Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)

This movie was certainly a deviation from the recent DC Batman movies. It lacked that epic 'holy sh*t!" feel that we've learned to love in flicks like "Batman: Under The Red Hood" or even "Son of Batman."

The movie is more akin to "Batman: The Animated Series" or at best "Mask of the Phantasm." Entertaining enough to watch but not to rewatch.

I liked the idea of having Batman set in a different era, but ultimately the concept falls short and is used purely for novelty rather than a vehicle to introduce Batman in a new light. There are so many different ideas, characters, themes, etc that could've been used and twisted to make something truly unique... but instead it didn't take any risks. Why even have a movie set in an alternate timeline if you don't do anything unique with it?

In a nutshell: It gives us the familiar Batman from the animated series that we know and love but fails to pass it off as something 'new' by merely changing the setting. If you liked the Animated Series, you'll get some entertainment out of this.

5/10***** - Worth a rent, but certainly not a buy.

(My Own 2 Cents on Rebooting Superheroes): If you are planning to reinvent The Batman (or any superhero) in a self-contained story, go wild with it and don't hold anything back. I understand the risk, thinking that changing the storyline and characters TOO much may yield a movie too unfamiliar/unrelatable for existing fans to want to watch/buy. But taking that same risk (especially if the story is already self-contained) may do the exact opposite, 'wow' existing fans and gain new audience demographics altogether.

Example: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

Fmovies: A nice adaptation of the comic and surprisingly R rated yet no too adults only either. A simple Victorian-era serial killer mystery featuring Jack the Ripper referencing Sherlock Holmes and Houdini. The problem for me with these films is that the immense possibilities that are not exploited. There can be simple editing techniques that can be easily used in here which would have been made this way better.

Thoroughly enjoyed this 'Elseworlds' tale. Bruce Greenwood is a great Batman and I loved Anthony Head as Alfred - hope he gets to do more. Fight choreography in DC's animated Batman movies has improved hugely in recent years and Batman's battles with the Ripper here are as exciting as anything seen in his live-action - in some cases more so. Several nods to established Batman mythology/continuity for fans, plus a nice callback to Tim Burton's Batman '89 movie in the first few minutes. Quite a few Sherlock Holmes references too (might need to be a real Holmes buff to catch some). Definitely one for rewatches.

8/10

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight fmovies. First of all this one is not for kids as you can see the sign (R) below the title. Totally different plot, different story, different era. I can promise you one thing, this type of movie you will not get to see often. Amazing story with the nice animation and total unexpected climax. One hell of a Bat movie. As I am not going to give you any spoilers. Just download it and watch it.

How much you like this film will definitely depend on how much you are into the Victorian/Steampunk aesthetic, as well as the murder mystery genre in general. There is definitely nothing bad to report about this movie, it is a decent little crime noir set in the early 1900s.

If there is a problem it is that it has no connection to the greater Batman/DC animated universe and could easily not be a Batman film at all, since outside of the character names themselves there is little to link the two. Batman only vaguely 'Batmans' outside of some grappling-hook action and minor detecting. It is certainly not one for those who like outlandish superhero action.

Overall if you see this as a short murder mystery there is little to be disappointed by here, and if you crave a more down-to-earth Batman then this will be great for you. In my opinion you might as well just watch something like Zorro or Lone Ranger, or any other masked vigilante that Batman was based on as for me its 'back to basics' tone is just a little too basic, but it is certainly a matter of personal opinion in this regard.

Great serious story, wow they didn't make animation this hardcore in the 90's It gets gory and eerie at times which is really what a Batman movie should be.

It has a fantastic classic Batman story.

Great els-world favourite characters.

Batman's fighting choreography is fantastic and this is a cartoon lol!

Animation looks dull in places that don't matter and thats fine and is made up by focusing on the main features, and that looks great, well executed action.

Classic Gotham feel that is right at home! (got to have a blimp!)

Lots of nods and easter eggs to previous Batman animations, comics. (Mask of the Phantasm, Robins, Two Face, Sherlock Holmes's Dancing Men story (which I really appreciated, I f-ing love Jeremy Brett and Sherlock stories), Death in the family, the weird Scott Snyder comic about James Gordan's messed up son, Dark Knight Bat pod, Black Mask...these were the ones I noticed.

Overall really good ELS-WORLD Batman story!