Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023 Video) User Reviews

Doesn't feel like Batman

[dereksg-51819 · 5/10 · 4 April 2023]

This movie tries to be to much like Gotham by Gaslight and it just doesn't work. The story is not very interesting and just throws in random things to introduce characters that reference the comics. Also, this doesn't feel like Batman to me. You could replace Batman with almost any other character and besides some plot changes, the movie would feel the same. Some of this may because this isn't really a Batman story. This isn't a noir or a crime-fighting story. It's about ancient legends and things that usually wouldn't apply to Batman. The animation itself was pretty good but it doesn't make up for a bad script.

This was quite the surprise...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 28 March 2023]

Right, well I figured another year another reboot of the "Batman" story. Yet, I opted to sit down and watch this 2023 animated DC movie titled "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" without really knowing what I was getting into here, aside from it being a caped crusader animated movie, of course.

And true enough, once again we have to sit through "Batman" reinvented. And this time in the 1920s.

But that is where "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" stopped being annoying for me, because writers Jase Ricci, Mike Mignola and Richard Pace definitely put together quite the grand script and storyline here. Sure, I haven't read the comic book upon which this 2023 animated movie is based, so how true it is to the source material, I can only speculate. But without having read that, and only watching this, I have to say that I was entertained and I was impressed.

"Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" combines the classic "Batman" tale with something I like a lot, and that is the H. P. Lovecraft Mythos. I wasn't prepared for that, so this was quite a pleasant surprise for me to sit through.

Lots of really nice visuals throughout the course of the 86 minutes that "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" ran for. And there were a lot of subtle hints and references to Lovecraft's works, so if you are a fan, keep your eyes and ears open.

Visually then "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" was good. It is an archetypical "Batman" drawing style, which is actually good. But the added Lovecraft Mythos elements was just the icing on the cake.

With "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" being an animated movie, then having a good voice acting cast ensemble is alpha and omega. And I have to say that they definitely had a good ensemble put together for voicing the characters in this animated movie. And having Jeffrey Combs do the voice of Kirk Langstrom was just such a great homage to us fans of the Lovecraft cinema.

I was genuinely entertained by directors Christopher Berkeley and Sam Liu's 2023 animated movie. And if you are a "Batman" fan, then you should check this out. And if you are a Lovecraft fan too, definitely check out "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham".

My rating of "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

Best "elseworlds" adaption to date.

[MattTB87 · 7/10 · 28 March 2023]

In Brief: Solid 7/10 - Well rounded experience following the major plot points of the graphic novel with above average VA work and lovely anime-esque animation.

Caught an advance screening of this over a month ago and have been waiting to review it ever since. David Giuntoli lends his voice to Bruce/Batman in this outing and honestly it decent justice to the legacy of batman voice acting, sounding pretty much exactly how you'd expect - closer to the Arkham games than to more recent adaptions. The same can also be said for Harvey and Alfred, who are particular high points, but sadly this doesn't extend to the supporting cast, with the younger voice actors coming across a little rigid at times.

Animation wise, it leans into an anime style for the action oriented series and falls back to traditional western styles for backgrounds and story moments, providing a well rounded experience that looks excellent for the vast majority of the movie.

Why have you given it a 7 instead of X?

Without spoilers, there's some younger characters (Sanjay, Kai) who lose a lot of their agency between the source material and the adaption and are relegated to "let's drive the plot forward" instead of having motivations or proper backstory but y'no, it might just be the best elseworlds adaption to date!

Give it a watch, if you liked Red Son, Gotham by Gaslight and felt utterly betrayed by the Injustice adaption, then this will likely be for you!

It's fine

[masonsaul · 6/10 · 4 April 2023]

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham doesn't live up to the potential of a lovecraftian take on the world of the Dark Knight but it's still good thanks to a reasonably engaging central mystery and a period setting that allows it to have some fun with the pre-established characters and events.

David Giuntoli is a good batman once again, he isn't given particularly memorable material but he certainly has the required gravitas for the character. The rest of the voice cast are all fine, with some DC animated veterans in fine if forgettable form.

The animation is good overall, it's nowhere near as stylish as it could've been but it looks nice enough. The music by Stefan L. Smith mostly goes unnoticed but does have a few fun moments where it does come to life. The longer run time is also appreciated, even if the ending feels rushed.

