{"id":38952,"date":"2014-07-02T14:30:01","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T18:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=38952"},"modified":"2023-02-19T14:33:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T19:33:17","slug":"beware-the-batman-shadows-of-gotham-season-1-part-1-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/02\/beware-the-batman-shadows-of-gotham-season-1-part-1-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham – Season 1, Part 1 [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Yet another animated iteration of the dark knight, Glenn Murakami\u2019s \u201cBeware the Batman\u201d tries to meet Cartoon Network in America down the middle. It\u2019s an attempt to rework the Batman universe, while opening its world up to potential merchandise opportunities. Hence why much of the Batman universe here is filled with pandering, and characters so obviously built toward becoming action figures, it\u2019s pretty sad. All things considered, the series was pulled very quickly by Cartoon Network, and it\u2019s not difficult to figure out why. \u201cBeware the Batman\u201d is the most lifeless and lethargic of the animated Batman adventures, and we once had \u201cThe Batman.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time around, we\u2019re back to Bruce Wayne during his early days as Batman, except things have been reworked and shifted to become more testosterone laced. Alfred is no longer a doting butler, and now wants to fight alongside Batman. Resembling an older Jason Statham, Alfred is Bruce\u2019s guardian who wants to flex his military training in crime fighting. Meanwhile, Bruce is given a new chauffeur in the form of the female character Katana, also known as Tatsu Yamashiro. During the second episode, she\u2019s assigned by Alfred to become Bruce\u2019s bodyguard and chauffeur, while Alfred reserves himself to becoming Batman\u2019s new sidekick. She\u2019s there for attract a female audience, and to add a female character to the action figure line.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s blatant, but the character is slick and often made me wonder why we don\u2019t have a show for her. Robin is nowhere to be found here, and most (if not all) of Batman\u2019s familiar rogues are traded for more obscure villains that are kid friendly, but still threatening to the dark knight. I like that the animators at least try to delve in to the more obscure corners of Batman\u2019s rogue galleries, it\u2019s just tough to take any of them as seriously as the Joker, or Bane. \u201cBeware the Batman\u201d is very aware that it\u2019s a toy commercial. It revolves around one note stories, and very boring animation that offers no flair, and affords Batman zero mystique or new layers of character. It\u2019s just the same old Batman in a premise derivative of \u201cGreen Hornet\u201d knocking around with his butler and fighting crime with his chauffeur.<\/p>\n