Review of Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) by Jackson M — 06 Aug 2014

Despite recently moving into a more experimental stage, the superhero genre has suffered at times due to an unwillingness to tinker with the conventions and mythologies of popular superheroes. Thankfully, the animation world is not afraid to take a much more creativity approach towards various superhero conventions and is willing to make some audacious changes. With Batman being one the most beloved comic-book characters in popular culture, it is always refreshing to see a different take on the caped crusader. And while at times "Gotham Knight" explores similar (and tiresome) themes that are associated with the iconic figure, the creative approach to storytelling and the visual image compensate for these various shortcomings.

The narrative is dispersed as a collection of short stories that explore various notions and characters associated with Batman. The first, "Have I Got A Story For You" features the tales of four punk kids and their different perceptions of the hero. As suggested with the number of the narrators, the most refreshing aspect about this opener is the creators approach to storytelling. Rather than the usual deliverance of the narrative coming from a sole character or a third-person perception often associated with the DC animation realm, the opening tale rather tells its story through four conflicting narrators and their encounter with Batman (each providing different depictions). Furthermore, not only does this narration style display a more a creative approach, but also plays with the notion of the mythical qualities that surround heroes. And in the conclusion of this tale, the mythical element that surrounds most superheroes is suggested to be subverted with Batman.

While in the opening tale - both creative and thematically - there are some really interesting and refreshing approaches to exploring the mythology that surrounds Batman, the second short story unfortunately lacks the spark of the first. "Crossfire," the second tale, explores the tiresome notion associated with most heroes: how can you trust a vigilante? Despite exploring this somewhat generic theme, the amount of atmosphere created in this second tale is astonishing. From the blend of horrific images (with some great editing) and a disturbing score that all contribute to reflect beautifully the dark, cynical world of Gotham City. However, while these opening segments displays the great things about the DC animation world, the other short stories (as previously mentioned) are lackluster at times. Narrative devices become repetitive (especially the use of the Russian and Falcone twice as the villains), and while "Working Through Pain" is brutal, watching this short in a post-"Dark Knight Rises" context and Nolan's use of climbing metaphor to represent Bruce's external and internal conflict cannot compare. The final episode with Deadshot seems to be hinting at some interesting stuff but eventually gets shortchanged for a superfluous action sequence.

Nonetheless, while "Gotham Knight" has certain shortcomings, this DC animation display a sense of creativity that most superheroes films lack and also contains some great visual and atmospheric tension.