Batman: Under the Red Hood Review

While I'm in the review writing mood, I may as well get to writing about something that came out at the end of July, the (sort of) latest DC Universe direct-to-DVD animated film, Batman: Under the Red Hood. I say sort of, because Superman/Batman: Apocalypse released just two weeks ago, and while I bought it day 1, I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. Here's to catching up!

Batman: Under the Red Hood is the latest film in the DC Universe series since Februrary's Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, which while I liked at the time, doesn't really hold up with repeated viewings. And unlike Crisis on Two Earths, Under the Red Hood returns to adapting an actual DC Comics story arc, in this case Judd Winick's "Under the Hood," making it the first full length animated adaptation for a Batman comic, as opposed to Gotham Knight, which was just separate stories that very loosely filled the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

The Movie
The films centers around the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, and his subsequent rebirth and rise to criminal power as the new Red Hood (a mantle once held by the infamous Joker, the man responsible for Jason Todd's death) and how Batman and company must deal with him.

I never read the "Under the Hood" stories because when I was younger, Batman: A Death in the Family was one of my favorite collected comic books; and when I learned that they basically retconned the events of those books to bring back an already dis-likable character, it honestly just pissed me off. So I can't really speak of this as a good adaptation, but I still think the process of bring back Jason Todd was a terrible decision and the movie still hasn't changed my opinion at all. Call me bitter, but it's just one of those thing I can't let down, and I only bought the film as a collector in the slightest sense.

However, stylistically, the film was more appealing than some of the more recent DCU films, and I found most of the voicework to be believable and close to the characters' personalities. It's not that I hated the film as a film, but the deep ties it has still bother me to say much more.

Jonah Hex
Speaking of mediocre films that came out in the summer, Jonah Hex. Now, thankfully this 12 minute short has no connection to that other Jonah Hex feature film, lead character aside of course. Presented in a traditional western fashion, the animation and character designs here are neat and far more mature than the lead title on this disc, and you could probably even argue that Thomas Jane makes a better Jonah Hex than Josh Brolin, but I refuse to take the time to find out. Plus, it's got Sarah Conner, that's kind of cool right?...

Extras
This section is slowly appearing to be a sign of the times, as the DVD sets slowly lose material to the Blu-ray editions of these films. And while I do have a Blu-ray player, I still prefer the DVD sets because all the packaging matches when placed on my bookshelf, and generally these films aren't that stylistically great that I need to see them in true HD.

What do I mean by this? For one, this is the first '2-disc special edition' DC Universe film to not include a Digital Copy (since the introduction of that feature at least), and the discs don't even have colored labels any more (I noticed this first on the new Superman/Batman, so maybe I'm wrong). And aside from that, there's just a brief look at the history of the Robin character, but more so Jason Todd as the likes of Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne aren't mentioned. Plus there's a Batman: The Animated Series 2-parter, but, I could do without things I've already seen.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Batman: Under the Red Hood isn't a terrible film, but it doesn't blow me away either. It works better as an overall story then the previous Batman-centric DCU release, Gotham Knight, but the reasons for that are pretty obvious. However, I have deeper annoyances with this film than the actual film itself, which may have been one of the major factors preventing me from reviewing this, and not just my busy schedule. And when it comes to the extras, DC is clearly trying to make it more apparent that the DVD releases are becoming more and more inferior, which sucks.

Overall Score: 7/10

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths DVD Review

After a couple of lack-luster films (lack-luster in comparison to the VFH Seal of Approval winning Wonder Woman film at least), Warner Bros. Animation's DC Universe line is taking another crack at a completely original animated film, instead of adapting a pre-existing comic book story-arc, this time with the Justice League. Note, this is a review of the DVD edition, as have all the other DC Universe films on DVD and collector's OCD won't let me go Blu.

As stated, Crisis On Two Earths isn't based on a pre-existing DC book or story-arc, so it requires a bit more explaining. It should be noted that the general idea for this film was penned back when he Justice League animated series was on television, and a TV-movie, titled Justice League: Worlds Collide, was written as a bridge between that series and the then-upcoming series, Justice League Unlimited. But obviously that never came to fruition, and we now have this film, which follows a similar story as planned, but completely removes itself from the series by having new character designs, voice actors, and characters (i.e, no Jon Stewart Green Lantern, it's Hal Jordan).

