Customer Ratings & Reviews

Have yet to watch it, but got it for a great price.

I decided to take another look at Batman: Year One with a more objective eye to see how it holds up against other Batman works, including the other animated DC features. Sadly, it does not hold up as well as I would like it to. In fact, compared to a lot of other stories that feature Batman, this one is surprisingly dull. Batman: Year One is the adaptation of the comic story of the same name, written by Frank Miller back in 1987. Yeah, THAT Frank Miller. This is one of is earlier Batman stories, and since he considers everything Batman he’s ever written to be in the same continuity, this is the first entry in the “Dark Knight” universe, and the only story in that continuity to remain canonical to the greater mainstream DC Universe. Don’t worry too much though; this was back when his Batman work was fairly good more often than it was bad. However, even his good Batman work has what I consider to be narrative problems. This story, as you could guess from the title, tells of Bruce Wayne’s first year after returning from his worldwide training quest to become Gotham’s greatest crimefighter, and when he soon adopts the mantle of the Batman. Along with Bruce, we see Jim Gordon, the future Commissioner of Gotham City PD, in his first year on the force. This film does a good job of showing how bad the crime, and even worse, the corruption of Gotham City really is. We see the kind of filth that would create Batman, before Batman himself lent to the creation of supervillains. If anything, this is much more like what the TV show Gotham should be. It does tell its story rather competently. The problem is that the story itself is rather dull. Without the villains for Batman to fight, he’s just stuck with thugs and corrupt cops, which he handles easily. There isn’t even much resolution; it just sort of stops. The criminals are barely dealt with, showing the weakness of the system, and there really isn’t even much of a climax. Also, there are some narrative choices that I don’t think mesh with the characters as we will come to know them later. Gordon cheats on his pregnant wife with someone who is fully aware of the situation. Gordon would not be that callous, or do something that despicable. He’s supposed to be the one good man on the force, who cleans up the GCPD and inspires the other cops to be better and more upstanding people. A person who makes that kind of deliberate and terrible mistake can’t be on the moral high ground like that. And Selina Kyle, Catwoman, starts in a less-than-legal-or-respectable profession in Gotham's red light district. Ignoring how Miller usually writes women as "women of the night", this sullies her later relationships and reluctant moral center. Yes, these plot points are taken from the comic, but that does not automatically make them good. Also, the noir-style inner monologuing does get grating after a little while. Adding to the dullness of the film is the voice acting. Bryan Cranston does okay as Jim Gordon. He would do just as well in live action. Shame he probably won’t get the opportunity. Ben McKenzie, on the other hand, does a very disinterested and unemotional Bruce Wayne/Batman. I guess he does a better Jim Gordon, but not by much. Eliza Dushku does a similarly boring Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The problem is that nobody is really given any kind of emotional range, except maybe when Selina gets a little whiney about not getting credit as Catwoman. Other than that, neither Batman nor anybody for that matter can get animated enough to put real effort into their voice roles. Overall, I would say that this Batman story does competently, but does not excite by any means. I am more excited to see how Batman evolves rather than how he came to be.

How much more can I say about this book. There are plenty of full reviews of just how great frank millers books are. this is about the bundle you get. If you're looking into this book this is the one to get. Well worth the price with a hard cover copy a digital copy both DVD and bluray copies of the film including the digital film copy! I use Vudu as my choice. you cant get any better than this.

Although I have never read the graphic novel, I enjoyed Batman: Year One, short run time and all. An up and coming Jim Gordon takes top billing in this origin story and is fantastically voiced by Bryan Cranston. It was nice to see a young Batman appear vulnerable, but the voice actor choice seemed a bit off. Short by even DCU animated standard, the runtime is around a mere hour. An extra 10 or so minutes could have made this story truly great. Video quality was also just standard for an earlier DCU movie. Minus a couple complaints, I would still recommend this film to a Batman fan.

Okay, it's not as quintessential as DK, but this is a solid story that lays the foundation of the Batman and his early beginnings. This was one of the first "reboots" I remember buying as a kid, and I think it still holds up great. Say what you want about Miller in his later years, but this is some of his best. The translation to video is pretty good. Quality is great, I mean, but I have a few nits with the actual translation from the book to the small screen. All in all though? Worth your money.

This was an impulse buy - wound up being my favorite of the animated Batman movies so far. Besides the story, voices, and sound being good, I liked the style of animation, "camera" angles, and "scenery" in this movie. I like animation but am kind of hard to please. I'm in my 50's, too, for whatever that's worth to anyone reading this.

This was a pretty good movie that shows when Bruce Wayne first became Batman and the course of his first year. It also shows how Batman and Jim Gordon came to be allies.

I really enjoyed this animated adaptation of the year one comic series and it helps if you are a fan of the comic series for a viewer to really appreciate this animated movie. The movie veers a little from the original story but is still entertaining none the less.

Good Batman film for your bat centric collection but not DC's best adaptation with so many great films in the arsenal this seemed to come up a little short maybe due to time constraints. Still a good buy but not the best DC story adaptation.

This makes a great companion to the dark knight returns. This is more like a Chris Nolan approach. Top notch animation

Batman: Year One shows the origin of the caped crusader and some of his early exhilarating adventures.

love the movie and graphic novel that it comes with. Very good detailed drawings

Was nice to get the novel with the movie and a movie ticket offer for BvsS as well.

Haven't read the graphic novel so don't know how the movie compares but its a good movie. A different take on Gordon but never the less a goo movie.

A more grounded approach to the dark knight! Wonderful movie for sure!

Another great adaptation of another classic story.

Excellent movie. Excellent movie. Excellent movie.

This is not a 2 disc set with Blu-Ray and DVD as advertised. It only has the Blu-Ray so if you're looking to get a DVD copy to use in a portable player. Don't get this version. The animated movie is good though :)