Today’s blog is my first foray into animated films. You might be wondering “why are you reviewing a straight-to-DVD film when you have so many other live-action movies to do?” That is a fair question, to which I will respond “shut up, I love Batman and I felt like it”. When it comes to this film, I know very little beyond it starring everyone’s favorite caped crusader and taking place in old-timey Gotham (at least i think its Gotham). I also think the bad guy is Jack the Ripper, and it looks like Catwoman is there too.
Like most 90’s children, Batman The Animated Series was a formative experience for my pop culture development. At some point, I plan to do a retrospective on that series along with all the movies that fit in with that cast, but for now lets just settle this small bit of the disjointed DC Animated Universe. Here is the trailer.
Hm… So this is a weird one. I mean, I gotta think these films don’t cost much to make, and I’m sure with the Batman brand they turn a profit. All-in-all, not a bad way to burn an hour or so. Essentially, this is a “what-if” story. What if Jack the Ripper was killing in Gotham as opposed to London? What if Batman had to operate in the early 1900’s? What would the characters we know and love be like in that situation?
What if Jack the Ripper was killing in Gotham as opposed to London? Well, he’d basically just be a run-of-the-mill villain with a knife.
What if Batman had to operate in the early 1900’s? Well, he’d basically be just like Batman as he is in comics today, minus the computer/tech side of things. He still knows far more than he should, somehow he has a motorcycle AND a grappling gun, and he can still fall from crazy heights and be up and fighting in the next second.
What would the characters we know and love be like in that situation? Well, theyd be essentially stand-ins for the actual characters from modern representations. Harvey Dent isn’t a super-villain, but a jerk prosecutor (i was hoping he would be the Ripper). Poison Ivy is an exotic dancer who is killed in the first 10 minutes. ummm ok. Catwoman is basically just a stage performer who is KIND of a vigilante but really more of a suffragette. But the REAL questionable decision is to make Jim Gordon both the commissioner and (spoilers) the main villain revealed in the last act.
I’m not gonna get too far into this one… This one is perfectly fine. Kids might REALLY love it, parents wouldn’t hate themselves if they had to sit down and watch it, and generalized Batman fans like myself will be pleasantly surprised that at least some sort of decent Batman content is being created in addition to the not-so-great DCEU. I wouldn’t spend a lot of time trying to track this one down just so you can see it, but there are definitely worse things for both you and your kids to enjoy.
Ain't That Bad - Movie Blog 