The Movie
The film mainly centers around an alternate world's Lex Luthor, who has come to the familiar Earth after losing the final member of his Justice League to the Crime Syndicate, evil parallel versions of the good Justice League. The primary Justice League is a bit weary of this Luthor, but is soon in agreement to save his world, all except for Batman.

But, once in this alternate world, our Justice League learns that things are much different from their world, and this Crime Syndicate isn't afraid to use lethal force, even against the President of the United States and his family. But what seems like a regular Justice League TV plot soon gets a bit heavier, when the evil universe's anit-Batman, Owl Man, carries out his plot to not only destroy the good universe, but reality as we know it.

Overall, the film holds together pretty well, even if it does feel over-reminiscent of the television series, albeit a bit heavier and more mature in tone. I also found that due to the diversity of characters, there's never a big focus on just one, other than Owl Man (James Woods), and you end up forgetting that these characters have completely new voices from what you're used to. Like I'd like to say that Mark Harmon and William Baldwin did good jobs portraying Superman and Batman respectively, but you never even get to hear them that much. Even Nolan North, playing both the Green Lantern and his evil version, Power Ring, who you may be tired of by new after playing games like Uncharted, Prince of Persia, and Dark Void, isn't on screen long enough to even have an opinion. But, James Wood's Owl Man, who does get plenty of screen time is perfect, as the subtle, menacing mad man that he is. As for character design, gone are the super-bulked up characters from the animated series and Public Enemies, and these trimmed down designs move a bit more fluidly.

My only complaint about the movie is that there's some subplots that really don't have time to flesh out in this 75 minute film, and would have to rely on an unlikely sequel movie to make sense of their inclusion. I also found that the characters a persuaded a bit to easily, perhaps to make up for the short run time. And, please, some of the lines in this are just stupid, "well, I'm a murdering psychopath..." the whole thing that makes a murdering psychopath a murdering psychopath is that they aren't aware that they're a psychopath; you should know better Super Woman.

The Spectre
For the first in what I assume will be a regular feature on these DC Universe animated release, is a DC Showcase short, which focuses on lower-tier DC characters. The first one, included here is The Spectre, a ghostly crime fighter at night, and a detective by day. Running at just over 11 minutes, the film doesn't really have time to express itself storywise, but visually this short was awesome. It takes a page from Grindhouse, adding in film grain/scratches, lo-fi sound track, funk music, and surprisingly gory violence. It's a really nice treat, and hearing Gary Cole trying to be menacing in what is essentially a 70s noir is just awesome. Definitely worth watching.

Extras
As usual, the first disc extras are crap. Other than The Spectre short, you have re-hashed previews for previous DC Universe films, an interesting preview of the next film, Batman: Under the Red Hood, and trailers for other Warner Bros. projects, like the recently released Halo Legends. Otherwise, no commentary whatsoever.

The second disc is of course the actual special features disc, well at least you'd think it was. But when you boot up this disc, you'll be surprisingly shocked to only see two options on a bare menu. First is a 25 minute documentary called DCU: The New World which focuses on the various "Crisis" story-arcs in the DC Universe as well as the people and background behind the major events in the DCU. It's really informative if you're looking into the back-story of major comic book stories, but if you're someone that just likes the DC characters in film/animation, and don't care for the actual comics, then you might not have much interest here.

Then there's he two-part Justice League episode, "A Better World," which features a similar parallel universe storyline and is one of the better episodes of that series. But it also feels like a cop out for new content. If you want features, like more JL episodes and un-aired TV pilots, get the Blu-ray.

Final Thoughts
Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths is definitely a step above Green Lantern: First Flight and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, both in visual appeal and storytelling, and just overall is a better film. However, it still falls flat in the extras department. Sure, The Spectre short film is worth the asking price, but the somewhat alienating Crisis documentary and the Justice League episode being the only features on the second disc is really upsetting. If there's one thing DC should learn from what made Wonder Woman so good it's that not only was the film great, but the extras were both informative and plenty. And it's a shame that a good film like Crisis On Two Earths suffers from a lack of proper supplementary material.

