Review of Batman Year One By Warner Brothers Animation
-== What is it? ==-
Batman Year One animates the brilliant story from Batman issues #404 through #407. These issues were written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli so the Batman Year One team at Warner Brothers Animation has a tough act to follow. The movie was directed by Sam Lui and Lauren Montgomery. It was produced by DC animation gurus Bruce Timm and Sam Register. Andrea Romano takes on the voice direction. Voice talents include Benjamin McKenzie (Batman), Bryan Cranston (James Gordon), Eliza Dushku (Catwoman), and Katee Sackhoff (Detective Essen). Batman Year One was released in October 2011 by Warner Brothers Animation.
Unlike a lot of other Batman stories Batman Year One is predominately a story about James Gordon. The story tell how Gordon rises in the corrupt Gotham police force to the position of Commissioner. Along the way Gordon has to deal with all kinds of trials and tribulations like police corruption, trouble in his personal life, crime bosses, and the emergence of the Batman.
There is some explicit violence in the movie and some adult subject matter but there are no sex scenes. Probably the most adult scene is in the Catwoman showcase (i.e. one of the extras). The movie is rated “PG-13” and I think that rating is accurate.
I purchased the standard edition version of the DVD. The version I have has some extras but not too many (see below for details). The main movie is 64 minutes long.
-== What I Like ==-
The animated form of Batman Year One closely follows the story presented in the Batman comics. This is probably the strongest aspect of the movie. The story races along at a breakneck pace using location, date, and time references to separate the scenes and speed up the storytelling. The effect is similar to that used by Tom Clancy in his techno-thriller novels. Although the pace of the story is lightning fast is does not lose the viewer but instead chains them to their seat for fear of missing something cool that might be coming along next. 😀
The voice talents in Batman Year One are for the most part very well done. Bryan Cranston does a wonderful job with Gordon as does Katee Sackoff as Detective Essen. Eliza Dusku does a great job portraying the tough as nails Selina Kyle that is present in the main movie. Probably my only disappointment was with Benjamin McKenzie as Batman. At critical times his voice was not scary enough. When Benjamin as Batman utters those critical one liners they sometimes came off as monotone or droll…not frightening.
The Catwoman short that is on the DVD is a fun romp. It tells a solo story featuring Selina Kyle. The story involves Catwoman getting sucked into an international smuggling ring run by a thug named Rough Cut. The story is short but sweet and the animation is wonderful. The action is crisp, smooth, and very well done. Probably my only complaint is with Eliza Dushku. In the main movie Catwoman comes across as being very tough with the seduction nature played down. Eliza’s raspy tone really sounds perfect for “tough as nails Selena Kyle”. In the Showcase piece Catwoman has a very seductive scene in a strip club. For this scene Eliza’s raspy tone distracted me instead of enticed me.
-== What I Don’t Like ==-
The animation in the main Batman Year One movie was the same as that found in the Catwoman short. It is clear and really shows off the action well. The problem is that it is not David Mazzucchelli’s Batman Year One. David brought a grittiness to the artwork. He also brought a sort of unsteadiness in the lines that really makes the entire book feel tense. It matches the story perfectly. The stunning artwork of Mazzucchelli’s Batman masterpiece is not here.
The extras on the single disc edition are poor. They include the Catwoman Showcase, and extended previews for Justice League: Doom, All-Star Superman, and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. The Catwoman piece is great but the rest of the extras are just extended commercials. I would have loved to have a piece on making Batman Year One and an audio track from the producers. There is a two disc edition available and after doing some research it looks like it might have been a better package as they extended the extras quite a bit.
-== Summary ==-
There are really a lot of things to like about Batman Year One. The story is wonderful and the voice acting is pretty great. If you have not read the source material then the movie will likely come off a lot stronger. I still think Batman Year One is a pretty great product even if you have read the Batman comics. In fact this might be one of the best Batman animated movies…it is certainly one of the best animated features I have seen this year. 🙂
You can picks a copy of the single disc edition at Amazon at this
I give it 9 out of 10 paws.
