Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
{4.5/5} “I’m certain your displays of graphology will duly impress any young ladies you encounter.”
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, released in 2018
Jack the Ripper is killing women in Gotham, and Batman has pledged to stop him. James Gordon helps him out, as he feels Batman can do the job no one else can do. The Ripper chases down Selina Kyle but when Batman comes to her rescue, which she complains she didn’t need, the Ripper gets away.
What if Batman lived in the 19th century? It might look something like this. It’s an animated movie, based on the graphic novel of the same name.
The story is serious in general but there are amusing moments. It’s the Bruce Wayne / Batman character we know, transplanted into a different time.
The characters of Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle, Hugo Strange, and Sister Leslie are particularly delightful.
This is a terrific story in which you feel that Batman is in real danger. If you think about it in terms of the larger Batman universe, there is one thing that doesn’t make sense.*
Stars the voices of Bruce Greenwood and Anthony Head. Directed by Sam Liu (Batman: The Killing Joke). The music by Frederik Wiedmann is suitably mysterious.
Spoiler alert
*As in the first Mission: Impossible movie, the identity of the villain didn’t make sense. All of the characters came into the 19th century essentially intact, except for James Gordon who turned into Jack the Ripper — that doesn’t really make sense.