Overall Score: 8.3/10

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD review

Despite each hero already having their own DC Universe release (Superman Doomsday and Batman: Gotham Knight), not to mention both appearing in Justice League: The New Frontier, Superman and Batman return to the direct-to-DVD scene with a film of their own. After the disappointment that was Green Lantern: First Flight, have Warner Bros. and DC Comics stepped up there game? Or has this DC Universe animated movies series lost its fuel?

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is actually an adaptation of the first story arc of DC Comics' monthly Superman/Batman series, "The Worlds Finest," which released in 2003. Myself, I never actually read the series, but I do remember when it came out, as I wasn't particularly fond of all the characters' obnoxiously muscular, bulky designs. And coming into this film, I still retained the same distaste, as the animated adaptation designed itself after the comics, giving Public Enemies a much different appearance than any previously release DC animated projects.

Story is simple, Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) becomes President of the United States, declares Superman (Tim Daly) as a threat with a $1 Billion on his head... oh, and a kryptonite meteor is heading towards Earth. Along the way Superman enlists Batman's (Kevin Conroy) help, as they fend of DC villains and heroes alike and try to save Earth and stop Luthor. The film is just a predictable as any other Superman vs. Lex Luthor story, but it's still a fun watch. Design wise, I was surprised by some of the fluidity in the bulky characters, but then there's parts where it all just seems stiff. I still can't get over how ugly some of the character and CGI designs are though, that bothered me the most.

In terms of extras, the first disc, like the last few DC Universe releases before it, just rehashes the mini-previews for previous direct-to-disc releases, and nothing more, sadly. And once again, there's no movie commentary and the Digital Copy is Windows only (seriously, iTunes/Mac support is that hard?).

The second disc however, again like previous releases is where the real extras come in. There's two main features here, the 19-minute, "A Test of Minds: The Psychology of Superman and Batman," which is a pretty interesting comparison of DC's two big heroes. Next is the 26-minute "Dinner with DCU and Kevin Conroy," which has DC Universe's main people in charge, along with Batman himself, Kevin Conroy discussing the film at the DC animated history. Also on the disc is the first previous of the next DC Universe animated film, Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths, which looks pretty interesting and is wholly original story. Lastly, there's two episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, which happen to feature Batman. It doesn't sound like much, but considering what was lacking from their last release, this is a nice return to form.

Overall, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies isn't a bad film. It's certainly better than Green Lantern: First Flight, but not really near the caliber of Wonder Woman. Also, for my tastes, I felt the film was a little too much of a Superman story rather than a real combined Superman/Batman tale; so, Warner Bros., next time you try this, at least let us see Gotham City, OK?

Overall Score: 8/10

Green Lantern: First Flight review

After Wonder Woman's stellar direct-to-DVD film, does DC's fourth ranked superhero reach the same level of success that the previous film did, or should Green Lantern: First Flight have been left on the drawing board?

As usual, I picked up the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD version (the bonus one from Best Buy actually, as it comes with a little Green Lantern figure), as I still have yet to be convinced that I need a 2D film in high-definition. The only difference between the Blu-ray and two-disc DVD release though is the addition of more Justice League episodes; so regardless of which you pick up you won't miss anything.

One dilemma that probably came to the minds of DC Universe fans was just how was this film going to work when Justice League: The New Frontier already focused heavily on Hal Jordan and his origin story as the Green Lantern. Thankfully, First Flight covers the origin story quickly, before the opening credits actually, and then rest of the film is completely off of Earth, which was interesting to see.

Because the film completely takes place in space, the film heavily revolves around the Green Lantern Corps, from the Guardians, to the Green Element at the center of Oa, it's all here. But essentially the film is a tale of "Good Cop / Bad Cop" between Hal Jordan and Sinestro; and if you're like me, and have a large awareness of the Green Lantern storyline and background, then the film doesn't feel very new, and in fact you can probably guess where it ends up long before the film starts going anywhere. Seriously, there's really no need for me to explain anything because all you need to hear is "Hal Jordan's first duty as Green Lantern" and "Sinestro" and you can pretty much get it you're first try.

