Batman: Gotham Knight

For those of you who haven't heard, B:GK is a "film" that shows the Batman's transformation from newbie to professional badass. I use the term film loosely because this dvd is actually a series of semi-standalone episodes. Each episode is directed by a different person and has a different visual style. It is also produced by the same people who did Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Now some people might be turned away from this film because its anime visual style but I thought it brought a whole different element to the Batman. There are 3 anime studios who work on this productions. Even anime lovers might question what they're getting into if they're not familiar with the art style in the first episode "Have I got a story for you". I admit at first I didn't like it but I found that it was perfect for the theme of the episode, in which a group of kids tell of their experiences seeing the Batman. The background animation is simply superb; they are full of such detail. Some of the later episodes, most notably "Deadshot", had some of the best animation I've seen.

On a completely different note, Hearing the AMAZING voice talent of Kevin Conroy, voice of Batman in Batman the Animated series as well as Justice League, was one of the best features of this film.

On the whole I would have to rate this an 8/10. The choppiness was a bit jarring at times, and aside from the visuals I was never really blown away. Though there were some great stories in there. It also didn't seem to have much in common with the Chris Nolan films, although it did reference the Narrows and the idea of the gangs could play a part in The Dark Knight. I also have to say it was too short, I wanted more.I would recommend this to any hardcore batman fan or a casual viewer who won't be turned off by the visuals; anyone else should probably rent it first.