DVD review – Batman: Year One (Two-disc Special Edition)

Batman: Year One Two-Disc Special Edition DVD

Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s “Batman: Year One” is a comic-book classic, recounting the early adventures of Batman and police Lt. James Gordon in a corrupt, crime-infested Gotham City. The story was originally serialized in issues 404 through 407 of DC Comics’ “Batman” title in 1987.

“Year One” has been influential in nearly all the Batman adaptations in other media since, including “Mask of the Phantasm” and Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.” Miller’s darker takes on Batman in “Year One” and the earlier “Dark Knight Returns” were influential on the 1989 “Batman” film as well.

With so much history hanging on this story, there’s a lot for the direct-to-video animated adaptation to hold up. The extremely faithful adaptation, produced by Bruce Timm and co-directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, succeeds as the best direct-to-video DC Comics movie to date.