Thursday, August 2, 2012

Batman: Year One

Batman: Year One - Dirs. Sam Liu & Lauren Montgomery (2011)


The 1980's saw major changes within the comic book industry. Creators like Alan Moore were approaching the superhero genre with radical new ideas through DC titles such as Watchmen and Swamp Thing. Meanwhile, Frank Miller injected his own unique sensibilities into Marvel's Daredevil and took the series into dark and gritty territory. He seemed the perfect fit for Batman. Miller would make history with a one-two punch with two stories about the beginning and the end of the Caped Crusader's career.

In 1986, DC released the four-issue mini-series, The Dark Knight Returns, focusing on an aging Bruce Wayne forced to come out of retirement to defend a Gotham City overrun by violent street gangs and corrupt officials. Batman goes toe-to-toe once more with the Joker and Two-Face and even exchanges fisticuffs with Superman. A year later, Miller would write, Batman: Year One featuring art by David Mazzucchelli, which has been adapted into an animated film by Warner Premiere and producer Bruce Timm.

Batman: Year One opens with the arrival of Jim Gordon (Bryan Cranston) to Gotham City along with his pregnant wife Barbara (Grey DeLisle). Gordon wonders how he can possibly raise a child in a city where the police are rotten to the core. He witnesses the department's corruption firsthand through the brutality of his partner Detective Flass (Fred Tatasciore) and a trigger-happy SWAT commander (Stephen Root). Gordon has no one to turn to as Commissioner Loeb (Jon Polito) is in bed with mob boss Carmine Falcone (Alex Rocco).

Bruce Wayne (Ben McKenzie) has also returned home after studying and training abroad for a dozen years. Inspired by a bat that crashed through his window, Bruce dons the bat costume to strike fear into the cowardly and superstitious criminal underworld. Inspired in turn by Batman, prostitute Selina Kyle (Eliza Dushku) becomes Catwoman.

Batman: Year One is a far cry from the colorful adventures that have become a stereotype of the superhero comics. This is a realistic, film noir take on the Batman mythos that humanizes the the Dark Knight and his long-time ally, Jim Gordon. Both men are fallible. Burdened by the job and surrounded by dirty cops, Gordon seeks solace in the arms of his new partner Sarah Essen (Katee Sackhoff). Bruce Wayne isn't the lean, mean fighting machine he would later become. Bruce's first attempt at fighting crime ends with him being shot in the shoulder by police officers. Another outing, this time in full Batman regalia, is equally disastrous as he is almost killed by a trio of burglars on a narrow fire escape.

The imagery of Batman: Year One will be easily recognizable because the story served as a blueprint for the Christopher Nolan films. Many of the characters such as Flass, Commissioner Loeb, and Carmine Falcone feature prominently in Batman Begins along with a sequence where Batman uses a sonic emitter to attract a swarm of bats to aid in his escape. Selina's young friend, Holly Robinson (voiced by Bill Mumy's daughter, Liliana) appears very briefly in The Dark Knight Rises.

Ben McKenzie from The O.C. has big shoes to fill as he follows in the footsteps of previous voice actors like Diedrich Bader, Bruce Greenwood, and the phenomenal Kevin Conroy. He does a fair job at times, but doesn't have the gravitas needed to pull off the noir dialogue. Luckily, the emotional weight of the picture is carried by Bryan Cranston who gives an excellent performance as the world weary Gordon. When the inevitable reboot goes into production, Cranston would be great choice to fill Oldman's shoes. Character actors like Jon Polito, Stephen Root, and Alex Rocco are welcome additions and Eliza Dushku provides the right amount of sexiness for Catwoman. Speaking of the Batman's famed femme fatale, the DVD and Blu-ray feature a short cartoon starring Catwoman and written by Paul Dini.

Batman: Year One is one of the best offerings from the DC animated line. It would be THE best if not for the brief runtime. At just over an hour, Batman: Year One could have used an extra ten or fifteen minutes to flesh out certain characters. Sarah Essen gets very little screen time while Catwoman feels shoehorned into the narrative. Still, the filmmakers have crafted a faithful adaptation of the original comics and the animation is beautiful.

Rating: *** (*****)

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