Review: Batman: Gotham By Gaslight

The first DC Animated movie of 2018, is it any good?

Overview (Spoilers):

Gotham By Gaslight drops Batman in the turn of the century, and asks the question, could the Dark Knight have stopped Jack the Ripper? Gotham is about to host the World’s Fair, an event that the cities elite are hoping can provide the city with a brighter future. However, a spree of murders of desolate women has everyone questioning who the serial killer is, and who is this mysterious Batman?

Commissioner Gordon and police have failed to make any headway in their hunt for Jack the Ripper, which leaves vigilantes like Selina Kyle (Catwoman) to take things into her own hands. Soon Kyle and the Batman discover that the Ripper is more than just a clever murderer but also a trained fighter who won’t be easy to catch.

A string of new murders ties Bruce Wayne to the scene of the crimes, and he is imprisoned while Kyle is the only person- other than Alfred of course- who knows the truth. While she tries to make a bid for Bruce’s freedom she may end up the Rippers next victim. Unless Batman can escape prison and solve the mystery in time to save her.

Our Take:

Gotham By Gaslight did everything I did not expect. I am a Batman fan, as such, I have read my share of comics, including this Elsewhere story released in 1989. This film did an amazing job of adapting the steampunk style, however, if you have read the book, then expect to be taken down a whole new road.

First off, while fan service has been an issue with DC animated films in the past, Gotham By Gaslight handles all of its comic book cameos tactfully. Instead of cramming as many recognisable names into the movie as possible they only used characters that made sense to the story. The addition of the Robin’s- the original three- was one of the best fan service moves you could ask for.

Although the animation felt cheap and half complete at times, the voice acting pulled it through. Bruce Greenwood and Jennifer Carpenter were a dynamic Batman and Catwoman respectfully. The other bonus of the film was an incredible score by Frederik Wiedmann. If only the animation could have done these performances justice.

As the mystery/detective story that Gotham by Gaslight is meant to be it leans a bit both ways. Instead of having to actually solve these crimes the characters seem to fall into their answers, and the action is depended upon to drive the story forward. With that said, as a fan, I did not see that coming. The reveal at the end was not at all what I expected, so kudos for that.

In the end, Gotham by Gaslight does what it intends, delivers a Batman story as you have never seen on screen before. This movie opens the door for DC films to do whatever they like in the future of animated features. Overall, it was a ‘jolly-good’ adventure, a cool little “what if,” and the performances were fantastic. But, it fails to be one of the greatest Batman stories you’ve ever seen, and who could expect it to be. It is a fun movie, and that is all it needs to be.

Score
7/10