Batman: Year One (2011)

A wealthy playboy and a Chicago cop both return to Gotham City where their lives will intersect in unexpected ways.

Directors:

Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery

Writers:

Bob Kane (Batman created by), Tab Murphy

Stars:

Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Cranston	...	Jim Gordon (voice)
Ben McKenzie	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman (voice)
Eliza Dushku	...	Selina (voice)
Jon Polito	...	Commissioner Loeb (voice)
Alex Rocco	...	Falcone (voice)
Katee Sackhoff	...	Detective Essen (voice)
Sara Ballantine	...	Skeevers' Attorney (voice) (as Saratoga Ballantine)
Jeff Bennett	...	Alfred (voice)
Steve Blum	...	Stan (voice)
Roark Critchlow	...	Hare Krishna (voice)
Grey Griffin	...	Barbara Gordon / Vicki Vale (voice) (as Grey DeLisle)
Robin Atkin Downes	...	Harvey Dent (voice)
Keith Ferguson	...	Jefferson Skeevers (voice)
Michael Gough	...	Driver (voice)
Danny Jacobs	...	Flass' Attorney (voice)

Storyline

Two men come to Gotham City: Bruce Wayne after years abroad feeding his lifelong obsession for justice and Jim Gordon after being too honest a cop with the wrong people elsewhere. After learning painful lessons about the city's corruption on its streets and police department respectively, this pair learn how to fight back their own way. With that, Gotham's evildoers from top to bottom are terrorized by the mysterious Batman and the equally heroic Gordon is assigned to catch him by comrades who both hate and fear him themselves. In the ensuing manhunt, both find much in common as the seeds of an unexpected friendship are laid with additional friends and rivals helping to start the legend.

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Plot Keywords:

batman character | bruce wayne character | james gordon character | gotham city | corruption | 

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Taglines:

A merciless crime - turns a man into an outlaw.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexual material

Did You Know?

Trivia

During Gordon's briefing introducing Detective Essen several artist renderings can be seen post on the board behind him one of which bares an uncanny resemblance to future member of Batman's Rogue's Gallery Man-Bat.

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Goofs

The DVD box says it only includes English, French and Spanish audio, but it also includes Thai audio as well.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bruce Wayne: Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement. From here, you can't see the enemy.

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Connections

Version of Batman Forever (1995)

User Reviews

A Mature Batman for a Matured Audience

A few things off the bat... I'm a fan of DC comics Animation since TAS and Mask of The Phantasm. For the most part they have done a great job delivering exciting stories. Also, I have NOT read the Frank Miller 'Batman: Year One' 4 issue comic from which this was adapted from.

So here's my 2 cents... Animation: Sharp. Minimal use of soft focus than in previous features which is an improvement. Very little 'shakey cam' shots as used in previous films to create the illusion of action. Action and scenes are set up as you would expect in a well done live action film.

Voice Work: Kudos to the casting team. All voices sound top notch without sounding as if they're actors reading off a script in a sound booth. They genuinely sound invested in the scene and it shows. Minor complaints on Bruce's voice but you get used to it.

Music/Sound: Fantastic. Dark and atmospheric. Slowly plays tension through out the film. Until now, I had yet to hear a composition on one of these films that matches the talent of Shirley Walker who composed for Batman TAS in the 90's. The surround sound in this feature is put to full use more so than other animated DC films. Again, your getting feature film effort/quality here.

Story: Here's where I've read many complaints. This was definitely dark and different. Bear in mind I have never read the comic but from what I hear this is a faithful adaptation of those 4 issues. The story chronicles both Batman and Gordon's first year fighting in Gotham. How their relationship evolves and the decadence of Gotham is explored in detail. Don't expect a rosy colored Batman cartoon. This is a mature and dark story that happens to be told in animation.

Conclusion: Those of us that grew up as children watching Batman: TAS who are now adults. Many of us have admired how lately Batman's character has been presented in such mature forms as in Nolan's Dark Knight or Rock Steady's Arkham Asylum/City. This is why 'Batman: Year One' stands out above the rest in terms of animated films. In part, due to the excellent source material but equally in it's presentation in this particular medium. Batman: Year One is the wonderful product of more than 20 years of animated excellence. Definitely, a must have.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

18 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman: Year One

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1