Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Please don't spend money on this.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The first must-see film of the year.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

'Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)' is an anthology of short movies that all centre on the eponymous hero supposedly in the era between 'Batman Begins (2005)' and 'The Dark Knight (2008)', though in execution this doesn't really work as there are elements completely inconsistent with Nolan's world - as well as his continuity - and the non-chronological nature of the story renders any supposed time-frame essentially moot. The through-line initially appears to be the Bat as seen through outside sources, the mystifying of this near-mythological man, but soon we switch perspectives to be inside the suit, so to speak, and the stories then alternate between pseudo origin-stories and more traditional crime-stopping capers. The theme would therefore seem to be the demystification of this myth, building him up as such and then breaking him back down into a man in a cape doing his best for his city. Yet, this isn't conveyed as successfully as you'd hope as the back and forth of the stories doesn't hammer home the perspective switch and the flashback plots don't reveal anything too revelatory, anything that should change the way we see our protagonist. Plus, some of the beats in specific scenes are strange, to say the least, and aren't explored enough to warrant their inclusion or their contrast to the other versions of the same character seen sometimes minutes later. Each segment does seem separate from one another, not just visually. Still, despite the not-so-stellar reasoning for the format, it is nice to see several smaller, original stories that are satisfying on their own and wouldn't find a home elsewhere. Their anime-inspired execution is refreshing as well, with each brought to life in a distinct and usually delightful way. The only segment I actively disliked from an aesthetic approach was 'In Darkness Dwells', which was told entirely via cantor-angles, was oddly disproportionate and was, frankly, unnecessarily grotesque (and I mean in the most mundane of areas). Another small nitpick is that I feel the title cards, which separate the stories, should have been styled uniquely to fit their respective narrative, as the first one was. This is small but would have gone a long way in establishing the tone of the following scenario. While some segments are naturally less successful than others, the effect of the overall picture is an enjoyable and refreshing one. It isn't as compelling, or even as entertaining, as a lot of the other animated Batman movies I've seen recently, mainly because of its lack of an overarching narrative and, consequently, characters to properly invest in. Yet, it is a fun watch in its own way and an excellent addition to any fan of the Dark Knight's repertoire. 6/10

Ahhhhh, it is so nice to just sit back, forget about what ever may be ailing you, and enter into an animated dreamland with the Dark Knight of Gotham. This is a series of well done short animated (anime') stories which are easy to follow, quite pleasant and most interestingly provide a different type of the Batman. The film opens up with three (3) skateboarders not only trying to one-up each other at their favorite skateboard park, but with their individual stories of how they met the anime' Batman. As each skateboarder tells their own story of what happened to them when they needed the Batman's help, each of their stories becomes more interactive and The Batman anime' is gradually introduced to us so that we know what to expect from the subsequent story lines. The animation is great, the short stories wonderfully written, these individual stories are not filled with longer than needed fight scenes (as in some films the CGI fight scenes are so long that I tend to walk away and see what is available in the fridge, and then I still have time for a bio break while some of these fight scenes drag on and on), and then no sooner does the short story end when we see our favorite animated hero tackle another short story villain.I really enjoyed Batman: Gotham Knight so I rated it an 8 out of 10 score. Great job!!!

"Batman: Gotham Knight" is an anthology of six shorts that is loosely set in Christopher's Nolan Batman universe. It works as a tie in between "Batman begins" and "The Dark knight", but you could also watch it separately , without seeing the other movies. All six short movies are done in Anime style and each is written and drawn differently. It reminds obviously "Animatrix" which also was made in Anime style and explored the Matrix universe.The six stories here are : "Have I got a story for you" , "Crossfire" , "Field test" , "In darkness dwells" , "Working through pain" and "Deadshot". Each of the stories looks at Batman from different angle. First talks about the power of symbol using a "Rashomon" storytelling . Second about Gotham cops point of view . Third about Batman's moral code. Forth is a simple action story. Fifth talks about Batman's physical and emotional pain . The final story is about Batman's negative attitude toward guns.The stories are animated , but it doesn't mean that were dealing with kid stories here . There is quite a lot of violence here , so keep that in mind. There isn't unfortunately too much substance ere. Only 2 stories : "Have I got story for you" and "Working through pain" are really thought provoking . The rest have often thin story lines covered by great animation and some action. The result is that "Gotham knight" leaves you wanting more. The movie could use 4 more stories with some substance. It ends too quickly and doesn't necessary have too much to offer on repeated viewings.My favourite stories are "Have I got story for you" , "Working through pain" (both for depth) and "In darkness dwells" (for mood and action). It's interesting that the first one was written by Josh Olson (nominated for Oscar for "History of violence") and the third one by David Goyer (co-writer on the whole "The Dark knight trilogy").The animation is great , the voice acting is good (It was fun to hear Kevin Conroy once again) and the overall quality of "GK" is solid. It doesn't come close to the quality of "Batman : The animated series" . It kinda makes me wonder wouldn't it be better to make a full length story of Batman in anime style or maybe a TV series ? I think it could work just fine."Batman: Gotham Knight" is a nice animated movie . Not as good as "Mask of phantasm" , but definitely better than "Batman versus Dracula". I give it solid 6/10.

I don't really care for animated movies...I like superheroes even less, but Batman is the exception, and when I read that this film bridges the gap between Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, while being written and directed by some of the same people, I got excited. Gotham Knight is a collection of six stories that supposedly tell us what Batman was up too, prior to battling the Joker in the Dark Knight. What I really love about Nolan's Batman movies is how realistic they are, and while Gotham Knight uses the same names and story line, it is anything but realistic. These stories are downright childish and boring. It's like reading Batman's diary and seeing his conversations and what he did at work today, some stories were better than others, but I was pretty much reading Batman's Twitter and it was as dull and simplistic as could be.