BAB Video Review -- Batman: Year One

Doug: To close the door on our "Batman: Year One" series, we thought we'd take a look at the DC Animated feature of the same name. This 2-disc special edition was released shortly before Christmas, 2011. The main feature runs just over an hour, and is basically a direct animated version of the mini-series. Much of the dialogue is the same, the scenes are near-duplicated, and there are few surprises. I don't say that as a negative; for one who enjoys that series, I had a good time seeing it "come to life". Here's a look at the title screen from the main disc:

It took me a little while to get used to a voice actor other than Kevin Conroy (who is excellent in that character, as most of us would agree). This Batman plays a little less threatening, a little less mysterious than Conroy's version from Batman: The Animated Series and its various later incarnations. But that's OK, as this is of course a younger Batman, one who is just finding his way. Most of the major scenes from the comic series play out exactly as they did in print, and I've included several screen shots -- feel free to compare them with our reviews of Batman #'s 404-407.

As you can see from the images above, the basic feel of David Mazzuchelli's art is preserved, although the linework is much more detailed, finer. The animation is smooth, although not 100% lifelike -- this is not CGI-motion, but rather a more traditional form. It plays well. Despite its looks, I would caution the casual viewer that the script is closer to what Frank Miller wrote in his Sin City stories. The main feature (and I'd assume the Catwoman featurette as well) is rated PG-13. There is adult language sprinkled throughout, and the scene early in the film in the East End plays a bit rougher than in print. I'll admit to saying "Whoa - say what?" out loud the first time I watched this. Totally caught me by surprise. I also did a big eyebrow-raise in the scene when Gordon and his wife pay Bruce Wayne a visit. You'll recall that Wayne is on a sofa with some supermodel-looking airhead. Wayne is wearing a short robe and apparently sipping champagne. As Gordon asks him a few questions, Wayne does a Sharon Stone-like leg uncrossing/recrossing. We don't see anything, but apparently Barbara Gordon got an eyeful!

That being said, there's quite a bit of sex in the Catwoman featurette. That cartoon is much shorter than the Batman feature, ending in around 14 minutes. It's a decent story, and showcases some nifty fight scenes. I've included a screen shot from a strip club to give you an idea of the "saltiness" of some of this show.

I am not a fan of the current costume worn by Catwoman; to be honest, I still like the long purple dress with the green trim that she wore a very long time ago!

As I mentioned, I received the 2-disc Special Edition. Below is a screen shot of the second disc's Special Features section:

I was happy to see a couple of episodes from the very Kevin Conroy series mentioned above. While neither is a favorite -- there are far too many good and memorable episodes from those series to have really nailed it for every consumer -- they are both solid representations of Catwoman adventures.

So, I would recommend this to you if you liked the print version of the "Year One" story. If you're a collector, then by all means buy it. However, if it's still On Demand on your cable system or you have some other means to rent it, that would also be a few bucks well-spent. You can easily get through all of the material included in under three hours -- around the time you'd spend at many a feature-length film at the theater these days. I'm glad I own it -- I'll come back to it every so often, for sure.