DVD: Batman Gotham by Gaslight
Reviewed by: Samantha Keogh
Review made possible by: Empire Entertainment
The first thing I need to say is that this movie has no similarities to the movies about this superhero.
In fact, the name may be the only thing this movie has in common with the slew of movies about Batman.
In this animated film, the viewer finds Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in Victorian-era Gotham City where he is scouring the streets trying to rescue prostitutes from, locate and defeat Jack the Ripper.
It is a convoluted tale in which everyone, not just the ladies of the night, is in danger of dying.
Keeping with the traditional story of Jack the Ripper, one of the victims is Ivy, an exotic dancer and prostitute.
The twist comes when Bruce discovers that like some of the other dead women, Ivy just happens to be an orphan raised by Sister Lesley, who also had a hand in raising Bruce after his parents died.
This sets up a string of coincidences in which Bruce discovers that everyone is connected and his favourite nun is in danger of dying.
Bruce rushes to save Sr Leslie only to find she has already been killed by the mystery murderer.
At Sr Leslie’s funeral, Bruce meets Hugo Strange who believes he knows the killer and in telling Bruce this, Hugo sets himself up to be murdered at the Arkham Asylum where Jack is aided by Hugo’s patients who rip the man apart.
It soon becomes apparent to the hero that the man he is after must be a member of Gotham’s monied high society.
In yet another twist the police believe Bruce is Jack the Ripper and he is arrested for the crimes, found guilty and sentenced to serve time in Blackgate Penitentiary.
Staging a prison fight, Bruce escapes and helped by his friends manages to save the day – on a steampunk motorcycle.
While I quite enjoy superhero movies, I was immediately put off by the fact that this is an animated film.
This distaste was compounded by the ridiculous story-line.
Unless you are a die-hard Batman movie fan, this may not be the superhero film for you.
