Batman: Year One [2011 - video]

“Look at my new scooter Mommy. No training wheels!”

What is it that draws us to superheroes? They represent the good and noble. Batman: Year One (B:YO) on the other hand was a one hour and four minute parade of all that is wrong about humanity. You will not find any that are good in this somber, morose and dragging release. That includes Jim Gordon and even Batman himself.

Okay, maybe not Alfred. But he’s the exception.

We are going to liven up this take on a boring, depressing feature with fun pictures of Adam West’s Batman!

Is B:YO based on a comic book of the same name? Probably. We do not know for sure, nor do we care. What may have made for a good comic book -MAY HAVE, certainly did not make for a satisfying video release. However, if you have just filled a prescription for your antidepressant of choice, we have just the picture for you! Perhaps it would have been more aptly named:

Jim Gordon: The Hardscrabble Early Police Years

Detective Flass is 100% the selfish, good looking, jock stereotype. You know he is bad because he bullies Hare Krishnas. What’s next? Nuns?

Oh yeah. How about a pointless fight between pre-Batman Bruce Wayne and pre-Catwoman Selena Kyle. (She’s been hitting the weights…)

Our synopsis in a sentence: Troubled billionaire Bruce Wayne returns to Beirut -er, Gotham City where he finds everything and everyone corrupt from the ubiquitous criminal scum to even the Mos Eisley Spaceport Police Force which are a wretched hive of scum and villainy -wait, we meant the Gotham City Police Force against which a whiny, indecisive and amateurish new Batman tries to right the wrongs along with the depressing drama’s real star, gun toting, bat wielding tough guy Jim Gordon who of course is also morally flawed.

Batman pushed to the limit by three teens with a TV.

Batman and Robin pushed to the limit by using the Bat-run to accomplish a 4 minute mile. (Really!)

Yes, Jim Gordon spends more time combating evil than Bruce Wayne. The latter spends most of this dolorous movie agonizing in dark rooms in Wayne Manor, or whining mournful dirges out in the snow in front of gravestones.

Oh Flass, you are so bad. To keep up with his stereotype here he beats up a teen and tosses him in a locker- er, dumpster.

Lest you think we are exaggerating about the stereotype, here is Flass wearing… a varsity jacket.

It seems few even want to clean up Gotham City. You are given the impression it has been corrupt for a long time, and that the city has accepted its deplorable state of moral decay. And honestly by the end of the picture, the woeful state has hardly changed. Nor do you really end up caring. That city as depicted deserves what it gets.

“News flash: Gotham City sucks.”

How will Batman get out of this one?

There really is no overarching story. Bruce Wayne meanders his way to becoming Batman, but there is little time devoted to it. Most of the time is spent on amazingly buff Jim Gordon, ex-kick butt commando. Jim Gordon who takes a bat to a corrupt police officer. Jim Gordon who wants to clean up the mess that has become Gotham City. And of course in keeping with this perfidious production, an adulterer behind the back of his pregnant wife.

Jim Gordon about to smooch with Katee Sackhoff voiced Det. Essen.

Is Commissioner Loeb really (stereotypically) bad? Go down the checklist: Overweight? Check. Bow-tie? Check. Super smarmy grin? Oh yeah, he’s bad.

If you are a hard-core comic book fan who just loved the comic this production was based upon (or Nolan’s The Dark Knight), you may have some curiosity about seeing B:YO. If you are looking for an entertaining and (even mildly) uplifting story about fighting evil, this is most certainly not for you. There is bad in the world, and evil. However we do not have to, nor should we make it our continual focus.

Check out our other Batman and DC Comics takes:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season 1 part 1

Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season 1 part 2

Batman: The Brave and the Bold  Season 2

Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season 3

Batman: Under the Red Hood [2010]

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman [2003]

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse [2010]

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies [2009]

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights [2011]

Green Lantern: First Flight [2009]

All-Star Superman [2011]

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths [2010]

Justice League: The New Frontier [2008]

Young Justice [2010] Season 1

Wonder Woman [2009]

Batman: Under the Red Hood [2010]

Batman: Under the Red Hood (BRH) is not for kids.  And depending on how much brutality, immolation and murder one is willing to endure for a narrative, it may not be for some non-kids either.  Our one sentence synopsis will be less of a downer than this direct-release feature.

Long lived Ra's al Ghul makes an appearance. Pictured here with "The Immortal Vandal Savage". What is with these phoenix-like bad guys and their preference for the classic half-goatee?

