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In 1986, iconic graphic novel author Frank Miller shook up the comic book industry with his four-part miniseries The Dark Knight Returns, which reimagined Batman as an aged vigilante coming out of retirement to fight crime in a gritty, noir-ish vision of Gotham City. Hot on the heels of the immense acclaim, Miller teamed up with artist David Mazzucchelli for Batman: Year One and retained the intelligence and grit that defined The Dark Knight Returns to explore Batman's origins. Although Christopher Nolan used very little of Miller's ideas for Batman Begins, the source material was ideal fodder for Warner Premiere's series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Fortunately, Batman: Year One for the most part translates well to the format. It's not perfect, and a higher-budgeted production could've yielded a smoother adaptation, but there's a lot to enjoy here.
After spending a number of years travelling the world, millionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben McKenzie) returns to Gotham, taking up residence in his family's long-time mansion overseen by loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth (Jeff Bennett). Meanwhile, Jim Gordon (Bryan Cranston) transfers to Gotham City Police Department, only to find the city plagued with corruption and crime. Fearing for the safety of both himself and his pregnant wife, Gordon is compelled to just do his job, turning a blind eye to the corrupt activity within the force. But a glimmer of hope soon emerges for Gordon, as Wayne begins to hit the streets as Batman, cleaning up crime vigilante-style. While Gordon is ordered to investigate Batman and arrest him, the lives of both men eventually converge, leading to a mutual respect for one another and a partnership that could bring order to a city lost in chaos.
Tab Murphy's screenplay is apparently very faithful to the source, resulting in a fairly short movie that only clocks in at a bit over an hour. Unfortunately, Batman: Year One feels too short, briskly skimming over weeks and months while only spotlighting a handful of key events. Such a structure works on the pages of Miller's graphic novel since a reader can move at their own pace, but as a fast-paced screen adventure, it feels underdone and slight. A longer, more complete movie would've been superior. With that said, however, the movie in its current form is still satisfying. One of the strongest aspects of Batman: Year One is the way that it balances the stories of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, observing the beginnings of both characters and allowing us to hear both of their inner monologues. Indeed, Year One carries frequent voiceovers in keeping with Miller's graphic novel, but they never grow too heavy-handed or bothersome; they enhance the experience.
As with Miller's book, Batman: Year One is a film noir interpretation of the Batman mythos, humanising the characters of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. The animators do a superlative job of retaining the grit and gloom of Mazzucchelli's original artwork while giving the movie a magnificent sense of fluidity. Visually, Year One evokes noir-ish anime like Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop, and there's a thick sense of atmosphere pervading every frame. The flick especially shines during the action sequences, with hand-to-hand combat that frankly looks like motion capture work. The fights are rough and brutal, and you feel every punch and kick. Especially great are the scenes involving Catwoman; she moves in a fast, catlike fashion, and the battles are very exciting. Equally great is the music by Christopher Drake, which belies the low-budget origins of the production. Drake's score is exciting and majestic, giving the picture a genuine theatrical feel.
Batman: Year One is also bolstered by a mostly solid voice cast. Unfortunately, the weak link is McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's especially ineffective during the voiceover narration, coming across as bored and stiff, and he's not much better when it comes to regular dialogue. It's a completely unremarkable performance, and one must wonder why the filmmakers didn't recruit fan favourite Kevin Conroy or even Bruce Greenwood. Thankfully, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston picks up a lot of the slack as Jim Gordon. Cranston actually turned down the role initially but changed his mind after being exposed to Miller's layered storytelling. He's easily the star of the show, and it doesn't sound like he's just reading lines for the sake of a paycheque. Year One features a pretty impressive roster of supporting players, including character actor Alex Rocco as mob boss Carmine Falcone, Katee Sackhoff who's downright lovely as Detective Sarah Essen, and a very bubbly Eliza Dushku as Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman. Batman purists might be shocked to find that Kyle is, in fact, a prostitute in this story...
Despite its shortcomings, Batman: Year One is a smart, faithful animated action-adventure that gets more right than wrong. It's a must for die-hard Batman fans or for anyone who just enjoys watching comic book movies. Year One was actually planned to be a live-action movie helmed by Darren Aronofsky back before Batman Begins was made. While that prospect sounds very enticing indeed, and would have probably been a downright masterpiece, this animated production is good enough for now.
7.2/10
