Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is an animated mystery thriller film directed and produced by Sam Liu and written by James Krieg, based on the one-shot graphic novel of the same name. It is the thirtieth film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series and also the second Batman film in the series to be rated R. The film features the veteran voice talents of Bruce Greenwood, Jennifer Carpenter, Anthony Head, Chris Cox, John DiMaggio, Grey DeLisle, Yuri Lowenthal, and Tara Strong. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is an Elseworlds tale of the Dark Knight set in the Victorian era where Batman has to take down Jack the Ripper, who has left London and started killing young women in Gotham City. Bruce Greenwood is great as the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne. This is his third time voicing the Caped Crusader and he does not disappoint. He captures the serious tone of Batman as well as the playboy persona of Bruce Wayne. His voice is cool, collected, reserved, and the closest to Kevin Conroy that fans will ever get. Jennifer Carpenter does a fine job voicing Selina Kyle. Her voice is soft, seductive, and matches the character’s beauty, yet it can quickly shift to strong and fierce with her changing mood. John DiMaggio, Grey DeLisle, Yuri Lowenthal, and Tara Strong are memorable as the voices of Chief Bullock, Sister Leslie, Harvey Dent, and Marlene. Their voices stand out among the extended cast as they’re very recognizable. James Krieg does a great job at adapting the graphic novel with subtle changes to the story and characters. The film contains many nods to other Batman mythology with characters such as Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Pamela Isley being adapted to fit the story and time period. Thus, the Victorian era Gotham doesn’t feel too far off from the Gotham fans are used to. This makes the film a totally different experience than the graphic novel and has a twist that comes right out of left field. The animation is great and is matched with Frederik Wiedmann’s equally great score. The film does, however, end in an abrupt manner with a few plot elements left unanswered leaving a couple of plot holes. Also, even though the film does contain violence and some adult themes, the R rating feels unnecessary. I give a Batman: Gotham by Gaslight an Excellent 9/10. This is one of the better adapted DC Universe Animated Original Movies and hopefully allows fans to see the sequel, Batman: Master of the Future, adapted into an animated film as well.
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