MOVIE: Batman Gotham Knight

I don't think I've ever confessed this: Batman is my favorite superhero. It's because he is one of the very few characters that is just a man. He isn't invulnerable. He doesn't come from Atlanta ATLANTIS. He doesn't have a golden lasso that makes people tell the truth. At his core, he is a detective with a couple of nifty widgets. He out-thinks his opponents, he over-trains and out-fights his opponents, and he out-angries his opponents. Sure. it helps that he is a billionaire playboy and has a butler that stitches him up every night, but beneath the mask is a normal, flesh and blood person. And I dig that.

Batman Gotham Nights is an anime-style anthology of six animated shorts from different Directors, Writers, and Artists.I think it is supposed to take place before the live-action movie, The Dark Knight.

Liked that we get to see him bleed. Makes him seem more human. And it is an effect that eludes pen & paper episodes.

Didn't like one of the bullet-proof widgets that were introduced. Yes, I get the moral of introducing it. Still diminishes the illusion of reality for me.

Liked the opening episode with the kid and their different interpretations of his appearance.

Didn't like that the character of Batman changed so dramatically between each episode. One time he's a vigilante. The next time he is a detective. The next time he isn't either. Then he is a detective again. Bothers me that there wasn't an over-arching agreement on his role.

Fortunately, it isn't required viewing to enjoy the live-action movies. Missing Gotham Knight doesn't diminish the impact of The Dark Knight.

Date flick? Not very likely. Kid flick? Older kids, for sure. For me, a recovering comic book aficionado, it was a great rental.