View source for Batman: Year One (film)

{{short description|2011 film directed by Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Batman: Year One
| image          = Bat year one film.jpg
| caption        = DVD cover
| director       = {{plainlist|
* [[Sam Liu]]
* [[Lauren Montgomery]]
}}
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bruce Timm]]
* [[Alan Burnett]]
* Lauren Montgomery
* [[Sam Register]]
}}
| writer         = [[Tab Murphy]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Batman: Year One]]''||[[Frank Miller]]|[[David Mazzucchelli]]}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Bryan Cranston]]
* [[Ben McKenzie]]
* [[Eliza Dushku]]
* [[Jon Polito]]
* [[Alex Rocco]]
* [[Katee Sackhoff]]
}}
| music          = [[Christopher Drake]]
| editing        = Margaret Hou
| production_companies = {{Plain list|
* [[Warner Premiere]]
* [[DC Entertainment]]
* [[Warner Bros. Animation]]
* MOI Animation {{small|(Animation services)}}
}}
| distributor    = [[Warner Home Video]]
| released       = {{Film date|2011|10|18}}
| runtime        = 64 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $3.5 million<!-- home media --><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1672723/business |title=Batman: Year One (2011) (V) – Box office / business |work=IMDB |access-date=2012-03-21 |archive-date=2016-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403182456/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1672723/business |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=December 2020}}
| gross          = $6.1 million<ref name="numbers" />
}}

'''''Batman: Year One''''' is a 2011 American [[animation|animated]] [[superhero film]] based on the [[Batman: Year One|four-issue story arc of the same name]] printed in 1987. It was directed by [[Lauren Montgomery]] and [[Sam Liu]]. The film premiered at [[San Diego Comic-Con|Comic-Con]] on July 22 and was officially released on October 18, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batman-year-one-animated-movie-209438|title='Batman: Year One' Animated Movie Trailer Hits (Video)|author=Bory's Kit|date=July 9, 2011|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/118/1183831p1.html|title=Comic-Con: Batman: Year One Review|date=July 23, 2011|work=[[IGN]]|access-date=September 4, 2011|archive-date=August 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821071118/http://movies.ign.com/articles/118/1183831p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

It is the 12th film released under the [[DC Universe Animated Original Movies]] banner and was released on [[DVD]], [[Blu-ray]] and [[digital copy]].<ref name="MTV">{{cite web|url=http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/07/15/the-animated-batman-year-one-dvdblu-ray-gets-a-release-date-and-specs/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720042248/http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/07/15/the-animated-batman-year-one-dvdblu-ray-gets-a-release-date-and-specs/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2011|title=The Animated 'Batman: Year One' DVD/Blu-Ray Gets a Release Date and Specs|author=Charles Webb|date=July 15, 2011|work=[[MTV]]}}</ref> The film received positive reviews upon release for its animation and faithfulness to the source material.<ref name="tomatoes"/> It was also a commercial success, bringing in $6.1 million on a budget of $3.5 million.<ref name="numbers"/>

==Plot==
Billionaire [[Batman|Bruce Wayne]] returns home to [[Gotham City]] after twelve years abroad, training for his eventual one-man war against crime. [[Jim Gordon (character)|James "Jim" Gordon]] moves to Gotham with his wife, Barbara, after a transfer from [[Chicago]]. Both are swiftly acquainted with the corrupt and violent atmosphere of the city. Gordon tries to focus on purging corruption from the [[Gotham City Police Department]] after witnessing his partner, [[List of DC Comics characters: F#Arnold Flass|Detective Arnold Flass]], abuse his power as a cop. Unfortunately, several officers led by Flass beat him on orders from his superior, [[Gillian B. Loeb|Commissioner Gillian Loeb]]. In revenge, Gordon tracks Flass down, beats him, and leaves him naked and handcuffed in the snow.

Bruce believes he is still unprepared to fight against crime despite having the skills he learned abroad. He goes in disguise on a surveillance mission in Gotham's [[red-light district]], but is reluctantly drawn into a brawl with several prostitutes, [[Holly Robinson (fictional character)|Holly Robinson]] and [[Catwoman|Selina Kyle]]. Two police officers shoot Bruce on sight and take him away in their patrol car. Bruce breaks free, flees from the scene, and returns to [[Wayne Manor]] barely alive. He sits before [[Thomas Wayne|his father's]] bust, requesting guidance in his war against crime. A bat suddenly crashes through a window and settles on the bust, inspiring him to save Gotham as Batman.

With Bruce striking as Batman for weeks, crime significantly declines. He even goes after Flass, who is in the middle of accepting a bribe from Jefferson Skeevers, a drug dealer of [[Carmine Falcone]]. Loeb experiences Batman's threats the night he's attending a dinner party held at the mansion of Gotham's mayor, he orders Gordon and GCPD Detective [[Sarah Essen Gordon|Sarah Essen]] to arrest the vigilante. The two cops and Batman eventually cross paths as Batman saves an old lady from a runaway truck that nearly hits her. Batman then flees into an abandoned building which Loeb orders a bomb dropped on. He also sends in a [[SWAT]] team led by a trigger-happy commander, Branden, to kill any survivors left in the building. The intensity of the hunt increased, alerting dozens of neighbours nearby witnessing the situation. Batman uses a signal device to attract a swarm of bats from the [[Batcave]] as his only route to escape. After witnessing Batman in action, Selina is inspired to don a costume of her own and begin a life of crime, becoming Catwoman.

