10 minutes too :)

  3. [...] those that watched Batman: Gotham Knight, you probably recognized the character Anna Ramirez that appeared in The Dark Knight. She ends up [...]

  4. My wife got me the DVD for Christmas. Loved it! Probably one of the only people that didn’t see it in the theaters. Ledger was BRILLIANT!

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