Movielogr

Rating: 4.5 stars

All movies seen on 10/30/2011

View on: IMDb | TMDb

Batman: Year One (2011)

Directed by Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu

Animation | Action

Most recently watched by noahphex, mrpotocnik, tylermager

Overview

A wealthy playboy named Bruce Wayne and a Chicago cop named Jim Gordon both return to Gotham City where their lives unexpectedly intersect.

Rated PG-13 | Length 64 minutes

Actors

Ben McKenzie | Bryan Cranston | Eliza Dushku | Jon Polito | Alex Rocco | Katee Sackhoff | Sara Ballantine | Jeff Bennett | Steve Blum | Roark Critchlow | Grey DeLisle | Robin Atkin Downes | Keith Ferguson | Danny Jacobs | Nick Jameson | Liliana Mumy | Pat Musick | Andrea Romano | Stephen Root | James Patrick Stuart | Fred Tatasciore | Bruce Timm | Bruce Wingert | Michael Gough

Viewing History (seen 2 times)

Viewing Notes

After watching the most excellent BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD, I was ready for the DC Comics animated universe to stay on the mature track and BATMAN: YEAR ONE does just that; this is no Batman movie for kids.

I’ve never read the original Frank Miller comicbook, but this movie comes across so like a Frank Miller story that I can’t help but imagine it’s faithful to the source material. While we unfortunately get yet another Batman origin tale (le’sigh), it’s at least done well and it spends more time detailing the origin of Jim Gordon than it does Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Unlike most DC movies, I have to praise the voice casting in this one. Bryan Cranston was a stroke of genius as Gordon and he should be the default choice from here on out; in fact, he should probably succeed Gary Oldman in the live action role in the inevitable reboot. Also, kudos for Benjamin McKenzie; he’s the closest thing to Kevin Conroy we’ve seen post BATMAN: TAS aside from Conroy himself.

Perhaps it’s my own immaturity, but the weakness of the film is its maturity in that it tells a very adult tale that doesn’t end in a big over the top action sequence, and that’s kind of what I always want to see in superhero movies. It’s a sort of nerd glee in seeing these things on screen Hollywood can never afford that fuels that desire, and so I prefer UNDER THE RED HOOD. But, I can’t deny how good this movie is and a what a significant mark it is in how far the genre has come.

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