Batman: Gotham Knight is a collection of 6 animated shorts centered around Batman. Released in 2008 the movie is done by different studios each having a different art style story and presentation to itself. Kevin Conroy returns to voice Batman in the English dub and with many claiming him to be the voice of Batman Gotham Knight might be one for the dub category in some peoples eyes. Due to the movie being a collection of 6 different animated shorts. I want to break up this review to look at each short individually. This review is spoiler heavy Have I Got A Story For You Studio: Studio 4C Easily the most creative story of the bunch Have I Got A Story For You has a group of kids living in Gotham City discussing the legend of the Batman. Taken from the childrens perspective each kid takes their turn telling a story of when they ran into the Batman. The brilliant part of this short is how with each kids story we see how Batman looks from their perspective. Whether its a shadowy demon a monstrous bat or a cuttingedge robotic machine. Each of the kids stories are reflections of parts of the Batman from his stealth his power and his technology and its great to see a civilians point of view on how the Batman looks and how he impacts their lives. 200https://www.grayflannelsuit.net/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2013/06/batmangothamknight1.jpg 200https://screenanarchy.com/assets/2008/02/S1battybat03.jpg 200https://www.wired.com/imagesblogs/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/13/s1robobat04.jpg A DemonA ManBatOr A Machine The animation in this one is great too taking a stylistic approach to characters and creating some detailed looking environments like at the skatepark. 400https://i.gyazo.com/bcef4d824c28be4c2858c526518c80c7.jpg Score: 7/10 Crossfire Studio: Production I.G. From the studio behind Attack on Titan Vinland Saga and Moriarty the Patriot Production I.G. takes their spin on the Batman legend. The short follows two cops: Anna Ramirez and Detective Chris Allen. The short starts with Batman who brings in Jacob Feely a criminal the Gotham PD have been chasing for a while now. Commissioner Gordon tells Ramirez and Allen to take him to Arkham Asylum but Detective Allen voices his uneasiness. I dont think now is the time for us to be acting courier for a vigilante. Throughout the short we see him voice his disdain for the Dark Knight a sentiment that makes you wonder how many other cops in the GCPD share that mindset. Unfortunately this as far as the short will go in with Allens opinion on the Bat. The animation in this short while cool is lackluster in comparison to the others. We do get a brief look at Arkham Asylum which looks great in the short being both unique from any depiction Ive seen but also perfectly capturing both forebodingness of the asylum and the inmates and doctors within. 220https://i.gyazo.com/6d67919869c219e481bcc38f9b8dd78b.png 190https://i.gyazo.com/cffbe1951b2ed173f3f4df11e49f6343.png 190https://i.gyazo.com/06405a967531362999cccb6f0ebca421.png Arkham AsylumInmates at ArkhamDoctors from an inmates POV We get a cool shot of Batman taking out two gangs and saving Ramirez from being shot earning Allens respect. This short is one of the weaker ones in the set doing little to help it standout from the rest. At the end of the day though it doesnt do anything that warrants it to be considered bad. 350https://i.makeagif.com/media/2022017/VNYHPw.gif Score 6/10 Field Test Studio: Bee Train From the unofficially retired Bee Train Field Test opens with a much younger Bruce Wayne Who looks eerily like Light Yagami and Lucius Fox testing some of Batmans equipment. 350https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VmKRQyMrc/SHpXMn1eMXI/AAAAAAAAArE/auvYRES3OoE/s320/bat1.jpg In the tests Lucius shows off a gyrosphere capable of generating a wave that blocks incoming bullets when attached to the Batmans suit. Later Batman is tracking and fighting to mobs in Gotham one lead by the Italians and one by the Russians. Here we get to see not only the Field Test of Luciuss equipment but also the most unique Batsuit of these shorts. 235https://imagesna.sslimagesamazon.com/images/G/01/digital/video/hero/Movies/MiscCategory7/B001CCAK4QBatmanGothamKnightUXWB1.SX1080.jpg The bullet reflector works like a charm like all of Luciuss equipment but during the fire fight one of the bullets is reflected into a goons shoulder. The game has changed from take down the goons to a rescue mission. Batman rushes this man to the hospital to get the bullet removed and save his life. This was a fantastic turning point in this shorts story as we see Batmans true colors shine. He is a vengeful spirit a vigilante but he does not kill. It is the most essential part of his character. For better or for worse his no killing rule is what makes Batman Batman. But here even if not his direct fault his actions put a mans life in danger. The short ends with the best quote possible for this: Batman: referring to the gyrosphere It works too well. Im willing to put my life on the line to do what I have to but it has to be mine noone elses. This short really captured the spirit of the Batman character and while its animation isnt crazy stunning compared to the others