But it's not just the story that fell flat for me, but it was the visual style too. While as intricate and stylized it may be, it reminded me way to much of Men In Black: The Series and Jackie Chan Adventures for me to really enjoy the film; it's the same reason I couldn't get into The Batman. I'm sure someone will enjoy the style, but when characters like Abin Sur and Kanjar Ro are completely unidentifiable from their traditional look, then something is definitely wrong.

For Extras, the first disc (what you get in the standard edition) of First Flight has a few offerings: a first look featurette at the next DC Universe animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, some rehashed featurettes for Wonder Woman, The New Frontier, and Gotham Knight, some trailers, and a new featurette on the current Green Lantern comic story-arc, Blackest Night. But there is no commentary this time around, sadly, as it would've been nice to get an explanation on some of the creative decisions for the film.

AS for the second disc, that's where the real features are at. First off is an 8-minute long featurette on the Green Lantern's mythology, more specifically on Hal Jordan, obviously, so there's nothing about the other four Green Lanterns of Earth. Then there's two short background videos for Sinestro and the Guardians. Then there's an episode of Duck Dodgers, "The Green Loontern", and it's in my opinion the only decent episode of that show; and then there's the two-part Justice League Unlimited episode, "The Once and Future Thing", which is one of my personal favorite JLU episodes as it melds Justice League, Batman Beyond, and Static Shock, and even has Hal Jordan step in for a brief moment. And yeah, that's about it, no fancy 30 min featurettes, commentary tracks, its a nice variety, but nothing special. Oh, and like Black Frieghter, the digital-copy is Windows only, leaving us Mac users in the dust again...

Overall, despite being a decent film, I'm pretty dissapointed after watching Green Lantern: First Flight. Perhaps it's just due comparison of what DC Universe animated films have brought in the past, or that my expectations were set way to high after watching Wonder Woman, but there seems to be a lot missing this time around. There's no commentary, or cast interviews, really there's just no explanation for the creative decisions for the film, and they're what bothered me the most, particularly the visual style. As a Green Lantern fan, it pains me to say that this is the worst of the current DC Universe animated films, but it really is when compared to the rest and I hope the next outing fairs a bit better.

Overall Score: 7/10

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

With the release of DC Comics' next DC Universe direct-to-disc (because it's now DVD and Blu-ray releases) animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight, just a week or so away, it seems that Warner Bros. is silently gearing up for their next release: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, based on the "Public Enemies" story-arc from the first six issues of the 2003-present Superman/Batman comic series.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies website and trailer

Based on the trailer alone, I can say that this is certainly the most visually different work that DC and Bruce Timm have released in recent years. Other than Batman: Gotham Knight, which was made by anime studios, Superman-Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier, and Wonder Woman all resembled past DC work, albeit slightly tweaked. Public Enemies (not to be confused with that new Johnny Depp as John Dillinger film...) instead aims to look like its source material, giving the character designs that very comic-booky, unreal design. Personally, it bothers me, because I've always liked the look of Bruce Timm's animated series/films for DC Comics, and this just seems to stray too far from that for me to visually enjoy. I'll be the final judge of that when it releases on DVD and Blu-ray this September 29th...

Green Lantern: First Flight trailer

Warner Bros. has released the debut trailer for the next DC Universe animated film, Green Lantern: First Flight, set for release on July 2st, 2009:

Looks promising, and has a style different from that of the previous DC Universe films. Let's just hope it can surpass the stellar Wonder Woman film, just as that topped the previous direct-to-disc movies.

Wonder Woman review

After years of taking a back seat to Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman finally gets her own spotlight in the animated DC Universe. But will her film stand tall against the work of her fellow heroes?