Gordon and Essen have a brief affair and spend two months dating. Essen, however, chooses to leave Gotham upon learning he is going to be the father of Barbara's child. Gordon is left alone to investigate Bruce's connection to Batman. He travels to Wayne Manor with Barbara to interrogate Bruce, who uses his playboy charms to divert suspicion. While leaving the manor, Gordon confesses his affair with Essen to Barbara. Skeevers gets bailed with the help of a hired lawyer but is attacked by Batman shortly after, who convinces him to testify against Flass. Skeevers is drugged with [[rat poison]] as an attempt of assassination so that he remains silent about the ties between Loeb and the mafia, although Skeevers ultimately survives.

Bruce sneaks into Falcone's manor as Batman and overhears the private conversation between Falcone and his nephew, Johnny Viti. He surmises their intent to target Gordon's family, so he disguises himself as a motorcyclist to help Gordon. Gordon leaves home on Loeb's orders but becomes suspicious and turns back, only to discover Viti and his men already holding his family hostage. Viti flees the scene with Gordon's infant son. Gordon chases after him on Bruce's motorcycle. The two men end up fighting on a bridge until the baby falls. Bruce catches up in time and leaps over the bridge's railing to save the baby. Gordon thanks Bruce for saving his infant son's life and lets him go. Flass supplies Assistant [[District Attorney]] [[Two-Face|Harvey Dent]] with the evidence and testimony needed to implicate Loeb, who resigns in disgrace. Gordon is promoted to captain and prepares to meet with Batman to investigate a potential plot orchestrated by a criminal calling himself the [[Joker (character)|Joker]].

==Voice cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Bryan Cranston]] as [[Jim Gordon (character)|Lieutenant James "Jim" Gordon]]
* [[Ben McKenzie]] as [[Batman|Bruce Wayne / Batman]]
* [[Eliza Dushku]] as [[Catwoman|Selina Kyle / Catwoman]]
* [[Jon Polito]] as [[Gillian B. Loeb|Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb]]
* [[Alex Rocco]] as [[Carmine Falcone]]<ref name="Hollywood" />
* [[Katee Sackhoff]] as [[Sarah Essen|Detective Sarah Essen]]
* [[Jeff Bennett]] as [[Alfred Pennyworth]]
* [[Grey DeLisle]] as [[Barbara Kean|Barbara Eileen Kean]] (credited), [[Vicki Vale]] (uncredited)
* [[Robin Atkin Downes]] as [[Two-Face|Harvey Dent]]
* [[Keith Ferguson (voice actor)|Keith Ferguson]] as Jefferson Skeevers
* [[Danny Jacobs (actor)|Danny Jacobs]] as Flass's Attorney
* [[Nick Jameson]] as Officer Stanley "Stan" Merkel
* [[Liliana Mumy]] as [[Holly Robinson (comics)|Holly Robinson]]
* [[Pat Musick]] as Louisa Falcone
* [[Stephen Root]] as Lieutenant Brendon
* [[Fred Tatasciore]] as Detective [[Arnold John Flass]], Johnny Viti
* [[Steve Blum]] as Stan (credited), Tom (uncredited)
}}

==Production==
Producer [[Bruce Timm]] noted that the adaptation of the film was relatively straightforward due to the cinematic nature of the original story arc. Bryan Cranston originally turned down the role as James Gordon because he was unfamiliar with both animation and classic comics. Cranston said: "I wasn't aware of this level of storytelling in animation."<ref name="Hollywood">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batman-year-one-lines-up-179942|title='Batman: Year One' Lines Up Voice Cast, Sets Comic-Con Premiere (Exclusive|author=Bory's Kit|date=April 20, 2011|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=July 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721213402/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batman-year-one-lines-up-179942|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical response===
''Batman: Year One'' received positive reviews upon its release. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a score of {{RT data|score}} based on reviews from {{RT data|count|spell=y}} critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}.<ref name="tomatoes">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_year_one|title=Batman Year One (2011)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=iso}}|archive-date=2024-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913194257/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_year_one|url-status=live}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref>

An ''[[IGN]]'' review of the film, after its Comic-Con screening, praised the voice actors and concluded with, "This is real, serious adult entertainment that should satisfy longtime fans and newcomers as well."<ref name="IGN" /> Another review from IGN panned the film, describing it as "dead on arrival – a lifeless bore with stale voice work and a disjointed, sporadic narrative that was best kept on the pages of Frank Miller's stellar graphic novel."<ref>[https://ign.com/articles/2011/10/19/batman-year-one-blu-ray-review IGN] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126173440/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/10/19/batman-year-one-blu-ray-review |date=2021-01-26 }} [[IGN]] R.L. Shaffer October 18, 2011</ref>

