With a tantalizing expansion of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson Batman universe, it’s once again an exciting time for the character in the theatrical space, and the recent release of WB Games Montréal Gotham Knights once again pointed out that the city itself is such an important background. As ridiculous as it is to say, Gotham City really helps elevate the Dark Knight stories when treated as a metaphorical figure of his world.
A grim, crime-noir city that seems perpetually dark and stormy is a foundation that serves Batman’s larger mythos, whether it’s setting Christopher Nolan’s standard dark Knight trilogy or dedicated to Paul Dini and Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series. And while Gotham is often characterized by such whimsical adjectives, there have been several attractive iterations in various media to serve its aforementioned functions.
From the page to the big screen
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Batman and, by extension, Gotham City have a long history in the cinematic space, even if it hasn’t been as prominent in decades past. Perhaps the first major theatrical portrayal of the character and his world was in director Tim Burton’s duology, featuring Michael Keaton at the helm Batman and Batman returns.
While Burton and his depictions of the Caped Crusader himself in his corner of the DC universe make no secret of not paying homage to the source material that paved the way for them, it’s hard not to respect the director’s vintage brand of gothic eccentricity. That goes double for the main man and Gotham City itself. One could even argue that Burton’s Gotham has more character and style than Nolan’s iteration.
He exuded moodiness in a way that would, ironically, feel right at home in a DC comic book series. Adding flavor to the Christmas aesthetic Return made it an even more aesthetically memorable incarnation of the city.
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Even so, Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman and the city around him served its purpose: the first blend of modern persistence and realism in a feature-length rendition of an imaginary superhero. Of the three films in the acclaimed trilogy, Batman begins he probably feels larger than life.
Some fans might find it annoying that the aesthetic changes quite noticeably Batman begins to dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, but these depictions still serve the atmosphere well in each film. Dirty, gothic style Starts it fits perfectly with the gritty film that still balances a hint of campiness inherent in the comic book medium.
Stylized nature Starts works well for a plot surrounding an international terrorist group made up of ninjas trying to throw Gotham City into a fear-poisoned hellscape, as well as a Michael Mann crime drama setting for a story detailing the exploits of a mad anarchist — or a war epic.
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However, Reeves’ Batman, with special thanks to cinematographer Greig Fraser, feels like a real return to form when it comes to portraying Gotham City as a background character. It is perhaps the most vivid portrayal of Burton’s duology.
This Gotham City brings the perfect amount of gritty realism with an overall feel that looks like it was ripped from the pages of Frank Miller’s seminal work Year one comic book.
Batman | Opening scene | HBO Max
Gotham feels alive, if only barely, which is a perfect fit for such a setting. The city is connected to its own IV as a lifeline, while at the same time working as an excellent stage for the heroes, villains and everything in between that inhabit it.
Batman has always felt like a character that could justify an entire cinematic universe of his own — with the help of his supporting cast and his hometown. Batman it sums up exactly what makes his future on screen so exciting.
Animation on the small screen
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Similarly, Batman also has an extensive history in the TV space. However, the one that undoubtedly means the most to most longtime fans is the heady world created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in Batman: The Animated Series and so on.
The DC Animated Universe, and especially the Dark Knight portion of it, are practically sacred to veteran fans of the hero. And that’s a solid argument, like Animated seriesthe heir shows that he gave birth, and the beloved Phantasm Mask they are usually praised as the most faithful portrayal of the character when considering the source material.
Batman: The Animated Series | Remastered opening titles | Warner Bros. Entertainment
A huge part of that is, once again, the realization of Gotham City. It was genius art direction from the creative team, as they took the urban aesthetic of the 1940s and the stylistic approach of Art Deco to create the affectionately named “dark deco” that Animated series popularized. Police helicopters, the use of black, gray and red colors and more proved to be the perfect cocktail for an animated crime-noir atmosphere that has stood the test of time.
It’s the gold standard in many ways, whether it’s Gotham’s visuals or how it fits thematically with the Batman story and the upcoming The Caped Crusader animated series (also partly under Timm’s direction) have a lot to live up to.
In the world of games
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When it comes to games, Batman didn’t come into his own until Rocksteady came along and made the long-awaited and Nolan’s reinvention of his universe with Arkham series.
Arkham Asylum, situation-wise, was literally a slice of Gotham City since it took place solely in the titular asylum and the island it was built on. However, it was City and the evolution of open-world game design that gradually pushed Gotham toward reaching the potential of its dark brilliance in the medium.
BATMAN Arkham Knight Gotham Tour
Arkham Knight it was that potential fully realized, with the power of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and then-modern PC hardware delivering a glorious neo-noir version of Gotham City. As for the story, it also helped that it was Arkham games have been praised fairly consistently across their four entries — counting WB Games Montréal’s prequel — for being a bit dated and the video game version of what Dini and Timm accomplished with Animated series.
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That’s another high standard to meet, but for what it’s worth, the WB Montréal team has dedicated a lot of developer time to their latest effort in Gotham Knights. This is their second foray into Gotham City, and it’s even more challenging in a sense, because it’s Gotham without Batman to venture through.
The onus is now on the shoulders of his extended Bat family to fill the hole his mantle leaves behind. Although it may not be as visually striking as the open world Arkham Knightthe artistic foundation of WB Montréal’s action RPG is on point.
Gotham Knights: Building a Brand New Gotham City (With 400 Years of History) – IGN First
The combination of neon and grime is arguably one of the best ways to represent the city, and the development team’s efforts here have resulted in the largest open-world Gotham City in gaming to date.
But as enticing as Gotham looks with these patches of imagined art elements, each one shows just how versatile it is as a setting, as well as how it will always be one of the pillars of Batman’s story.
Various Warner Bros. movies and shows. Batman Discovery is now available to stream on HBO Max and WB Games Montréal Gotham Knights is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn