The latest Warner Premiere is an adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book run of the same name, and is one of the most acclaimed Batman comics out there. I’m a big fan of Frank Miller’s take on Batman in a time when he wasn’t pushing out schlock like his All-Star run. After Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, I knew that this was next and was looking forward to it. As soon as I started I felt right at home with the solid inner monologue of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Bryan Cranston), which coupled with the similar artwork, makes for a satisfying transition to an animated film, at least in the aesthetic and tonal sense.
As the title of both the film and the graphic novel suggest, Batman: Year One chronicles Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman and Jim Gordon’s first year as a Gotham City Lieutenant, respectively. Bruce Wayne (Benjamin McKenzie) is just starting out in his quest to purge Gotham of crime and corruption, and is inexperienced at this point, and so he fumbles. The first time we see Bruce out in the city at night; he is shot and arrested after taking down a pimp. At the time of this incident, he has not donned the cape and cowl yet, and is still searching for a symbol to run by, which he of course finds in a bat when he escapes the patrol car and manages to get back to Wayne Manor despite his injury.
The scene in which he finds his symbol in the form of said bat was my favorite scene in the film as it evokes the epitome of the Batman mythos. However, taking away my Batman fanaticism and focusing on the film itself, this may very well be the strongest Batman animated feature since Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
The script is solid and the voice acting only helps, it’s dramatic and shady enough without being over-the-top. Since the story spans over a single year, and it’s not just a crime-fighting extravaganza, we get to see Gordon’s troubles with his personal life and his doubt, being that he’s our narrator. The point of Batman is that he is a human being without powers, he’s flawed, and so are his accomplices. Gordon is smart, calculating, and his heart is in the right place, but he cheats on his pregnant wife and is constantly under pressure of his racketeering commissioner. Wayne has not perfected his technique and is prone to mistakes, of which he makes many. In fact, he gets shot more than you may expect.
Like the graphic novel, the film includes a subplot about a prostitute named Selina Kyle (Eliza Dushku) and her eventual escapades as Catwoman, which is mildly gratifying but not handled with as much depth as the rest of the plot and so she’s left on the back burner. Then again, the narrative has more important things to attend to so settling on a tiny bit of fanservice is tolerable. Audiences of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight will probably recognize similar characters upon viewing this such as Gordon’s crooked partner Flass, a questionable Commissioner Loeb, mob boss Carmine Falcone, and a pre Two-Face Harvey Dent. The Year One comic run accounted for a large amount of source material in writing both films, particularly the former.
My point is, is that Batman: Year One has the merits, has the feel, and has the dystopia that comes with the territory, but also brings the writing, the acting, and the presentation to back it up without all the bells and whistles. Those factors alone merit its superiority over Red Hood, but then again that comes from Year One being a superior comic to A Death in the Family and Under the Hood. One note though, while I admire the artwork and its homage to David Mazzucchelli's design, I’m getting a little tired of the CG motor vehicles in these premieres, it's unnecessary no matter how much the technology pushes the envelope. 9 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment