In early 2015, we closed a partnership deal to invest in New Regency’s three enthralling titles, namely The Revenant, Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell, marking the first investment of a Taiwanese company in major Hollywood productions. Both investments generated considerable box office performance in Taiwan and China respectively. In the same year, we invested in the locally produced film, Paradise in Service and co-produced 20 Once Again with CJ Entertainment for the Chinese market. But against the Ripper, Batman struggles mightily and it's fantastic.In 2014, in addition to distributing the movies CATCHPLAY loves, we embarked in earnest co-production and investment projects, venturing into content creation. That's not to say this Batman is less capable than other versions we get to see his combat ability when he squares off against the massive Big Bill and Cyrus Gold and handles them with ease. And believe me when I say that Batman gets his ass handed to him on more than one occasion. In other words, he has to resort to his wits and his fists more often than not. This version of Batman still has gadgets, but they're steampunk by design and not nearly the Swiss Army Knife his utility belt is in modern times. And when it comes to action, Gotham by Gaslight features some of my favorite Batman fight-or-flight sequences ever. It's also appropriate for the story itself in that it's not over the top or overused, rather it serves to highlight some awkward moments or character beats.
The humor is, thankfully, spot-on and both period and character-appropriate. The opportunity to put Poison Ivy, Bruce Wayne, Alfred, the various Robins, Bullock, Jim Gordon and more in the Victorian era was well-served by this tale. The women also have agency and aren't simply damsels in distress, which is pretty refreshing for the DC brand. When the female characters are scantily clad or appear in a sexualized manner, those decisions actually serve the story they're either ladies of the night who find themselves the targeted victims of the Ripper, or empowered, progressive heroines who are using their sexuality as a means to an end. More specifically, DC has corrected a lot of the missteps they've made in recent years. It's sure to evoke some divisive reactions. Holmes was particularly fun.) The eventual reveal of Jack the Ripper's identity is different from that of the comics and I was pleasantly surprised by the bold choice this movie took it provided an opportunity for something I've never seen in the history of DC Comics or their live-action/animated adaptations. (Oh and including Gotham's World's Fair and a tie-in to H.H. have provided the core of the "Gotham by Gaslight / Master of the Future" stories while also adding original plot points, DC Comics cameos, and stunning action sequences that heighten the source material. Fans of the "Elseworlds" tales who are looking for a direct translation instead of an adaptation may be disappointed. Let's get a couple of general things out of the way before dipping into some more specifics of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight.
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