Frank Miller‘s “Batman: Year One” is one of the most esteemed entries in the superhero’s canon, and while attempts to get it made into a live action feature never materialized, an animated version is on the way. The first clip landed a couple of weeks ago, and, unfortunately, it was fairly hokey, more reminiscent of a “Simpsons” parody than anything else. Well, a new glimpse has arrived, and while it’s definitely an improvement on the last, there still seems to be something off about the whole endeavor.
While the project does have a top shelf voice cast including Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff and Alex Rocco, the direction by Lauren Montgomery (”Green Lantern: First Flight”) and Sam Liu (”The Batman”) seems slightly, tonally askew. The freshness of Miller’s take on the Batman mythology was that it was unlike anything before (or since), bringing a gritty realism that has largely remained unmatched. This new clip, however, feels very standard and ordinary, and that’s precisely the problem. Miller’s graphic novel is considered one the best accomplishments in the genre, but the film doesn’t seem willing to take any big risks to find an approach to match the source material.
Anyway, maybe seen as a whole it works a lot better, but for now, we’re a bit disappointed. “Batman: Year One” streets on DVD/BluRay/digital on October 11th. Watch below.