Please note that I'm reviewing this as someone who's seen other iterations of Batman's origins, minus Batman Begins. Also note that I've seen plenty of crime dramas of similar nature. This one thinks that simply adding Batman to the mix somehow makes it fresh. It doesn't.
The first few minutes were very poorly executed. The scene with Selina Kyle being chased by a fully grown adult was laughably bad. It seemed like the guy didn't care about his wallet because he and Selina were moving at a brisk jog rather than running full-speed. Also, isn't Selina supposed to be YOUNGER than Bruce Wayne? I'm not against adaptations making changes, but they have to be changes that make sense or at least add something, like changing the Mask from a big- eyed horror villain into a slapstick-powered anti-hero so as to be more appealing to general audiences.
This chase leads to the alley way where Bruce's parents are shot. I'm pretty sure I haven't spoiled anything, seeing as that's only THE MOST INTEGRAL PART OF BATMAN'S ORIGIN, and despite that they managed to screw it up. Joe Chill (or at least I hope it's Joe Chill) robs the Waynes, without resistance, and then just randomly shoots the two of them! Why? They didn't resist, they didn't scream for help, they just did what you wanted and you added murder to the list of possible charges against you, plus one witness. If the writers of Gotham are going for that whole "It's a small world" crap that we've seen done to death in recent years, they got off to a bad start. People seem to forget that the point in Batman's parents dying during a mugging is that crime is anonymous, and that stuff like that can happen to anyone for no overarching motive or reason other than "Some punk with a gun got antsy during a stick-up."
Also, writers? Having a character react in a loud, over-the-top fashion to a death is neither dramatic nor powerful. If anything, it only works when it's played for laughs.
THEN we have Gordon talking like a walking cliché than an actual human being. "No matter how dark it gets, there will always be light." "My father was killed by a drunk driver; I know how you feel." While I admire the writers for trying to draw parallels between Bruce and Gordon, they make them so painfully blatant that all I can do is roll my eyes and remember how well-handled the last depiction of the Wayne murders was handled on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
However, once that bit of awkward storytelling is out of the way, the next bit is pretty entertaining. Gordon and his partner Bullock go downtown to try to find answers and we get an idea that while Gordon may not like how Gotham operates, he may have to work with it to get what he wants. It's a very good scene that leaves the dilemmas up to the audience's interpretation. From there, everything else is what you'd expect: Gotham City's gone to crap, the mob owns everything, there are no straight cops other than Gordon, etc. How predictable.
The episode feels like its trying to cram in as many references to other characters and stories despite them having no clear connection to, well, anything. The only one who actually gets some development is Edward Nigma, who will later go on to become the Riddler, as we see both his beginnings as the trickster villain and an initial motive for turning to crime. With the Penguin, we get a motive, but not really a character other than some goon who wants to make it big. Poison Ivy and Selina Kyle add nothing to the plot, and are there merely to inform the viewers that yes, they exist in this world, and yes, Selina is interested in Bruce Wayne. Why? Why would a thief be interested in an eight-year-old heir to a multi-billion dollar fortune aaaand I just answered my own question. Hopefully they can make something interesting out of that tidbit, other than having a completely forced little-kid love story.
The production design is mixed. On one hand, Gotham City itself looks very much like the Arkham games: a 1930s noir feel with a few modernisms thrown in, cell phones feeling a bit out of place. Some shots make Gotham look like Gotham, others make Gotham look like Nolan-verse Gotham, which looks like Chicago. Because it was.
Overall, nothing about his series really struck me as new or interesting. It's a pre-prequel than has chosen to take the route of another dime-a-dozen crime drama instead of being its own thing. I sincerely hope it will become its own thing, but I'm not holding my breath.
The first few minutes were very poorly executed. The scene with Selina Kyle being chased by a fully grown adult was laughably bad. It seemed like the guy didn't care about his wallet because he and Selina were moving at a brisk jog rather than running full-speed. Also, isn't Selina supposed to be YOUNGER than Bruce Wayne? I'm not against adaptations making changes, but they have to be changes that make sense or at least add something, like changing the Mask from a big- eyed horror villain into a slapstick-powered anti-hero so as to be more appealing to general audiences.
This chase leads to the alley way where Bruce's parents are shot. I'm pretty sure I haven't spoiled anything, seeing as that's only THE MOST INTEGRAL PART OF BATMAN'S ORIGIN, and despite that they managed to screw it up. Joe Chill (or at least I hope it's Joe Chill) robs the Waynes, without resistance, and then just randomly shoots the two of them! Why? They didn't resist, they didn't scream for help, they just did what you wanted and you added murder to the list of possible charges against you, plus one witness. If the writers of Gotham are going for that whole "It's a small world" crap that we've seen done to death in recent years, they got off to a bad start. People seem to forget that the point in Batman's parents dying during a mugging is that crime is anonymous, and that stuff like that can happen to anyone for no overarching motive or reason other than "Some punk with a gun got antsy during a stick-up."
Also, writers? Having a character react in a loud, over-the-top fashion to a death is neither dramatic nor powerful. If anything, it only works when it's played for laughs.
THEN we have Gordon talking like a walking cliché than an actual human being. "No matter how dark it gets, there will always be light." "My father was killed by a drunk driver; I know how you feel." While I admire the writers for trying to draw parallels between Bruce and Gordon, they make them so painfully blatant that all I can do is roll my eyes and remember how well-handled the last depiction of the Wayne murders was handled on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
However, once that bit of awkward storytelling is out of the way, the next bit is pretty entertaining. Gordon and his partner Bullock go downtown to try to find answers and we get an idea that while Gordon may not like how Gotham operates, he may have to work with it to get what he wants. It's a very good scene that leaves the dilemmas up to the audience's interpretation. From there, everything else is what you'd expect: Gotham City's gone to crap, the mob owns everything, there are no straight cops other than Gordon, etc. How predictable.
The episode feels like its trying to cram in as many references to other characters and stories despite them having no clear connection to, well, anything. The only one who actually gets some development is Edward Nigma, who will later go on to become the Riddler, as we see both his beginnings as the trickster villain and an initial motive for turning to crime. With the Penguin, we get a motive, but not really a character other than some goon who wants to make it big. Poison Ivy and Selina Kyle add nothing to the plot, and are there merely to inform the viewers that yes, they exist in this world, and yes, Selina is interested in Bruce Wayne. Why? Why would a thief be interested in an eight-year-old heir to a multi-billion dollar fortune aaaand I just answered my own question. Hopefully they can make something interesting out of that tidbit, other than having a completely forced little-kid love story.
The production design is mixed. On one hand, Gotham City itself looks very much like the Arkham games: a 1930s noir feel with a few modernisms thrown in, cell phones feeling a bit out of place. Some shots make Gotham look like Gotham, others make Gotham look like Nolan-verse Gotham, which looks like Chicago. Because it was.
Overall, nothing about his series really struck me as new or interesting. It's a pre-prequel than has chosen to take the route of another dime-a-dozen crime drama instead of being its own thing. I sincerely hope it will become its own thing, but I'm not holding my breath.