Batman Gotham....zzzzzz

The Dark Knight is hitting theaters this Friday. I am seriously sweating with anticipation for this damn movie. I am a Batman fiend. I am especially fond of the animated series. There are such moments of greatness in that show. I don't have enough time and space on this site to go into it. It was a great show. So, I see a commercial for this new DVD coming out called Batman Gotham Knight and that it's a PG-13 anime vision of the Batman mythos! I admit, I got a full-on robot chubby. Wait, it's an anthology? Like The Animatrix? Half chub. Kevin Conroy is voicing Batman through the entire thing? Full chub returns.

How is it? Well, it's an anthology, which by definition is a mixed bag. So, it's a mixed bag. There are six "interlocking" stories. I use the terms "interlocking" and "stories" VERY loosely. The opening short "Have I got A Story For You" is about a handful urban-street-skater kids who have had brief encounters with Batman and are telling there own exaggerated versions of their stories. I won't spend any more time on this one, it's style doesn't fit the subject matter and it's dumb. Everyone I've spoken to who's watched this disc agrees. Definitely the weakest of the bunch.

Second story is "Crossfire", which focuses on Allen and Ramirez is about Allen's distaste for Batman and his vigilante vengeance. Batman ends up saving his ass at Arkham Asylum and he changes his tune. Again...fucking boring. I hope this gets better.

Third chapter is called "Field Test" and is the first chapter to actually look like anime. Sporting a very young looking Bruce Wayne dealing with Lucius and a new device Batman can wear that deflects bullets. This came just in time as my patience with this DVD was wearing very thin. The Batman design is both different and cool. It's short and sweet and actually has some cool moments. Okay, now we're getting somewhere.

Chapter four, "In Darkness Dwells" is written by David Goyer [that tattooed fucker] and produced by anime badasses Madhouse. Why couldn't this chapter been the whole fucking disc? Batman has a BRIEF run-in with Killer Croc [like 15 seconds] that could've went on for 10 minutes in my opinion and eventually finds himself face to face with Scarecrow. This chapter abruptly ends and never really goes anywhere. I absolutely loved the look and tone and seriously wish they could've made a 90 minute flick out of this one. Oh well, just as soon as it began, it's over.

Almost done, chapter five is called "Working Through Pain". This picks up where the last chapter ended and has Batman flashing back to his earlier years when he learned to deal with pain. This is really about Bruce Wayne, but the animation is gorgeous and the little story that's there is very good. There's not much to say about this one. It looks good, they talk, there is a brief action scene and it too, just as the others, ends. Not bad though.

Final chapter. "Deadhsot", written by Alan Burnett and also produced by Madhouse. This also is one that could've easily filled the entire DVD. It has Batman protecting Commissioner Gordon from a super assassin who is attempting to kill him. This chapter is a painting come to life and ends way too soon. This sums up my opinion of the entire DVD. There are moments of greatness that disappear as quickly as they appear. I would say half the disc is not worth watching, but the other half is solid as a rock were it not for the dwarfed playtime of those chapters. It just left me feeling somewhat empty and confused. It was like a commercial for another film I will never get to see. Let me say this, I am a HUGE Batman fan and I cannot recommend purchasing this DVD. Rent, my little friends. This is not one for repeat viewings. Save that dough and spend it on a box set of one of the original animated series.

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