Today’s quick review: Batman: Gotham Knight. Batman (Kevin Conroy) continues to clean up the streets of Gotham with the help of Lr. Jim Gordon (Jim Meskimen), Lucius Fox (Kevin Michael Richardson), and Alfred Pennyworth (David McCallum). As his heroics give hope to the people of Gotham and to the police force, Batman faces a new wave of threats, including a fierce gang war, a beast that prowls the sewers, and a deadly sharpshooter for hire.
Batman: Gotham Knight is an animated superhero anthology featuring six short films about Batman. Loosely set in the world of Batman Begins, Gotham Knight explores different aspects of Batman’s character with a variety of perspectives and art styles. The stories are largely independent, but they connect together through consistent background events and details. The end result is a medley with interesting parts but no standout hits.
Like with most anthologies, the stories in Gotham Knight vary in style and focus. Stories like “Have I Got a Story for You” and “Crossfire” show Batman’s impact on the city’s civilians and honest cops, respectively. “Field Test” and “Working Through Pain” delve into Batman’s allies, technology, and methods. Finally, “In Darkness Dwells” and “Deadshot” introduce a couple of classic Batman villains to the more grounded world of Batman Begins.
Batman: Gotham Knight’s main failing is that it doesn’t finish what it starts. The short films cover a variety of topics, but few of them feel like full stories, even taking their short run times into account. As such, Gotham Knight has decent moment-to-moment writing but never really builds to anything in particular. The short films are more ruminations on Batman than pared-down stories, though the execution quality is solid throughout.
Batman: Gotham Knight is a decent pick for fans of the superhero genre. It serves mainly as a lower-stakes look at Bruce Wayne’s life, a mixture of action, world-building, and character development for Batman. Those who don’t mind the supplementary nature of the movie may want to give it a whirl. Those hoping for gripping, plot-driving short stories may want to steer clear. For a similar flavor of animated Batman, try Batman: Year One.
6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for an interesting mix of stories with few standout moments.