Batman: Year One – Blu-ray Review

The Film

Adapted from the 1987 comic book story arc by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, Batman: Year One, the latest film by Warner Bros. and DC Animation, recounts the early days of two iconic DC characters, Batman and Commissioner Gordon. In the film, a young Bruce Wayne returns home to Gotham City after spending twelve years studying aboard. He spends his first few nights scouting the activities of Gotham’s underbelly, and after a couple of trial and error exploits, dawns the cape and cowl and takes up the identity of “The Batman,” a vigilante crime fighter that strikes terror in the hearts of criminals and the corrupt. Meanwhile, James Gordon, a police officer from Chicago, moves to Gotham with his pregnant wife, Barbara, and experiences multiple conflicts within the crime ridden city, including being assaulted by his partner, Detective Flass, becoming a target for Commissioner Gillian Loeb, engaging in a brief affair with his new partner, Detective Sarah Essen, and of course, being assigned to capture “The Batman.”

The cast is led by Bryan Cranston, (Malcolm in the Middle, Breaking Bad), who delivers an excellent performance as James Gordon. Other voice actors include Eliza Dushku, (Bring It On, Dollhouse), whose seductive voice gives life to the sensual character of Selina Kyle, and Benjamin McKenzie, (The O.C, Southland), who follows in the footsteps of Kevin Conroy and Bruce Greenwood as the cape crusader. And though his performance is not as dynamic as his predecessors, he does a fine job in creating a much more “down to earth” Bruce Wayne.

Writer Tab Murphy does a fantastic job with this adaptation, staying faithful to the source material. The dialogue and pacing of the film are executed equally well. The quality of 2D animation is right on par with what is to be expected from the DC Animation Studio, while staying faithful to the style illustrated by Mazzucchelli. And though this film falls short of the excellence of DC’s previous animated Batman feature, Batman: Under the Red Hood, it is still a testament to the studio’s ability to achieve mature and provocative storytelling through the traditional animation medium.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The audio sounded spectacular and the video quality was on par if not better than previous DC Animation releases.

Special Features

Commentary: The commentary on this disc is a must listen for Batman fans.

Heart of Vengeance: Batman’s roots are traced in this amazing featurette.

DC Showcase: Catwoman: A solid animated short that features everyone’s favorite sexy feline.

There are tons of other extras on this packed disc, so be prepared to spend some time with it.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: