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Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham – The World’s Finest Reviews The DC Animated Movie

REVIEWS

Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Runtime: 90 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 4K UltraHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Digital – March 28, 2023

Synopsis: Batman’s rational mind and unparalleled fighting skills are put to the ultimate test when an ancient force threatens his world. This feature-length DC Animated Movie puts Batman up against Lovecraftian supernatural forces threatening the sheer existence of Gotham as he’s aided and confronted along the way by reimagined versions of his well-known allies and enemies, including Green Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Two-Face, James Gordon and more.

David Giuntoli reprises his Batman: Soul of the Dragon role as the voice of the Dark Knight in this all-new 1920s-based DC Elseworlds tale. Tati Gabrielle makes her DC animated debut as Kai Li Cain, Batman’s closest ally. Elevating the action and drama are DC animation veterans Christopher Gorham as Oliver Queen, Patrick Fabian as Harvey Dent, John DiMaggio as James Gordon, and David Dastmalchian as Grendon.

Rounding out the cast is Gideon Adlon as Oracle, Karan Brar as Sanjay “Jay” Tawde, Jeffrey Combs as Kirk Langstrom, Darin De Paul as Thomas Wayne, Brian George as Alfred, Jason Marsden as Dick Grayson & Young Bruce Wayne, Navid Negahban as Ra’s al Ghul, Emily O’Brien as Talia al Ghul & Martha Wayne, Tim Russ as Lucius Fox, William Salyers as Cobbelpot & Professor Manfurd, and Matthew Waterson as Jason Blood/Etrigan.

Sam Liu fills the dual role of producer and co-director of Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham, working closely with co-director Christopher Berkeley to bring to animated life the script from screenwriter Jase Ricci. Producers are Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau. Executive Producer is Michael Uslan. Sam Register is Executive Producer.



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Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham Animated Feature Review
By James Harvey

It goes without saying to expect the unexpected in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham, the DC Animated Movie adaptation of the cult-favorite DC Comics Elseworlds 2000 title of the same name. Nearly every aspect the Bat-mythos are reinvented here, twisted into a chilling Lovecraftian thriller and creating an intriguing tale packed with plenty of surprises, but also some unfortunate missteps. While every twist and turn doesn’t land as strong as each should, with the story needing just a bit more room to click, there’s still something undeniably engrossing about the events unfolding in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham.

Re-imagined as a 1920s explorer, Bruce Wayne accidentally unleashes an ancient evil which follows him as he returns to Gotham City after a two-decade hiatus following his parents’ murder. Driven by science and logic, Batman must now battle Lovecraftian supernatural forces threatening the sheer existence of Gotham, along the way being aided and confronted by re-envisioned versions of his allies and foes, including James Gordon, Harvey Dent, Mr. Freeze, Green Arrow and Ra’s and Talia al Ghul, among others.

Despite looking like a sequel to 2019’s excellent Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, an easy assumption to make given the visual similarities between the two (and the pedigree behind both the original comics), Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham is something else entirely. Instead of a murder mystery, we get a mystery of another sort with Bruce Wayne attempting to uncover not just the cause of the recent paranormal (and bizarre) events in Gotham, but also how it’s tied to the city’s secret history. It’s an intriguing hook that effectively pulls you right in, though becomes a little unwieldy as more and more layers are added with each new revelation.

Sticking fairly close to the original Elseworlds comic series, save for a character swap or two and some streamlining of the overall plot, cast and dialogue, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham tosses us into the weirdness almost immediately, with Wayne and his wards investigating an abandoned ship in Antarctica and discovering the first of many twisted oddities he’ll be facing on his journey. From there, things unravel at a pretty quick pace for our hero, though at the cost of needed character beats and backstory.

Co-directed by Christopher Berkeley and Sam Liu, with a script by by Jase Ricci, the film’s creators pour their all into this 90-minute feature, pushing us to the plot point or action beat as fast as possible, though with the occasional pause to add context and new details to the movie’s already hefty, evolving story. There is a lot to get through in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham, and the creative team makes a valiant attempt to give every bit of the film’s plot its due, but unfortunately it just can’t be done. The story just keeps pushing ahead that there’s barely time for Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham to adequately establish the horror that’s coming for our heroes, or to even deal with the fallout of each new development before moving on to the next.

