| Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official release poster | |
| Directed by |
|
| Written by | Jase Ricci |
| Based on | |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by |
|
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is a 2023 American animatedsuperhero film based on theDC Comics characterBatman, produced byWarner Bros. Animation and distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment. It is the 52nd installment in theDC Universe Animated Original Movies line.
Inspired by thethree-issue comic book miniseries of the same name published from November 2000 to January 2001 under DC Comics'Elseworlds imprint, the film follows an alternate Batman in the 1920s, who is fighting against supernatural forces that are taking Gotham by storm after he accidentally reawakens an entity known as theLurker on the Threshold.
Although the story uses elements of anAugust Derleth's novel, the title itself is a nod to a story fromH. P. Lovecraft'sDream Cycle:The Doom That Came to Sarnath.
In the 1920s,Bruce Wayne travels abroad for twenty years following the murder of his parentsThomas Wayne andMartha Wayne, searching for answers behind the criminal mind. While investigating the disappearance ofOswald Cobblepot's expedition crew, Bruce subdues an undead crewman,Grendon, who was freeing an otherworldly creature encased in ice. Bruce, his protégésKai Li Cain,Dick Grayson,Sanjay "Jay" Tawde, and butlerAlfred Pennyworth retrieve Grendon and return toGotham City, unaware that Grendon was infected with one of the entity's parasites, with Jay staying on the ship to watch over him.
Arriving atWayne Manor, Bruce and his group are shocked to find the corpse of scientistKirk Langstrom in the library, as Bruce hallucinates ademon speaking through it with Langstrom's voice. After he disposes of Langstrom's corpse, Bruce is visited by Jason Blood, the host of the demonEtrigan, who informs Bruce of a ritual which must be performed with his death, and the destruction of Gotham.
Bruce, Kai Li, and Dick are later invited for dinner at hunterOliver Queen's mansion. They also meetHarvey Dent, who tells them about Langstrom's obsession with thebats he had been studying. Donning a bat-themed suit of his making, Bruce (under the alias of Batman) investigates Langstrom's work at Robin's Row, which is related to the Cult of Ghul, a group who worship an ancient demonic deity, with the Testament of Ghul being the tool required for the ritual. Seeking the Testament, he stumbles upon cult memberTalia, who steals it to resurrect her fatherRa's al Ghul.
Meanwhile, Grendon manifests ice abilities and escapes, killing Jay, while Dick is killed byKiller Croc. While searching for Talia, Bruce discovers a book detailing a connection between Ra's andIog-Sotha, an inter-dimensional demon with power over darkness.
Grendon then meets with Talia. It is revealed that the key to Iog-Sotha is the seed with which Grendon was infected. The seed emerges from his body, killing him in the process, and merges with one ofTalia's followers to create a plant-like demoness, who scratches Dent and mutates half of his body into a portal. The demoness and Oliver fight and kill each other, with the latter entrusting holy weapons to Bruce and Kai Li before succumbing.
Bruce is met by detectiveJim Gordon, who tells him that his daughterBarbara wants to meet with him. Batman goes toArkham Asylum to see her and meets Thomas Wayne's spirit, who reveals his past. Centuries ago, he, Cobblepot, Langstrom, andHenry Queen established Gotham City, discovered the Testament in a cave, and used its magic to gain longevity and wealth as well as to bring prosperity to the previously barren land. However, this also awoke Iog-Sotha and brought him to the threshold of their reality.
Bruce takes Oliver's weapons and the bottle housing Etrigan, bids farewell to Alfred, and leaves Kai Li in charge of theBatcave, before leaving to fight Talia. He kills her but is unable to stop Ra's, who is transformed into a powerful demonic creature. Bruce accepts his prophesied role as the Bat, transforms into a bat-like monster, and kills Ra's, but Iog-Sotha has begun to enter.
Seeing the bottle housing Etrigan, Bruce releases him and escapes the caverns as they explode, killing Dent, and Etrigan traps Iog-Sotha within them. Meanwhile, parts of Gotham burn and are destroyed, echoing Jason Blood's prophecy to Bruce.
Sometime later, Gotham slowly rebuilds and Bruce, Oliver, and Harvey are given memorials to honor their dedication and sacrifice to the city. Kai Li inherits Bruce Wayne's estate and fortune and promises to use the resources to help the city rebuild. As Kai Li delivers a speech in Bruce's memory to the public, Bruce — now permanently in his monstrous bat form — rests within Gotham's bell tower as he watches over the city.
The film was announced atSan Diego Comic-Con in July 2022.[1] The voice cast was then revealed in December of that same year.David Giuntoli reprises his role asBatman fromBatman: Soul of the Dragon (2021), alongside bothNavid Negahban andEmily O'Brien reprising their roles asRa's al Ghul andTalia from the then recently releasedGotham Knights video game.[2]
On February 2, 2023, James Gunn confirmed that all DC animated films are being released and labeled asDC Elseworlds.[3]
The film was released on home media onBlu-ray,4K, andvideo on demand byWarner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment on March 28, 2023.[4]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[5] Writing for Flickering Myth, Hasitha Fernando praised the film as an effective adaption; highlighting the voice acting, horror elements, and the animation, saying the latter was reminiscent ofBatman: The Animated Series "with a modern edge."[6] Reviewer Jackson Luken similarly praised the film as an effective adaptation of its unique Lovecraftian elements, but found that the plot was distracted by "cameos" of other DC characters.[7] Brian Costello ofCommon Sense Media described the film as "another superhero animated movie that's best enjoyed by the fans, who will probably have a lot to argue about with this one.".[8]