Batman and Horror is always a fun time

[myignisrules · 7/10 · 31 March 2023]

When it comes to horror I can be a bit biased due to my love of the genre, but that aside I thought this was really good. While I enjoyed the color grading in Gotham by Gaslight a bit more as it truly invoked that story's era as well as the steampunk vibe it was going for, The Doom That Came to Gotham also looks stellar and the animation as well as the artwork is some of the best

Overall Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham has a solid premise set to a tight pace that never lets up, with fresh takes on both Batman's allies and adversaries and artwork that makes it stand out from the crowd of animated DC films that exist. It's adult themes (and actual life and death consequences) coupled with smart narrative choices makes this worth seeing and as Batman stories go it deserves to sit up high with some of the best we've got from this medium thus far.

It's okay

[Milk_Tray_Guy · 6/10 · 3 June 2023]

Animated adaptation of Mike Mignola's comic from 2000. In the 1920s, Bruce Wayne returns home after travelling the world for 20 years following the murder of his parents. He soon becomes aware of mysterious events stretching back to the founding of Gotham, and a connected present-day plot to unleash an ancient evil. He also starts to find that those events shine a different light on some aspects of his past.

The movie opens with Bruce and others in the Antarctic. A journey across gorgeous snowscapes - which begins behind the opening titles - is really striking, eventually leading to the stark contrast of abandoned remains of an expedition and several frozen corpses (which look like they've been photo-referenced from perhaps the Franklin Expedition). Bruce catches sight of what may be a survivor, and we're off into HP Lovecraft territory...

Apparently there's some race/gender-swapping of supporting characters; I've never read the original so this didn't tick me off; the characters presented are still relevant to Batman's mythology (and there's some cool name-play). Voice acting is fine; David Giuntoli as Batman, John DiMaggio as Jim Gordon, Jason Marsden as Dick Grayson, Jeffrey Combs as Kirk Langstrom (I won't list more for fear of spoilers) all do well. Standout for me is Brian George (Raj's dad from The Big Bang Theory) as Alfred, sounding uncannily like Efrem Zimbalist Jr in BTAS!

The plot is fine up to the introduction of a certain pair of characters, when it starts to go downhill; this may be Elseworlds but I still want it to feel like Batman - this could have been a John Constantine story (nothing against JC, btw). And the climax feels a bit generic. Frustrating after such a promising start.

People seem either bowled over by this or find it pretty meh. Sad to say I'm nearer the latter. 6/10.

Wierd take on batman

[animeshxxx · 6/10 · 13 July 2023]

It is a wierd take on the batman, I had no clue about what I witnessed in this movie. Just an ok watch for me as an alternate story line for batman.

I don't have much to talk about this movie as a lot of reviews are pretty elaborate.

The most hilarious part for me was, when Alfred and Bruce discuss 'The Mausoleum of the serpent'. Instead of some details about the mausoleum in Hindi, all that was written is the Hindi Alphabet(Varna Mala) repeatedly. This is why the creators should consult someone who possess knowledge about what they are presenting. Imagine opening an old English text about something and finding ABCDEF...... XYZ written again and again.

Batman (2023) Many references but low quality

[claszdsburrogato · 5/10 · 28 March 2023]

If you are a fan of Batman and want to see what this entire universe would be like in the early 1900s, you are in the right place, however, if you want to watch good animation with an incredible script, you are in the wrong place. Throughout the film several characters appear and this is the coolest part of the film. The curiosity to know what the characters are like in this universe is really cool, the problem is that the characters are just thrown into the movie and that ends up making the script worse precisely because it doesn't know what to do with so many characters. The only reason the movie isn't terrible is because of these references, which are really cool to catch, but by the end of the movie, it's already tiring that this happens so much. The film is quite mediocre, at times it is tiring and most of the time the action doesn't work so well. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, just Batman fans who are curious about this type of situation.

Interesting, didn't feel like Batman in the end, but very interesting

[enderarcher · 7/10 · 9 August 2023]

Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie by any means. It's pretty good. It's just very bland. A few things here and there that are just kinda "it works because it is" if that makes sense. There were also some things where if it were any other movie it would have been just fine, but since this is Batman, they seem really "out there". There are some very interesting tales on characters such as Jason Todd, and Cassie Cain, which was cool to see. The way they tied classic villains into it was also really cool. Overall, a great standalone movie, especially being Lovecraftian inspired. Odd as a Batman movie. Interesting watch though.

Boredom Came to Gotham

[Ltufano23 · 5/10 · 22 September 2023]

For DC animated films, it's often hit or miss on quality and unfortunately, The Doom That Came to Gotham is the latter. While it has fresh ideas and is visually entertaining by introducing new designs for some classic characters. Other than that, I found myself bored and waiting for the already short runtime to hurry up. The voice cast does their best to draw you into the mystery at hand and they are all fairly enjoyable in their roles. As an adaptation, it does the source material justice, but just because a comic exists, does not mean it needs to be adapted. It is by no means the worst of DC Animation, but in this case, boredom definitely came to Gotham.