After watching the second Robin Jason Todd being mercilessly beaten to near death with a crowbar and then blown up we years later follow Batman’s efforts in Gotham City to hunt down a mysterious brutal crime figure called the Red Hood who is as fast and nimble as himself and his old pal Dick Grayson (the first Robin) who decided to drop into town and help out his old mentor in the guise of Nightwing so that all involved in this sad saga can get bludgeoned, blown up or shot as the Red Hood and Joker vie for the title of “most psycho”.

Is that fair? Come on, does the Joker really look "psycho" to- ...ahh, never mind.

If you are a hardcore comic fan who wants to see a video retelling of Jason Todd returning as the Red Hood, this release may be for you.  If you are looking for a fun Batman adventure, this is not it.  Nor was it a bold look into the tragic soul of the Batman that was Mask of the Phantasm.  At least it was good to see Batman, always darkened of late, fighting for his vow of not killing criminal scum.

"Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot." True Bats. (May we recommend Hydroxitone for those laugh lines?)

Jason Todd's Red Hood does not exactly retain the mindset towards guns taught to him in the Batcave.

The action scenes are well done.  The fights feature interesting characters, moves and a new portable rocket thruster bat-gadget.  The vehicular action scenes are equally well done including one featuring a computer generated Batwing.  The pace of the whole one hour and fifteen minute feature never really lags.

The (not so) Fearsome Hand of Four. For all their armor, electro-gizmos and bullet blocking swords, they could not take down an outnumbered Batman and his psycho ex-Robin.

The voice work was very good.  This was not one of those experimental new-voice experiments DC and Andrea Romano have been putting out lately as exemplified in in Justice League New Frontier.  Greenwood is apparently the future of the Batman voice, and he does a good job along with the supporting cast.

Beauty and the Beast. Black Mask and his aide were entertaining in a dry sort of way.

Artistically the feature was also commendable.  It had a lot of style starting from the credits onward.  Now style is not in short supply of late when it comes to these direct-release features -and it is not always pleasing.  However in this case it was not overplayed and welcome.  Although you will notice the only bright spots in this feature’s perpetual night were explosions.

"Did I leave the stove on?"

Did BRH take misguided liberties with the characters?  No.  The depictions of everyone from Alfred to the Joker were accurate and fair.  They were just, for the most part not fun.  It is not a fun story.  There is a lot of bad guy brutality, and little comeuppance.

Dr. Watson investigates the local cemetery with Shelock Holmes. What? Oh that's Alfred. Where exactly in Victorian London -er, Gotham City is this?

First Robin, Dick Grayson, has finally been allowed to mature emotionally. Seen here in his Nightwing garb, what Joker called "his big boy pants".

A heartening spot was the inclusion of Nightwing.  This more mature portrayal of Dick Grayson is something we greatly appreciated.  We were tired of the perpetually angry, “I left Gotham to be my own man” attitude.  Here Nightwing shows his deep respect for the father figure in his life and even Bats offers a “Thank you”.

They make an awesome team, though Bats is still a little stubborn about admitting it. After all these years, Dick Grayson still gets to fire the batzooka.

Dick Grayson's Robin fires the batzooka in the 1966 Batman movie.

Additionally the banter between Nightwing and Batman while they fight villains is the most entertaining of the entire movie.  It is delivered snappily, in character, and is the only spark of wry humor.  The Nightwing/Batman relationship has been so often depicted as strained.  Appreciatively here it was perhaps the only significant, active source of warmth.

Jason Todd's Robin was not exactly the warm type.

There are a lot of seminal comic book stories we would like to see worked up into a feature.  This was not the list topper.  BRH appeals to a more narrow fanbase than most animated outings.  Enjoy it… if that is you.

Between Black Mask, Red Hood and an extra psycho Joker, this feature really racks up the body count. This cap would scare even Count Chocula.

Check Out Takes on Other Batman Related Media

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman [2003]

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths [2010]

Justice League: The New Frontier [2008]

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies [2009]

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman [2003]

"Are there no other flying mammals for these newbs to pick?"

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (B:MotB) feels like a long well done episode more than a movie.  It would be unfair to compare it to the highly regarded Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.  That was a very special film from a different era.  This film does not delve into Bat’s psyche that way.  Rather it focuses on, unsurprisingly, him figuring out the identity of the formidable and entertaining Batwoman.