As a first note, I'm reviewing the two-disc DVD edition of the film; which is the same as the Blu-ray, but not in HD. The standard edition of the film only contains the movie, and few special features. On with the film shall we? The film opens up with a very 300-esque battle, which is actually in the past, setting up as to how the island of Themyscira came to be. Though unlike the previous DC outings, the battle lacks the blood we're used to seeing, despite overly brutal violence. And yes, I mean brutal, like beheadings, and axes to the face; don't let the title fool you.

It is soon after that the tale of Princess Diana (voiced by Keri Russell) is told. It's all here, from pilot Steve Trevor (voiced by Nathan Fillion) crash landing, to the famed contest to become Themyscira's emissary to the United States, even the invisible jet comes along; oh, and let's not forget Ares, the God of War (voiced by Alfred Molina), has escaped from his imprisonment. It is after this that Diana and Steve fly to New York, where Diana learns just how different man's world is from her own; and soon learns of Ares' plot to unleash Hell. And, as usual I'll have to stop there for spoiler reasons, but I assure you, the story will keep you engaged till the last frame.

As with previous DC Universe releases, Wonder Woman is not without a myriad of special features. On the first disc (same as the standard edition) you'll find audio commentary, and a new featurette on the next DC animated film Green Lantern: First Flight; the disc also includes rehashes of Wonder Woman, New Frontier, and Gotham Knight featurettes, as well as some trailers for other Warner Bros. films; a.k a. if you get the standard edition, sorry you.

However, the second disc is a whole other story, as it's specifically for special features (as well as the bonus Digital Copy). First on the disc is a 25 minute documentary, "Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream," which focuses on Wonder Woman's creator, Dr. William Moulton Marston, and Wonder Woman as an iconic symbol. It's actually a really interesting documented, and one to watch for those that are interested in the character's upbringing. Next on the disc is another documentary, "Wonder Woman: Daughter of Myth," which focuses on the character's fictional origins, and is just as informative as the former. Lastly on the disc are two episodes from Justice League Unlimited, which focus on Wonder Woman's character, and are decent episodes in their own right.

Overall, Wonder Woman is not only a great addition to the animated DC Universe films, it's the best yet. The film excels in its storytelling in that it's straight forward and keeps you interested till the very end. In a sense, it work's better than the previous films, Superman Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier, in that the creative team isn't worrying about adapting a known story arc, they keep to the mythos of the character, but yet are able to do it, in a sense, without a boundary. But it's not just the story that does justice, the cast works really well too. Kari Russell sounds great as a serious Princess Diana, while Nathan Fillion counters that with his Captain Hammer-like charm and comedic sass that he channels into Steve Rodgers, and last but not least is Alfred Molina, who does just as menacing and foreboding a job as Ares as he did as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2. This movie stands well enough on its own, that I feel if a live action film of the character ever comes to fruition, this is the film to beat, hands down.

Overall Score: 9.6/10

I'll be honest, I didn't care much for Wonder Woman prior to this, but the film, as well as the two documentaries have given me a renewed respect for the character. However, I don't think I can explain enough how much higher the bar has been set for future DC animated films because of this. And the funny thing is, I actually planned to not purchase this, because of my disinterest, but I bought it anyways because I have the previous DC Universe films and felt it would be unfair to skip one. Sure, as an animated film, I've seen better visually, but it works for what it is, and excels everywhere else. Not to mention, we failed to give out a VFH Seal of Approval for February; so we'll just call this belated, but much deserved.

Green Lantern: First Flight

With Wonder Woman hitting stores today, Warner Bros. and DC Comics decided to shed some light on its next direct to disc animated feature: Green Lantern: First Flight. Along with an official website, a featurette about the project is also now available:
Green Lantern: First Flight - Behind the Scenes


Full press release at SuperHeroHype

Batman: Gotham Knight on CN

The direct-to-DVD anime collection, Batman: Gotham Knight, will be premiering on Cartoon Network tomorrow night at 9:00 PM EST. This should be good news for any of you unwilling to actually purchase the collected six shorts. No idea how edited this televised version will be, but there was some grotesque violence in a couple shorts, so I'm sure something has to be edited.

If you need some catching up on Gotham Knight, you can check out my review at VFH Classic.

