Gotham Season 1

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

Before there was Batman, there was GOTHAM. Everyone knows the name of Commissioner Gordon. But what of his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the layers of corruption in Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? GOTHAM is the origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer Bruno Heller, this crime drama follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city and chronicles the genesis of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Although the crime drama follows Gordon’s turbulent and singular career, it also focuses on his unlikely friendship with the young heir to the Wayne fortune – a friendship that will play a crucial role in helping the young boy eventually become the crusader he’s destined to be.

The “purists” really don’t like “Gotham.”
That’s too bad, in my opinion, because this is a pretty good show with some interesting plot devices, some nice special effects, and some refreshingly new interpretations of longtime characters from the comic books about the Caped Crusader.
Before I get into that, however, a few words for the “purists.”
Batman has undergone many, many changes over the years. Those who read the first issues – say from 1939 through 1950 – wouldn’t recognize the Batman from the Fifties and early Sixties and those who read the comic books about The World’s Greatest Detective during those years certainly would not recognize the campy Caped Crusader of the late Sixties and Seventies. My point is that there is NO one version of Batman. The character has changed repeatedly from the days when Bob Kane and Bill Finger first started drawing and writing him. At various times over his long history he has been in alternate universes, fathered children with two different women (neither of whom he was married to), his appearance has changed (often), he once had a crime-fighting canine, for a while he even had a partner who was an inter-dimensional imp that idolized him, and… well, you get the point.
That said, I personally do not see why some people hate this retelling of the early days when Jim Gordon was a young detective trying to clean up Gotham’s crime-ridden streets. Frankly, I think some of the casting and writing is inspired. Having Sean Pertwee play Alfred, for example, as a tough former Royal Marine who helps train young Bruce Wayne is brilliant. Without his guidance and training, we are forced to believe that Bruce – a privileged son of wealth with no background in martial arts – magically transforms into a street-smart guy who can more than hold his own in a fight with some truly vicious people. That lack of early training is such a huge hole in the Batman canon that Christopher Nolan’s film trilogy has him disappear for a few years to be trained in how to be a fighter in a far-off land. Simpler, by far, to have Alfred begin his training AND instill in him the need to temper his thirst for revenge with the need for justice.
(As an aside, this is not the first time Alfred has been portrayed as a badass. In the “Earth One” graphic novels, he is the head of security for Wayne Enterprises so the “Gotham” version of the butler who raises young Bruce Wayne is not without precedent.)
Similarly, I like the casting of Camren Bicondova as the young Selina Kyle because she bears a striking resemblance to Michelle Pfeiffer, the best of all the women who’ve ever played Catwoman.
One of the major criticisms of the series seems to be that the stories tend to be over the top in many instances.
Is that actually a problem?
Not really.
The reason: Come on guys, these are stories about comic book heroes and villains. They are SUPPOSED to be over the top. If they weren’t, “Gotham” would be just another in a long, long line of police procedural dramas and Lord only knows we’ve got more than enough of them already.
I could go on but this series has already been reviewed a thousand times (at least) so I won’t. Suffice it to see it is, in my opinion, worth 4.5 stars and I hope it lasts a few years because I very much enjoy it.

– Mike Billington

Dark but gripping new take on the Batman saga, focusing on Detective Gordon as a young man but also including a compelling look at how the young orphan Bruce Wayne was guided by his own courage and determination –and with the guidance and support if his guardian and butler, Alfred — to become the adult masked avenger known as Batman. Definitely not for kids, though, despite its 8 pm broadcast time and the presence of a young adolescent main character–the show contains many scenes of shocking violence and brutality, including off-screen but unmistakably suggested sexual violence. I gave the show 4 stars instead of 5 because sometimes it is just too dark and creepy to be enjoyable to watch (although I always end up watching every episode because I hate to miss out on developments in the story). Well worth watching.

-Amazon Customer

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Various
Directors: Various
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
Number of discs: 6
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: September 8, 2015