Batman:Gotham Knight, a tie in Anime direct to DVD feature to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is a wonderful, well done, excellent piece. One of the best Anime features I have seen. It is slightly better than The Animatrix which is similar to Batman: Gotham Knight. Batman: Gotham Knight features six segments, each written and drawn differently.
Segment One, Have I got a Story For You: A group of youngsters at a Skateboard park tell stories about their encounter with Batman. Each one is different and there is a neat twist at the end. This one featured the best special effects of the Six and its also the lightest but you can't even call it that because the tone of the story is still pretty dark.
Segment Two, Crossfire: Two Gotham detectives, part of the new Major Crimes Unit or MCU which is ran by Lt.Gordon have different view points of Batman but their viewpoints are changed forever when they encounter Batman at a fight between rival mobs ran by Sal Maroni and a new comer, the Russian. The dialog in this one is the weakest but it makes up with awesome action sequences and character development.
Segment Three, Field Test: This story, we get to see and learn more about the gadgets Batman uses and his moral code when it comes to fighting crime and this one features more of the gang war between Maroni and The Russian. This one has probably the best dialog and character development of the six segments.
Segment Four, In Darkness Dwells: Batman hunts Killer Croc who was a victim of Scarecrow's fear toxin and experiments. During the hunt, Batman encounters Scarecrow and his "Cult". This one was probably my favorite despite the fact Killer Croc is not in this but a minute or two.
Segment Five, Working Through Pain: This segment explores Bruce Wanye's training he uses to fight crime and working with a local "witch" Cassandra who teaches him the techniques he will use to fight crime in Gotham City. This one has really good visuals and an interesting story, in fact this one was almost my favorite segment but the blood and gore is a bit of a turn off especially at the beginning.
Segment Six, Deadshot: Batman battles an assassin Deadshot. This one had the best pacing of the six and the final fight with Deadshot was brilliantly animated and fun.
Overall, Batman: Gotham Knight had its flaws but they were minor flaws and I highly recommend this DVD to any die hard Batman fan or to anyone who plans on seeing The Dark Knight.
Segment One, Have I got a Story For You: A group of youngsters at a Skateboard park tell stories about their encounter with Batman. Each one is different and there is a neat twist at the end. This one featured the best special effects of the Six and its also the lightest but you can't even call it that because the tone of the story is still pretty dark.
Segment Two, Crossfire: Two Gotham detectives, part of the new Major Crimes Unit or MCU which is ran by Lt.Gordon have different view points of Batman but their viewpoints are changed forever when they encounter Batman at a fight between rival mobs ran by Sal Maroni and a new comer, the Russian. The dialog in this one is the weakest but it makes up with awesome action sequences and character development.
Segment Three, Field Test: This story, we get to see and learn more about the gadgets Batman uses and his moral code when it comes to fighting crime and this one features more of the gang war between Maroni and The Russian. This one has probably the best dialog and character development of the six segments.
Segment Four, In Darkness Dwells: Batman hunts Killer Croc who was a victim of Scarecrow's fear toxin and experiments. During the hunt, Batman encounters Scarecrow and his "Cult". This one was probably my favorite despite the fact Killer Croc is not in this but a minute or two.
Segment Five, Working Through Pain: This segment explores Bruce Wanye's training he uses to fight crime and working with a local "witch" Cassandra who teaches him the techniques he will use to fight crime in Gotham City. This one has really good visuals and an interesting story, in fact this one was almost my favorite segment but the blood and gore is a bit of a turn off especially at the beginning.
Segment Six, Deadshot: Batman battles an assassin Deadshot. This one had the best pacing of the six and the final fight with Deadshot was brilliantly animated and fun.
Overall, Batman: Gotham Knight had its flaws but they were minor flaws and I highly recommend this DVD to any die hard Batman fan or to anyone who plans on seeing The Dark Knight.