Tommy Cook of Collider called the film a "faithful adaptation".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/comic-con-2011-batman-year-one-review/104808/ |title=Comic-Con 2011: BATMAN: YEAR ONE Review |author=Tommy Cook |date=July 23, 2011 |work=Collider |access-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105202823/https://collider.com/comic-con-2011-batman-year-one-review/104808/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave the film an A−, saying, "''Batman: Year One'' is a stellar adaptation, copying Miller's words and Mazzucchelli's images almost verbatim at times." Concluding that, "It all recalls what it felt like to read ''Batman: Year One'' for the first time, and sense that this was a story that had always existed."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/batman-year-one-1798170070 |title=Batman: Year One |author=Noel Murray  |date=October 19, 2011 |work=The A.V. Club}}</ref>

Cinemacrazed criticized the short run time of the film as its main downfall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinema-crazed.com/0-g/batman-yearone.htm|title=Cinema Crazed|date=November 20, 2011|access-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119214816/http://www.cinema-crazed.com/0-g/batman-yearone.htm|archive-date=January 19, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
James O'Ehley of SciFiMoviePage notes that the faithfulness to the source material works for and against the film, with voiceover and dialogue slowing down the action, and he goes on to say how the animation could be bolder, the voices gruffer and the sound more stirring but that overall the film is better than other DC animated films.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scifimoviepage.com/dvd/batman_year_one-bluray.html|title=Batman: Year One (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2011) – Review &#124; Sci-Fi Movie Page|access-date=2012-10-12|archive-date=2012-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004134114/http://scifimoviepage.com/dvd/batman_year_one-bluray.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In an article for The Missing Slate, discussing the influence of the comic version of ''Batman: Year One'' on film depictions of Batman, Michael Dodd praised the casting of [[Bryan Cranston]] as [[Jim Gordon (character)|James "Jim" Gordon]]. Referencing Cranston's famous role as [[Walter White (Breaking Bad)|Walter White]] on ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', he argued that the choice of casting "truly encompassed the character's determination and downright badass attitude in the comic ''Year One''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://themissingslate.com/2014/08/21/back-to-the-beginning-the-evolving-influence-of-batman-year-one/2/#.U_|title=BACK TO THE BEGINNING: THE EVOLVING INFLUENCE OF 'BATMAN: YEAR ONE'|date=August 21, 2014|access-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213642/http://themissingslate.com/2014/08/21/back-to-the-beginning-the-evolving-influence-of-batman-year-one/2/|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Sales==
The film earned $6.1 million from domestic home media sales.<!--home media--><ref name="numbers">{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Batman-Year-One#tab=summary|title=Batman Year One – DVD Sales and Blu-ray|work=The Numbers|publisher=Nash Information Service|access-date=2014-08-24|archive-date=2024-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913194858/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Batman-Year-One#tab=summary|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Home media==
The DVD and Blu-ray release includes a short animated film titled ''[[DC Showcase: Catwoman|Catwoman]]''. In the film, Catwoman deals with the crime boss Rough Cut (voiced by [[John DiMaggio]]) while trying to stop a cargo shipment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Eliza-Dushku-Catwoman-1034973.aspx |title=First Look: Eliza Dushku Pounces into Animated Catwoman Role |author=Rich Sands |date=July 6, 2011 |work=[[TV Guide]]}}</ref>
There is also a sneak peek for the 2012 film ''[[Justice League: Doom]]'', two featurettes, a commentary, a digital comic book, two ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' episodes ("Catwalk" and "Cult of the Cat"), a standard edition of the film, and a high definition edition of the film.<ref name="MTV" />

On August 11, 2015, Warner Home Video re-released the film on a combo pack ({{isbn|1401260047}}), which includes the graphic novel it was based on and a copy of DVD and Blu-ray.

In 2019, it was released as part of the Batman 80th Anniversary DVD Collection, which came with 18 animated Batman movies. It released alongside ''[[Batman: Gotham Knight]]'', ''[[Batman: Under the Red Hood]]'', ''[[Batman vs. Robin]]'', ''[[Batman: Bad Blood]]'', ''[[Son of Batman]]'', ''[[Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (film)|Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 and 2]]'', ''[[Batman: Assault on Arkham]]'', ''[[Batman: The Killing Joke (film)|Batman: The Killing Joke]]'', ''[[Batman: Gotham by Gaslight]]'', ''[[Batman Ninja]]'', ''[[Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders]]'', ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'', ''[[Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman]]'', ''[[Superman/Batman: Public Enemies]]'', and ''[[Superman/Batman: Apocalypse]]''.

On November 9, 2021, the film got a 4K UHD Blu-ray release as part of its 10th, titled "Commemorative Edition."

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|id=1672723}}

{{Batman in popular media}}
{{DC Comics animated films}}
{{Millerverse}}
{{Warner Bros. animation and comics}}

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