Lovecraftian Batman and done properly

[sangriel-09410 · 10/10 · 13 April 2023]

Not one for many words, let me say this... If you are a fan of the Bat and Lovecraft, this is a crossover at it's finest.

Alternate DC universe, set in the early 20th century as all proper Lovecraftian tales should be, mystical, maddening and not one for happy endings.

In the end of a proper Lovecraft story, people are either dead or insane. Period.

This was totally worth the watch.

And IMDB says my review is too short, so I have to keep going for a bit more...

Okay, I just thought of a way to make it a bit better... Just add John Constantine... But I'm a John fanboy, so maybe I'm biased.

There, min characters met for the review.

Batman Takes On Lovecraftian Horrors

[jeremycrimsonfox · 7/10 · 14 July 2023]

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham can be best described as another Elseworld story, as it takes the caped crusader and puts him in a different time period and genre.

Set during the 1920's, after he and two of his wards search the camp of Professor Oswald Cobblepot for survivors, Bruce Wayne finds a link to an ancient cult that has ties to Gotham City. Having been away from the area for 20 years, as this was the city were his parents were killed by man wielding a knife, and becomes Batman to stop the Cult of Ghul, as Ra's al Ghul is freed by his daughter, Talia, and plans to bring Iog-Sotha, a dark outer god, onto Gotham.

This is an okay film, as it takes a superhero like Batman and puts him and his cast of allies and villains in a setting that sounds like a world and story inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. The Doom That Came to Gotham reinvents Batman villains like Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc into Lovecraftian-inspired demons and monsters, as well as allies like Etrigan and Green Arrow (the latter appearing in this movie as a friend of Bruce Wayne).

The movie pushes how much horror the PG-13 rating can handle, as it has a lot of horror and violence. Also the voice actors do a good job. Dvid Giuntoli voices Bruce Wayne/Batman, a role he reprises from the lackluster Batman: Soul of the Dragon, as well as hire other voice actors like John DiMaggio, Jason Marsden, and Willian Salyers.

However, if I had to make some nitpicks about this film, it's that it should have gone for an R rating given how it was already a horror movie, and it feels they went with PG-13 in order to get more sales from teenagers who are still not allowed to watch R-rated films, but can watch PG-13 films. Also, the pacing is somewhat long and bothersome, with the worst being a scene of Oliver Queen playing the piano and singing while drunk. However, if you're looking for a horror film and love comic book superhero films, this one is sure to be a delight.

It's not good

[alexsherbuck · 2/10 · 9 April 2023]

The comic book is great. Just read the comic book.

This plays like it was smashed together by a bunch of people who never read the comic, have no idea who Mike Mignola is, can't spell Lovecraft and got their job because their dad has an important job and they need to give their kid something to do so they'll stop bothering them for an allowance at 30 years of age.

It's sad because DCAU was the stronghold. It was the last part of DC that was worth anything. And this isn't even meh.

All they had to do was follow the comic book but they had to go and inject their ideology.

Definitely don't pay to watch this. Pirate it, download it, whatever. But don't support this garbage.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham begins with the discovery of a doomed cruise and from there it moves at a high speed... maybe a little too fast...

[sinahashemnia · 7/10 · 29 March 2023]

There's a lot of content crammed into Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham's eighty-eight minutes, and it constantly feels like the animation is rushing its narrative, jumping from set piece to set piece. And it spends little time on backstories or explanations. If the animation Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham was going on in the basic storyline of the franchise, this would not be a big problem; Everyone knows at least the basics about Gotham's prominent citizens and their motivations.

In this animation, although we have characters with similar names, they are not the same famous characters. Some, like Harvey Dent, have roles similar to the original timeline. Others, like Dick Grayson and Kirk Langstrom, play completely different roles. Another group like Oliver Queen falls somewhere in between the two categories. Oliver Queen is not the famous Green Arrow, but he is especially skilled in using the bow and other medieval weapons. Likewise, Barbara Gordon is still Oracle, but in a different way.

Without knowing more than how these versions of the characters came about, they seem detached from the story. Some of the smaller characters are also used more like a narrative device than a character. These characters appear, cause something to happen or have something happen to them, and then disappear within minutes. It's like using Danny Trejo or Eric Roberts in a movie for five minutes.

The same can be said about the sect and legends related to them.

In the end, I can say that this time, the animation of Batman is different from other animations of this character, in the end, it will be a B-movie that is worth watching. Maybe the aim of this animation was not something like that, but it cannot be said that this is a very bad thing.

