Well, there's six short films here, which is kind of the Animatrix of Batman, so I'll review each one.
Have I got a Story for You:
A group of teenagers tell a version of running into Batman while a masked villain is on the loose. Each story is wildly different and over the top, until the baddie and Batman appear for one last round.
The Good:
Not much. It's an interesting idea, but poorly done.
The Bad:
The animation is sloppy, the voice acting is boring. This short is a waste of time. Also, Batman doesn't operate during the day, which seems to be a theme in this film.
Crossfire:
Detectives Allen and Ramirez escort the previous baddie to a prison, courtesy of Batman. Allen doesn't trust Batman, while Ramirez does. On their way back, they get caught in a gang war, and Batman saves the day, making Allen rethink if Batman can be trusted.
The Good:
The animation's much better and it gives us a better perspective on what people think of Batman.
The Bad:
Sadly, the story's too rushed and the cops are dumb in this one. You don't get any character development and Batman comes off as an overpowered god.
Field Test:
Wayne Tech has a new gadget that can deflect bullets, so Bruce Wayne decides to test it out. While fighting the gangs from the last episode, ( Shouldn't they have been arrested by those detectives?) one of the bad guys gets hurt by a bullet deflected by the gadget. Batman rushes the member to the hospital and tells Lucius Fox that the gadget can't be used to take lives.
The Good:
Interesting idea for the magical gadget, but that's about it.
The Bad:
Ever wanted to see Batman as a Japanese anime? Well, now you can! And it looks stupid. The Batsuit looks more like a Hawksuit and anime Bruce Wayne is...different. The action's also edited heavily so the fights look bad.
In Darkness Dwells:
Scarecrow has kidnapped a priest and Batman must travel the sewers of Gotham to get to him. Batman fights Killer Croc and Scarecrow's deranged followers in order to save the priest.
The Good:
Good animation, good story. The fights are better so it feels like it's coming out from a comic book. The Batsuit looks better, which is a bonus.
The Bad:
Not a whole lot, though at times the animation looks a little wonky. And I realize Batman isn't realistic, but at times, there's parts where it's pushing the limits of realism.
Working Through the Pain:
After getting injured by a thug, Batman must get to the surface before he bleeds to death. During this, he has flashbacks of training with a woman who has trained herself not to feel pain. Bruce learns her ways, but is kicked out after saving her from local bullies. The reason? The bullies would have given up sooner or later, but Bruce made it worse. Back in the present, Batman is picked up by Alfred.
The Good:
Good animation, interesting characters and story. It's always cool to see how Bruce trained to become Batman and learning how to deal with pain is interesting. The voice acting is good too, making the characters more believable.
The Bad:
Past Bruce Wayne needs some sun. He looks like he has a disease or something.
Deadshot:
An assassin named Deadshot is hired kill Jim Gordon, but it turns out it was a ruse to get Batman assassinated instead.
The Good:
This film reminds me a lot of the Batman animated series. It's got the old timey film noir feel to it, but it has high tech gadgets too. Deadshot and Batman's costumes look pretty slick too. The fight is probably the best one in the series of movies. You feel a sense of excitement when Bats and Deadshot duke it out on top of a train.
The Bad:
Well, minor thing really, but everyone's chins are highly exaggerated in some shots. If the animators could have toned the chins down, this one would have been perfect.
Overall:
Gotham Knight is okay, honestly. It's neat to see different animation styles and their stories, but sadly not all of them were executed well. If you see this on Netflix or something, give it a watch. It'll kill time, but it's not something worth watching over and over.
Rating:
3 Hawkmen out of 5.
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