Plenty of familiar faces grace the screen in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham, but they’ve all been given the Elseworlds treatment. Most are visually recognizable, so it’s easy to pick up “who’s who,” especially if you’re a long-time DC Comics fan. That said, those unfamiliar might miss out making the odd character connection. Harvey Dent is immediately familiar, for example, as his role is fairly similar to his usual pre-Two-Face days in “regular” Batman tales and other media interpretations, but most of the supporting cast here gets a hefty makeover or are swapped out entirely for new or different characters. The likes of Oliver Queen, Poison Ivy, Talia and Ra’ Al Ghul, among others, are all here, usually with an interesting visual gimmick to go with.



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And while we see a lot of characters, some of whom are crucial to the film’s story, their appearances can occasionally feel random or rigid. It’s easy to forget how many characters actually pop up in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham because some just make a quick, fleeting appearance for the sake of the story and then vanish. Thankfully, that’s not the case across the board. Harvey Dent’s journey here is surprisingly haunting and tragic, and ends up being a fairly memorable aspect of the film. His story is what Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham needed more of, but there’s simply too much plot the movie needs to get through and not enough time.

As with its characters, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham also has plenty of story, but unfortunately not the time to give it all it’s due. While there’s enough detail to get a solid understanding of the threat Batman and Gotham City are facing, it feels like we’re occasionally missing crucial little bits of the story, especially when it comes to the “sins” heaped onto the sons and resultant “curse.” Honestly, viewers might need a second watch just to help get a better sense of the rules to this burgeoning horror. As a result, it can be hard to grasp the urgency of and get a proper idea of the danger about to cross the threshold. That said, the film’s multiple references to the works of H.P Lovecraft – including “The Doom That Came to Sarnath” and “At the Mountains of Madness” – and careful hand at working them into this story and world feels organic and works so, so well.

Another thing that works so, so well in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham is its stellar animation. The movie looks nice and smooth for almost the entire duration, with only the odd distracting blip to be found. Whether it’s one of the film’s few quiet moments or it’s many deftly-directed action beats and set pieces, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham looks slick and legitimately visually impressive at times. The same can be said about the designs for the film’s more bizarre creatures, some of whom are jaw-droppingly stunning and unnerving. There’s plenty of great painted work and some surprisingly detailed, and creative, creatures which pop up that’ll definitely catch the eye.

On top of looking great, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham sounds just as solid thanks to a voice cast that’s clearly game to deal with a little weirdness. David Giuntoli climbs back into the cowl of the Dark Knight, reprising his Batman: Soul of the Dragon role, and hasn’t missed a step. He plays Batman as straight-laced as can be, but with a super-slight hint of madness, but it’s great to hear him really cut loose as the winged avenger during the film’s climactic battle. Christopher Gorham repeatedly steals the show as Oliver Queen, easily getting some of the film’s biggest laughs and best lines. Gorham is definitely having fun with this one, and it truly shows in every line reading.

There’s truly not a weak link in the cast, really. This movie has a fairly sizable cast, but each actor here nails their part, regardless of how big their respective roles are. Not a single line feels out of place, showing off Wes Gleason’s stellar voice direction skills.

Also pleasant to the ear is the film’s stand-out score by Stefan L. Smith. His first work on the DC Animated Movie line is a notable one, showing solid range as he provides the eerie soundtrack to one of Batman’s weirdest adventures without missing a beat. While his work never overpowers what’s happening on screen, it still puts in considerable work enhancing the film’s uneasy tone. The score is seriously, seriously super good.

Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham is jam-packed with interesting ideas, a wealth of re-imaged Gotham denizens, along with some slick animation and stirring set pieces, but the story just isn’t strong enough to connect everything cohesively. The story, as with the film’s abundant cast, needed to be fleshed out a little more. What’s here is enough for the movie to work, and even enjoy, but it just feels a little incomplete, plot-wise, like there’s a crucial detail or two left on the cutting-room floor.

An imperfect effort, albeit a commendable one, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham still manages to be attention-grabbing despite the end product being somewhat of a mixed bag, albeit a successful one. It’s a clear labor of love by the film’s creators that’s well-worth giving a spin, but it likely won’t play the same for every fan. While the story can’t quite get itself together, the solid (and at times legitimately gorgeous) animation, voice work and imaginative character designs still make this an intriguing, chilling story worth checking out as long as you’re willing to let a little weirdness in. Recommend, but with reservations.



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Please note that while Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment provided The World’s Finest with a copy of Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham to review, that had no bearing on the product’s final assessment.

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