Wonder Woman trailer

The first footage of the DC Universe direct-to-DVD series' latest project, Wonder Woman, is now online and at VFHvideo. The movie, as told by it's title, is basically the origin story and first adventures sort of deal, but animated. So insted of a Batman Begins, or Superman movie treatment, Wonder Woman goes animated and right to DVD. It's almost fair though, it's not like there's ever been a Wonder Woman animated series. And not to be whatever, but I'm not sure if I plan to get this DC Universe entry. Sure, I probably will because I have the first three films of the DC Universe series, but the fact that Warner opted for this instead of the Teen Titans: Judas Contract film still bugs me. The February 2009 release date is still months away.


And yes, you may notice, this video has broken our chain of PixelJunk Eden videos, but no worries; as soon as I finish the rest of the Gardens, an Eden Playlist will be made.

Batman: Gotham Knight review

Here it is, after two long years, View From Heaven finally has a new anime review! With it you will also notice a new anime banner style. For example:

Old Banner style


New Banner style

I'm still debating whether or not I should make new banners for all animes, even though I know I really should. Anyways, back to why I'm here. I finally got around to purchasing a new anime, it may not be what you'd expect, but it's anime no less. I really enjoyed the Gotham Knight shorts, and i hope you check this review out. Its not like you've read a new VFH Anime review in the last two years right?

Note: The review only focuses on the anime aspect of the set, so nothing about the featurettes on Bob Kane or Batman's Villians in noted, nor are the 4 episodes of Batman The Animated Series, it is strictly the anime part.

Batman: Gotham Knight review - Classic VFH

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UPDATE (3/22/10) VFH Classic is dead; while this review was unrestorable from the web, I luckily somehow had it saved on my computer:

Overview
The third of the DC Universe direct-to-video series, Batman: Gotham Knight is different because it is a series of six short anime films. Each story is by buy a different artist, writer, and staff; with four studios contributing. The studios are Studio 4°C, Production I.G., Bee Train, and Madhouse; with Studio 4°C and Madhouse providing two shorts each. Each segment has a completely different style, but some consistencies are had. For instance, there is a constant story of a power struggle between Italian and Russian mafias, elements and characters of the story appear with in each short, and the voice cast is consistent; with Kevin Conroy ,who voiced Batman/Bruce Wayne in The Animated Series, reprising he role.Instead of covering the film as a whole, I will review it short by short.

Have I Got A Story For You
From Studio 4°C, this first is probably the most creative of the shorts. The story is about how three kids tell their encounters with Batman to a fourth character. Each story creates a different image of Batman; the first being a demonic shadowy figure, the next almost emulating Man-Bat, and the last being a robot. But Batman himself soon crashes in, and smoke fills the room, and the only one who can see Batman is the fourth kid. The direction was very similar to an episode of The Animated Series, "Legends of the Dark Knight". I happened to really enjoy this one because of the variety and style, which makes it much different from the rest.
Score: 9/10

Crossfire
From Production I.G., this follows two cops from Gotham City Police Department's Major Crime Unit (MCU), Crispus Allen and Anna Ramirez. Both are leery of Batman's activity, with Crispus persisting that The Bat is a vigilante, where Anna wants to defend him. Lt. Gordon sends the two out to bring in a criminal, and they soon find them selves in the middle of a fire fight between the Italians and Russians. This one was decent, and it is important as it introduces Lt. Gorden, Crispus, Anna, and the Italian Mafia (led by Sal Moroni) and the Russian Mob (led by a man known as "The Russian"), all of which play important roles in the later shorts. As for the portrayal of Batman, this one is much more traditional, but you don't see too much of him to really get a feel for him.
Score: 6/10