in this list its story holds up as one of the best here. Score: 8/10 In Darkness Dwells Studio: Madhouse The first Madhouse short in Gotham Knight this short perfectly captures Batmans dark gothic and twisted imagery. With many dark colors it looks like a short ripped straight from The Long Halloween Batman and Gordon are investigating rumors of a monster living in the sewers of Gotham this leads Batman prowling the sewers looking for Killer Croc who we discover is infected with Scarecrows fear toxin. Batman now injured and poisoned from his fight with Killer Croc takes on Scarecrow and his goons saving the hostage he has with him. The story is not one that stands out from the rest in this movie however it is helped immensely by its striking visuals and some very clever writing. The symbolism of the old church statues of angels is not lost on both the connection to Gothams gothic past but also Batman being that dark savior of Gotham. Madhouse really captured the look of either a 90s Batman comic or a Dark Horse comic. 290https://i.gyazo.com/5d4b785b031c329dcf04d2338ec3ee32.png 250https://miro.medium.com/max/2824/1T9sjHJSnCXJEcojyBhzZDA.jpeg Homeless: Hey Bat. When you flyin what the city look like from up on high? Batman: ... It looks dirty. Even with its great writing and visuals its story leaves a much to be desired and is the only short that in dub has several moments of lip sync issues. Score 6/10 Working Through Pain Studio: Studio 4C Returning for another short Studio 4C creates the short Working Through Pain. The best short in the collection it focuses on Bruce Wayne before he has become The Batman. He travels to an unspecified foreign country seeking to learn the teachings of master his pain. He finds a teacher Cassandra who teaches him about the two types of pain: exterior and interior. We see Bruce quite quickly master his exterior or physical pain 350https://steamuserimagesa.akamaihd.net/ugc/938307470433024183/47092CD80F6FB472A0F93E152D73E6C64EE7A153/ but we get too many quotes to list here alluding to what the shorts title: Working Through Pain really means. You shouldnt thank me Bruce. I failed you. You came asking for help in dealing with your pain but your pain is beyond my abilities perhaps yours as well. For your pain is leading you down a path you desire. This short similarly to Field Test details another important aspect of The Batman character: the pain he carries with him. Bruce never got over the death of his parents and its a pain that has stayed with him through his whole life. More than that though its also pain he either never attempted to get over or never could get over leading him to become The Batman. Its a tragic short really detailing the suffering that Bruce Wayne carries with him but he moves on. He carries the weight with him. He never mastered his pain at all he just learned to deal with it to live by working through pain. 350https://i.gyazo.com/7d52d5f02058252d3d39bc6f5d44e72c.png Score 9/10 Deadshot Studio: Madhouse Id never use one but even I can appreciate the attraction of a gun. The heft the sleekness the cool steel the precision and the power. The power to change lives history. The power of god. Maybe the most visually striking of the shorts Deadshot is a story feeling straight like an episode of the animated series while looking slightly like an episode of Hellsing. Deadshot is in town taking out political figureheads and police officers. But now he faces his most challenging target: The Batman. Unlike some of the other shorts in Gotham Knight Deadshot doesnt provide an extremely deep message analyzing The Batmans character. Instead it provides us with a classic hero vs villain story with great action great animation and a kickass fight. This is where this short shines brightest: animation. Batman has never looked so good with an amazing design and a cape that at times gives him the silhouette of a real bat. 350https://i.gyazo.com/05fca391beec9d1495a21474a3c65c49.png The fight on the train is a real treat too. Batman and Deadshots faceoff while brief is full of great moments. With a greenish tint overshadowing the whole fight the action in this movie peaks with this stylistic showdown. With not as much in the way of a deep story or message Deadshot is still a great short really showing off the impressive skills of both Batman and Gothams deadliest marksman. Score 8/10 Overall: 7.3/10 With the unbelievable popularity of the superhero genre in todays world its almost a surprise that this animated movie just barely breaches 2000 people watched as of 1/25/21 on Anilist. The briefness of stories prevents Gotham Knight from telling a huge epic or breath taking stories being kept in the space of a Pixar short. Despite the length most all these stories felt like they were made by true fans of the Batman by people that really understood his character and the world of Gotham with a passion to tell a captivating story to the audience. Some shorts are better than others which leads to some fluctuation in quality. Even so Batman: Gotham Knight exists as a set of shorts not just for Batman fans but the casual viewers and even those not very familiar with the caped crusader wanting to dip their toes into the city of Gotham and the world of Batman.