Batman: Year One Review

DC has done it again with their translation of Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's four part origin of Batman: Year One. The way the art and animation was done it made for a perfectly seamless transition. The voice cast was superb in choice and performance. Batman: Year One has such an immersive compelling story that it may be the best example of comics turned into an animated film.

This is a more realistic telling of Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne's first year trying to clean up Gotham. This story is just as much about Batman as it is about Gordon in fact I felt like it was more about Gordon than anyone else which is what makes it so great. I've heard that Christopher Nolan used the comics Batman: Year One as inspiration for Batman Begins and you can really tell. Personally I think this is better than Batmans Begins. I won't give away any more about the story because you really should see it for yourselves.

Speaking of Christopher Nolan this truly had a star Hollywood cast as he does in most of his films. Ben McKenzie voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bryan Cranston played Jim Gordon, Eliza Dushku as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Usually I'm so obsessed with finding out who the actors are and distracted by the actors voices but instead I was quickly immersed by the great story and show the actors were putting on. It's not that the actors changed their voices, they just did such a spectacular job portraying their characters through delivery of tone and emotion.

In closing this is the best animated film I have ever seen. The story was so realistic and intense that it truly was an emotional roller coaster for me. The actors blew me away so much so that I didn't even feel like I was watching an animated movie. As far as extras go, Eliza Dushku got her own short as Catwoman which was great because I had felt that they had lessened her character in the film. This was probably due to the illicit nature of Selina Kyle as a prostitute in Year One. As always with DC animated films there were hours of extras such as Batman: Year One digital comic Chapter 1, multiple interesting commentaries, trailers, Justice League: Doom sneak peak as well as others. What I'm trying to say is that Batman: Year One on Blu-Ray could not be more of a BUY.