Summing the plot in a sentence:  When a mysterious female bat-themed vigilante starts wreaking havoc on Gotham’s gangland with a little too much abandon it is up to Batman to get to the bottom of who it is while along the way meeting a bevy of pretty women and even going on a few dates -as Bruce Wayne of course.

Pretty, and pretty clumsy scientist Dr. Roxanne 'Rocky' Ballantine. Voiced entertainingly by Kelly Ripa. Regis Philbin voiced Bane...

Not all bats are created equal. Here is something you will never see Batman do. (Besides, there is no way THAT could fit in a utility belt.)

The animation quality was good.  There were plenty of dark shadows and contrast.  New locations in Gotham like a nightclub where Bruce Wayne and a certain female go on a date were interesting.  Of course, the date is interrupted by heroes and villains duking it out.  Bruce Wayne’s social life is …complicated.

The are enough pretty suspects in B:MotB to make both Catwoman and Batgirl jealous.  In the case of the latter, it did!  Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl, definitely going through her crushing on Bruce Wayne phase, was smarty and conveniently kept away at college.  Oh, it would have been fun to see the sparks fly between Batwoman and Batgirl though.

Pretty, and pretty much crushing on Bruce Wayne. A rendition of Barbara Gordon that clearly shows the art direction of this movie. BTW, is black lipstick the rage on campus?

2003 is about 4 years after the last Batman: The Animated Series spin-off ended.  It was good to hear the voice actors from that era reunited for this production.  Including Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon, and of course Efrem Zimbalist Jr. delivering Alfred’s well written cracks with awesome dryness.

Your going to have to train a lot earlier in the morning to catch the Batman with a hit like this. BTW men, be careful how you compliment a woman's outfit...

Pretty, and pretty rich. Keep your eyes on the road or you will be paying for reconstructive surgery.

Hector Elizondo performed a new and menacing voice for Bane, who was treated well and quite powerfully.  He got sufficient comeuppance for satisfaction, but the bosses who hired him, Thorne and the Penguin were never shown to have fully gotten theirs.

Pretty and - wait. Sheesh. Even female police detectives are pretty? Are there any non-good-looking and in-shape women in all of Gotham City?

While the story was not a big one, it was decent and filled with some witty moments.  Like when a henchman that Bats had previously given a black eye finds the detective snooping around in a room.  They stare at each other for a moment.  Batman gives him the narrow eyes.  Then the henchman quietly closes the door and walks away like he never saw a thing.  Heh.

Batman does not even have to turn his head to clobber run-of-the-mill henchmen.

Is Batwoman a flop at syncronized dancing? Does she dance like Elaine from Seinfeld? How many captions can you write for a goofy looking screen cap?

The admirable art direction’s efforts to make the production stylish was not missed.  2003 being in the middle of the Justice League era, Batman was long-eared and in an even more monochromatic outfit than usual.  The Batwoman and all the female characters were drawn well.  The attractiveness came from the well drawn female form rather than any overt sexiness.  Although, they were all in amazingly remarkable shape…

Someone needs to open up a "24 Hour Fitness" in Gotham. They'd make a killing! Who is the real Batwoman? How much lipstick is sold in Gotham City? Watch to get at least one of these answers.

B:MotB is really more detective story than super hero film.  Oh there are plenty of fight scenes, but it is mostly Batman or the Batwoman (and occasionally both) beating up henchman.    It is not a movie about heavy hitters.  Bane only comes in as muscle in the end.  So the lack of focus on a real villain is a drawback.

"Helicopter? I don't need no stinkin' helicopter!"

A design borrowed from Miyazaki's never completed "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 2000".

On the plus side the secret of the Batwoman was held back for most of the feature.  Most viewers will be kept guessing, and the plot provided enough half leads and mis-leads to keep it interesting.

Can you find Batman in this picture? (If you guessed 'inside the spotlight' you are correct!)

B:MotB does not add anything permanent nor give us any new insights into the Batman universe.  However, if you like Batman and the pleasingly stylized female form (kicking butt), this is a good choice for your hour and fourteen minutes.

We would enjoy seeing more of this version of the Batwoman. BTW, nice "Kung Fu" pose there girlie.

Check Out Takes on Other Batman Related Media

Batman: Under the Red Hood [2010]

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths [2010]

Justice League: The New Frontier [2008]

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies [2009]

Batman: The Brave and the Bold