Lovecraft and Batman don't mix.

[usaffiredog · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

I thought mixing H. P. Lovecraft and Batman would be an intriguing, but enjoyable combination. Like a Reese's peanut butter cup. I was wrong. It was as weird as bat guano and simply wasn't Batman. I really can't see why they mixed it with Batman, except for the marketing value. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad movie. Compared to the live action stuff DC puts out, this was a masterpiece. I just think it would have been better suited for any of the mystical characters already in DC's wheelhouse. Raven would have been my choice. Or perhaps using Wonder Woman to mix the story with Greek mythology.

It can fly

[Sh31kh_H0kv5 · 6/10 · 14 April 2023]

Bat as a bat, that's unprecedented in so many ways, but the fact who so ever did it was fascinating in sight of entertainment that goes with meaning, honestly Bruce came face 2 face fear greater than what he could ever imagine call it what ever but the responsible man gave up his humanity for the course, inspiring fear be careful what you wish for finally even the bat at the end became a Batman. What's next for this there's so much more i want 3 knowCommonly acquiring anything takes time but here only the mediocre can actually survive due to Good luck after weeks of birth no mother no father just like that not even a summoning to make it fit in place, precisely boom in for the bang theory apart from big he's small but at the same time mighty which at first was uncanny as you progress events begin to unravel, entertainment becomes pleasure to the senses, comprehension becomes more vivid and then you see the journey from nothing as been worthless to a worthy opponent even to the supreme beings of the world. Am sold in on the idea but the journey is the thrill keeping me hooked and as usual his predator skill got a hold on me.

20's Batman

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 17 October 2023]

Bruce loses his parents in 1908. He follows Oswald Cobblepot's expedition to Antarctica. He returns to Gotham after twenty years absence with sidekicks Kai Li Cain, Dick Grayson, Sanjay Tawde, and butler Alfred Pennyworth. He brings back the body of dead Cobblepot crewman Grendon who went mad and is infected. He finds a dead friend, a demon with a message, and old friends Oliver Queen and Harvey Dent.

I like setting Batman in an earlier time period with its own technology. I like this era's style of exotic fantasy mystery which fits the Batman lore although there may be too much stuff going on. I'm not sure if the Cobblepot part is necessary and that feels a bit separate. I almost forgot about Grendon or that they had a ship at all. As for Batmen tech, I kept hoping for a tank. That would have been cool.

Steampunk Batman that could've been good but wasn't

[waldokev-955-40877 · 5/10 · 28 March 2023]

A Gotham city set in the 1920's with a steampunk Batman was a great concept and could've made for a great DC animated film but unfortunately it wasn't. I quite enjoyed the 1st act of this movie but near the end of the 2nd act things started falling apart. This movie introduced too many characters too quickly, some that had no real impact on the story and seemed to have been added to please the DC comic fans. There was lots of occultism which is nothing necessarily new in DC animated films but there was an excessive amount that seemed kind of out of place in this movie. To have Batman opt out of his detective logic, using his mind, but instead to resort to magic as a solution for his problems was just odd and unlike Batman. The 3rd act was messy, there was so many villains introduced back to back to bring us one step closer to the final villan which in the end was disappointing and in the final battle something happens which is just once again odd. I can appreciate a different take on a Batman animated film and I loved the time setting but I feel like there's a balance where if you change too many components to a Batman movie where it doesn't really feel like one anymore. This is still worth a watch but will definitely not be in my top Batman animated movies.

A review from a Not-Fan of Batman

[pietroschek · 7/10 · 31 May 2023]

First of all, the movie, if watched at 110% playback speed, is a decent story, and not the worst copycat poo of a crossover either.

It uses tropes and cliché Batman characters, I think too much, but it does EMBED them into the story, even daring to finally stop worshiping the flawed canon of old.

While 'Batman vs Dracula´ was more my thingie, this movie does not only tell a Lovecraftian horror movie, it succeeds at making the crossover plausible, atmospheric, and decently fitting.

Bad: The story is not very innovative, as Lovecraft fans had it before (repeatedly so). The entire Batman character cast IS effing predictable & boring.

Still, it is a solid movie, and it failed far less than in example Batman in a feudal Japan setting did. Less inconsistencies, and less superficial stupor.

Bonus: Fans of the old comic, Batman vs Manbat, may finally see a redemption arc of sorts come true.

As noted: No masterpiece, but showing a potential that could result in a better sequel, and a background setting evolving from Lovecraftian origins into a Neo-Lovecraftian super-heroic one.

