Gotham:
The Complete First Season
(2014 - 2015/DC Comics/Warner DVD Set)
Picture: B Sound: B
Extras: B- Episodes: B
Whereas
I was wary about Gotham
at
first, it has developed into one of the best superhero inspired
series on television today. Grounded mostly in reality (i.e. no
magic or superpowers) Gotham
follows
the daily happenings of Gotham City, primarily focusing on Detective
Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and secondly on a young Bruce Wayne (David
Mazouz) after the murder of his parents.
The
series could have taken the easy and expected route of (once again)
shining the spotlight on a future caped crusader, but for the most
part the series' creators have instead chosen to focus on the City of
Gotham and Detective Gordon displaying how things went so wrong and
why (eventually) a hero is needed. The series takes some liberties
with established Batman lore, but for the most part these deviations
are refreshing and seamlessly blend in with the Batman mythos.
Jim
Gordon is a military hero, arriving back in Gotham to kick ass and
take names; but it will not be easy. Jim quickly realizes that the
Gotham he thought he knew is a cesspool of corruption, greed, and
violence long since taken over by different mafia factions and gangs.
The murder of the Waynes shows a changing of the tides and that
Gotham has some tough times ahead. Whereas the city was infected
with corruption and crooked cops, it seems to have been controlled
chaos; but now wackos and wannabes are coming out of the woodwork to
watch the city burn.
Though
there are a host of characters this First
Season
the main players would have to be Oswald Cobblepot [i.e. The Penguin
played by the brilliant Robin Lord Taylor] and Fish Mooney (Jada
Pinkett Smith). Fish Mooney is established as Mob Boss Carmine
Falcone's (John Doman) no nonsense, second in command; but has bigger
dreams of her own that don't involve being bossed around by a man.
Cobblepot is a sniveling, errand boy that lurks in the shadows;
seemingly harmless at first, his sneaky and slimy eavesdropping
places him amongst the most threatening individuals in the city.
Whereas it would be easy to turn Gotham
into
a 'villain of the week' action/adventure/drama, the series is better
than that as it intricately shows the evolution of crime and
criminals in the city. We are treated to the hierarchy of a mob
drama, while given a splash of comic book gold; all leading to a
sensational future filled with criminally insane villains and heroes
alike.
The
series is well done from beginning to end. Whereas the series may
have taken a few episodes to get its baring, it quickly finds its
rhythm establishing it as one of the better series on TV today. With
hints of what is to come (Batman fans probably catching more than
casual viewers) like that of The Riddler, Two Face, The Joker, and
Catwoman the series has true promise. It seems as though the writers
are taking their time and exploring the devolution of the city before
jumping head first into the main villains; a smart move that gives
the series layers and depth.
The
writing is engaging, the characters are charismatic, and style is
gothic, gritty and fun to watch. Gotham
has
established a world full of rich and interesting characters (too many
to mention here), I am excited to see where Gotham
goes
next.
The
series was released on both Blu-ray and DVD, but ONLY the DVD is
under review here. I am sure the Blu-ray is a huge upgrade in
quality. The picture is presented in an adequate anamorphic 1.78 X 1
widescreen that gets the job done, but seems to get bogged down in
the shadows at time. Much of the series takes place at night layered
into the already established Gothic atmosphere. The picture is crisp
and clean, with bursts of color. The sound is a lossy Dolby Digital
5.1 presentation that gets the job done without distortion and using
the surrounds adequately. For such an action packed series, I was
expecting a more dynamic track, but fell a bit flat though maybe it
would play better in lossless sound on Blu-ray.
The
extras are plentiful (though not the longest) and include the
following:
Gotham
Invented: Building Gotham
Gotham
Invented: Paving the way for the Caped Crusader
Gotham
Invented: Fractured Villains of Gotham
Designing
the Fiction
The
Game of Cobblepot
Gag
Reel
Unaired
Scenes
DC
Comics Night at Comic Con 2014 presenting Gotham, The Flash,
Constantine, & Arrow
Gotham:
The Legend Reborn
Character
Profiles
-
Michael P. Dougherty II