Gotham by gaslight movie review10/11/2023 ![]() The big reveal of the Ripper’s identity does nothing to save this movie. She was the only woman on screen that seemed to have some effort in her writing. That’s why I liked the Sister Leslie character so much. The way it was done here just feels cheap and lazy. And in fact, there are also ways to write a story where calling a female character a slut doesn’t just come across as though it's being used for shock value. There’s a way to create a deeply disturbed male villain without having to call the lead female a slut. There is a way to tell these sorts of stories without having to play the female characters as plot devices or props. I’m a fan of stories that figure out how to create depth in even the most brutal narratives. Violence against the female characters is unavoidable in the combining of the two. Jack the Ripper is a fascinating case, and Batman is a kickass character. Something about the mixture of the oversexing, constant violence, and verbal belittling of the female characters knocked this movie off its axis for me. Chances are, Batman is gonna save the day. I rooted for Selina through much of the first act of the movie, but by the dramatic climax, it became clear that Batman was the only one who would really get to be a hero. Just about every female character with a line in the movie ends up dead, beaten up, or set on fire. I’m convinced whoever wrote the script wanted to see how many times you can get Commissioner Gordon to call someone a slut before it starts getting weird. A majority of Selina’s screen time is spent singing about “taming wild women”, flirting with Bruce Wayne, or being belittled and degraded by the male characters. ![]() It goes from striptease to stabbing, attempting to throw the female characters a bone by making Selina Kyle appear capable and in control. Gotham by Gaslight manages to turn the horror into flashes of booty shaking and stabbing with very little attention paid to character or plot development. Granted, any Jack the Ripper story is going to have violence and prostitutes- that’s the nature of the crime. For a story with such a large female cast, the female characters are not very well written. I don’t like to add to that, but I have to point out an aspect of this movie that just doesn’t sit right with me. So many comic media outlets seem very dedicated to being sensational and divisive instead of just talking about the pros and cons of different pieces of fiction. I don’t like to take reviews down serious roads. It’s unfortunate that she ends up murdered as unceremoniously as Ivy. From her sharp sense of humor to her misplaced Irish accent, Sister Leslie is a lot of fun. She may be the only aspect of the movie that I enjoyed. As a personal friend of Bruce Wayne, Sister Leslie takes in all of Gotham’s non-homicidal waywards and attempts to put them on the right track. Ever the merciful Bat, Batman instructs the kids to go to a local church and ask for Sister Leslie. A gang of scrappy, oddly accented Robins meet Batman while attempting to rob an elderly couple. We then meet what would have transpired if you crossed Oliver Twist with all of the male Robins in the Batman universe. Gaslight hits the ground running with an old-timey striptease from Poison Ivy, who is promptly killed off by Jack the Ripper. Despite the time warp and serial killer addition, the Gotham in Gaslight is familiar- grime, gore, darkness, and masked vigilante justice. Unfortunately, the killing spree of Jack the Ripper pulls Bruce’s attention in another direction. ![]() Here, Bruce Wayne looks to fund the first Gotham’s World Fair in hopes of bringing some light to Gotham. Gotham by Gaslight asks one question: what would it be like if Jack the Ripper killed in Gotham? Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Commissioner Gordon, and a host of other well known Batman characters are transported to the 1880’s. ![]() The short non-canonical stories range from funny to disturbing and change time, place, and sometimes even species of classic DC characters. For anyone not familiar with DC’s Elseworlds, they’re similar to the Marvel ‘ What If’ titles. Gotham by Gaslight is the feature-length ‘Elseworlds’ movie that nobody asked for.
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