Overview: The Dark Knight’s rational mind and unparalleled fighting skills are put to the ultimate test when an ancient supernatural force threatens his world and everyone he holds dear in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham, an all-new, feature-length DC Animated Movie coming to Digital, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray+Digital and Blu-ray (Canada only) on March 28th, 2023 from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this March 28th, 2023.

For my money, this Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, this chilling and bizarre DC Elseworlds story is a mash-up of the world of Batman and the cosmic-horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, creator of the Cthulhu mythos.

Returning from a decade-long voyage of discovery, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City, where his parents fell victim to the knife of a madman 20 years earlier. On his journey, Bruce has taken on an international trio of orphaned street kids – whom Batman fans will recognize as various iterations of Robin.

During a deadly Arctic encounter, the Penguin informs Bruce that a doomsday cult is planning Gotham’s destruction. Bruce must now return home and take on the mantle of Batman. But when this man of science discovers he faces not criminals and crazies but actual ancient magic, fiery demons and interdimensional Old Gods, can he retain his sanity?

Adapted from the serialized graphic novel written by Mike Mignola with Richard Pace, illustrated by Troy Mixey and Dennis Janke, and first published in 2001 by DC Comics, take the Dark Knight back to the Jazz Age and throw him into an H.P. Lovecraftian tale and you get the purposely gloomy Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham.

The Doom might well have came to Gotham, but nothing but sheer delight was brought to thine eyes! In fact it was sooooo good that I actually forgot to take notes (which I usually do when watching along) and kept pinching myself in disbelief as to just how intriguing this new DC adventure truly was!

What starts off in as a chilly expedition to the fringes of Antarctica swiftly escalates to a subterranean conflict of cataclysmic scope. Mystery follows the Batman crew back to our beloved Gotham and the spooky story unravels in most glorious style thereafter.

Indeed, the sheer force of speed applies to character development as well as narrative. Headlining this speedily phenomenal voyage are the usual suspects, which were all tastefully inserted just as well as they were re-purposed for this story. All the jigsaw pieces fit and the coherent story reflects that.

The story is great. The characters (including one, who I always felt belonged perfectly in the Batman/Hellboy crossover-universe, but never saw until now!) are great too. in fact, the artistic animation is nothing short of brilliant too.

Inclusive of a cult that has long ties to Gotham, along with talking dead folk, reptile plagues, a 20ft fiery monster, and an ancient Egyptian evil, the word is that before it can be truly saved, Gotham must be burned to the ground, but Batman has other ideas.

Featuring a sprawling panorama of Batman staples, Lovecraftian delights, and a stellar story, The Doom That Came to Gotham will bring nothing less than a five-star repeat viewing to your households too, of that you have my word, fellow Bat-lovers.

In closing, and much like “Gaslight”, this one was a nice change of pace period-drama based in prohibition era Gotham. Mike Mignola and Richard Pace’s 2015 graphic novel translated nicely to animated format, in my humble opinion.

Oh, and for all you fans out there, don’t miss out on the Easter Egg of the large clock Bruce looks at after his parents are attacked, which shows the time as 10:47. This is a common fact in the Batman mythos and the Grandfather clock that hides the entrance to the Batcave that opens when the hands of the clock are turned to 10:47.

4K UHD Special Features:
Batman: Shadows of Gotham (New Featurette) – An examination of themes of existential dread in a world drenched in gothic overtones that combine to create one of Batman’s most unique adventures.

Audio Commentary – Filmmakers and storytellers, including producer/co-director Sam Liu and screenwriter Jase Ricci, take in all the gothic horror and intrigue of Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham.

2 Bonus Cartoons

David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) reprises his Batman: Soul of the Dragon role as the voice of the Dark Knight in yet another DC Elseworlds tale. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) makes her DC animated debut as Kai Li Cain, Batman’s closest ally. Also featured in the cast are DC animation veterans Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul) as Harvey Dent, John DiMaggio (Futurama, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire) as James Gordon, and David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon.

Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham | Warner Bros. Entertainment [Official Trailer]

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