Review of Batman: Year One (2011) by Sidney S — 23 Jun 2013

One of my all time favourite Batman stories is adapted into thrilling animation. Frank Miller's Year One is often cited as the definitive Batman story, showcasing his haunted origins and bringing Bruce Wayne into full suit and out patrolling Gotham City for the first time. Rather than being the skilled detective with state of the art gadgets, and being the master crime fighter I loved how Year One brings the character to his origins, he is a rookie, he messes up he can get hurt and in one situation nearly apprehended in an abandoned building by the Gotham City PD. Batman has to use nothing but his wits and what he has learned over the years to escape. Also this was before there were any supervillians so its great Batman taking down crooks, mobsters and taking on corrupt police as well as aligning himself with James Gordon before he is the commissioner of police to install justice in a crime ridden city.

Benjamin McKenzie's Batman is great, you can hear in his voice the torment and the drive he has to take on the criminals. As well as the erie dark and intimidating voice to plunge fear into the hearts of criminals. McKenzie was the perfect voice actor for a younger Batman. I also like how Year One stayed as accurate as possible, the animations itself looked like it came out of the pages of the comic by how each character looks. As well as a large focus on James Gordon voiced by Bryan Cranston, and his uncertainty of moving to Gotham and building a trust for the city's new protector in the shadows. Even hearing the narration via thoughts from Gordon and Bruce Wayne as the story progresses and revealing Wayne's origins through flashback as the comics did. Batman Year One not only is the defining Batman comic that revamped the character but it is also a great animated film that is spot on to the source material.