Field Test
From Bee Train, this film focuses on Bruce Wayne more so than Batman. It starts out with Bruce and Lucius Fox testing out a new electromagnetic weapon, with the capability of deflecting bullets. Bruce decides to first use it out on the golf course, in order to make his opponent look bad. After receiving a tip about the Italians and Russians out at sea, he dons his Bat suit and pursues the ships. After rounding the groups together, he grabs old of the two bosses and demands they settle their differences. All is well, but one grunt doesn't gets the message and fire, but with Batman's new gadget the bullet ricochets and hits a nearby thug. It's hear that Batman's human side comes in and rushes the man to the hospital. He later decides that he must put his own life on the line, and no one else's, leaving the gadget behind. It was nice to get to see Bruce for a change, thought hearing Conry trying to sound younger seemed a little forced. The Bat suit of this short is also a little strange, with a beak-like mask and oversized chest plate.
Score: 6.5/10

In Darkness Dwells
From Madhouse, this is probably the darkest film of the set. It portrays Batman as a stout, grumpy, demon-like man, almost contrary to all other portrayals of him in the film. Batman is given word of an 8 foot tall reptilian like creature lurking the sewers, and he believes Scarecrow's toxin gas is causing whatever the creature is, to act this way. Soon after his exploration of the sewers, Batman is attacked by an infected Killer Croc, who bites Batman and injects the Scarecrow's toxins into him. Woozy, he persists on through the sewers, and hears chants being led by the Scarecrow, and sees the group has held a Cardinal hostage. Batman confronts the Scarecrow, blowing up the sewers, and saves the hostage. It was nice to see a short that really referenced Batman Begins in story, even if it didn't do so visually. The dark portrayal of the characters also made it feel closer to Batman Begins.
Score: 7.5/10

Working Through Pain
The second film from Studio 4°C, this starts of with an injured Batman trying to escape the sewers, and realizing he has been wounded in his abdomen. As he tries to heel it, he is overcome with pain and recalls a time when he was aiding a wounded man, and rethinks of how he overcame his pain. It is here he remembers when he was in India, and he met with a spiritual woman named Cassandra. He wanted her to teach him way to overcome pain, but he then learns that he can never escape it. Back as Batman, he persues back to the surface, and gives Alfred a call. But while still in the sewer he starts to find guns, including one thrown in there during Field Test. I personally really liked this portrayal of Batman, because it really shows that he can suffer the same pain as everyone else. I also really and enjoyed the single tone coloring style used, especially in contrast with the heavy black tones of Madhouse's work. I also felt the Indian setting was a nice change from the slums of Gotham.
Score: 9.5/10

Deadshot
The second film from Madhouse and finale of this collection, this focuses of the short's titular character, Deadshot, a hired assassin. Cut to Wayne Manor, where Bruce is studying he new found gun collection, and discusses with Alfred of how he refuses to use guns, but can understand their appeal. We then find out that Deadshot is hired by the Mafia to take out Lt. Gordon is order to get Batman's attention. Thanks to Batman, he misses Gordon, but still gets his chance at Batman. They duke it out on a high speed train, and when Deadshot's tool of destruction are ruined, he's left helpless, and Batman rides off. This certainly was the story that Warner wanted to focus on, as it is used on the cover on released versions of the film. And it certainly is the most traditional looking Bat suit of the entire series of shorts. However I personally did like like the art style used, as it just didn't work that well on human characters. But at the same time this was a very good culmination to the set, and should flow well into The Dark Knight.
Score: 8/10

Final Thoughts
Batman: Gotham Knight is the first ever DC Universe anime, and it certainly stands out amongst the other DC animated projects, as there's just nothing like it. And what makes this different from Warner's previous anime project, The Animatrix, is the fact that Gotham Knight follows a consistent story. So that even with an entirely different team working from film to film, the story flows really well, and characters seem to evolve. It creates a great sense of variety while still keeping it self together. It's a must buy for Batman and anime fans alike. Even if you aren't a fan of anime, but like Batman, this is a great way to get you to appreciate the medium.

Overall: 8/10

Batman: Gotham Knight

Quitea bit on the upcoming DVD Batman: Gotham Knight. First off, the site gota major over haul, with more features yet to come, you can view it here. also, with the new site comes two videos. The first is the trailer that released a week or two ago, the second is brand new and features the staff and lots of new footage!

Batman: Gotham Knight - Trailer


Batman: Gotham Knight - Sizzle Reel