The caped crusader journeys into the word of nightmarish horror

[WarringtonOutbound · 8/10 · 28 March 2023]

The Doom That Came to Gotham is almost a companion piece to Gotham by Gaslight (2018). Here we have a turn-of-the-century Dark Knight investigating a cult who may be trying to summon up ancient forces of evil (spoiler: they are). Forbidden books, vast tentacled monstrosities and madness abound.

Lots of the usual Bat cast are thrown in - some given horrific make-overs, some don't make it to the final credits - and the voice work and animation are all above average. David Giuntuli is a terrifically fierce but impassioned, human Batman - he might be one of the best of the many voice actors in the role. This is a truly dark night for the Dark Knight, who at one point just stands in the Batcave and announces Gotham is doomed over and over again. To the wall.

As much as the movie uses such classic tropes and conventions from HP Lovecraft's stories, the biggest one - the overwhelming sense of unknowable dread - is something that just can't be conjured in a 90 minute animated action adventure. Slow-building tension and increasing unease are something it just doesn't have time for - also the problem with the first Hellboy movie, which Doom That Came to Gotham is very similar to.

However, as an atmospheric period superhero adventure, tinged with nightmarish horror, this is a winner.

Terrible. Did they read the comic?

[mhorg2018 · 1/10 · 14 April 2023]

First, this is without a doubt, the worst DCAU film ever. Other than the reliable John DiMaggio, who were these people? They brought no emotion to the voices, nothing. Did the writers read the comic? Because this had NOTHING to do with it. The opening was somewhat similar, but the rest? Damn. Calling this trash doesn't do it justice. This was bad enough to be something from Marvel's animated films which are just as bad. This just went nowhere and did nothing. The tepid pace didn't help. The one positive? They dumped that terrible dark outline animation of Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes, which, bad as it was, was better than this. I feel sorry for anyone who pays to watch this. I really do. Just bad.

Boring

[killionriot · 3/10 · 18 July 2023]

I'm sorry I absolutely love DC animated movies and this was probably one of the most boring Batman movies I have Ever seen, the story was very flat it was very slow I turned it off about 35 minutes in because I was falling asleep. I feel like ever since the new 52 ended with Apocalypse war the dc movies have definitely gone down Hill. Legion of superheroes and Battle of the supersons were actually pretty good. I hope the future projects learned from the new 52 movies starting with Justice like war and ending with apocalypse and go back to what was good because most of those movies did an amazimg job!!!

Excellent Film! Don't Listen to Bad Reviews!

[robertjamessaylor · 10/10 · 8 July 2023]

The film is great, the poor reviews made me laugh after watching it.

"They introduced too many characters too fast" these characters have been established in the DC universe for decades, if you don't know who they are then you don't belong here.

"Why are all the characters different than normal?" This one was funny, it's ELSEWORLDS as in not normal as in not canon.

"I couldn't figure out what was going on the whole time" It's HP Lovecraft dude, enough said.

"They don't go into the characters and add more depth" READ THE BOOKS THEN they only get 90 minutes to tell a story.

The film was clever, interesting, violent, mystical and fun

If you're a "Batman fan" as in you don't actually read the books you're not going to like it

If you don't know anything about Lovecraft then you are not going to like it

If you are an actual horror fan and an actual DC person then this movie is a must see

NO POSERS!

Where's the character development?

[a_sad_cow · 1/10 · 15 October 2023]

Watching this was like having an engine turn over but refuse to start - every time they set up an opportunity for character development they either introduced another character or some supernatural element. Some of these characters we should recognize from other series, but since we're rewriting so much lore, are we even making the right assumptions about these characters? This was like an overly rushed origin story for a series I don't want to watch. At least it was over with quickly.

You might think that skipping character development would mean established traits would shine through, but then you'd be wrong. The ultimate detective...refuses to deduce anything, and instead adopts some pseudo-spiritual nonsense. Not that all supernatural things are bad, but at least don't negate Batman's core identity.

4-5Stars/10

[goldflamez · 4/10 · 15 February 2024]

Could have shed more light in, with in-depth story but alas there were not enough substance in it, the plot. Story is about Batman unleashed, really unleashed otherwise the batman doesn't kill, even though sometimes he may go rogue in combat, I applaud for it's little element of unpredictability but for a ride-in about a chilling interesting story, not at all! This could have peaked if perhaps there were more add-ons, materials, characters, plots to solidify the story about the doom, moreover maybe not for batman himself but offspring, for a distant bloodline to create ripple effect in the movie, could have birth a new timeline and imbibe fresh franchise but sriptwriters didn't do no hard homework in this yet this is another of Sam Register and co artwork' 4.2/10.