Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

D.C. Lovecraft.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 24, 2023

First seen as a three-issue 2000-01 Elseworlds miniseries co-written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, The Doom That Came to Gotham is a Lovecraftian-tinted Batman mystery whose smoky 1920s backdrop meshes decently well with the story's supernatural elements. Yet the end result always felt more good than great, and Warner Bros.' new animated adaptation rarely exceeds its source material in pacing, atmosphere, and overall interest, with a stubbornly slow pace that only intermittently picks up steam. Though certainly worth a look and not without its moments, both versions -- but especially this movie -- feel like a puzzle whose pieces are all present but just don't fit together.

The story leads off with a dangerous Arctic expedition led by Bruce Wayne (voiced by David Giuntoli), who has been tasked with checking in on a fellow team led by Professor Oswald Cobblepot (William Salyers). Wayne and his crew discover a horrific massacre including multiple dead bodies, several mutated creatures, a vaguely zombified version of second-in-command Grendon (David Dastmalchian) and, of course, no Professor. Returning to Gotham with his team and Grendon in tow (whom he unceremoniously keeps in a freezer, below) Bruce soon dons his familiar cape and cowl, or at least the old-timey version of it, to dig up some answers with help of trusty associates Kai Li Cain (Tati Gabrielle), Dick Grayson (Jason Marsden), Sanjay Tawde (Karan Brar), and Alfred Pennyworth (Brian George). Elsewhere, Talia al-Ghul (Emily O’Brien) aims to resurrect her father and, with him, a supernatural entity that will threaten Gotham... all by way of a mysterious cult that likely had to do with the death of Bruce's parents some 20 years ago.

With supporting appearances by the likes of Oliver Queen (Christopher Gorham), James Gordon (John DiMaggio), Lucius Fox (Tim Russ), Harvey Dent (Patrick Fabian), Barbara Gordon (Gideon Adlon), and more, what should have been an enjoyable trip through "What If?" territory plays out more like a vaguely confusing mess. Most of this film's characters fill different roles here than usual and, since they're not really introduced or presented in an organic way, you'll have trouble following along unless you're extremely familiar with the original comics. Other fundamentals keep the intermittently interesting story from reaching greater heights, like its generally relaxed pace and tendency to rely on expositional dialogue. It's not a total loss, because this iteration of the franchise does manage to scratch a very particular atmospheric itch that will likely appeal to Lovecraft and horror fans. But even fans of the source material won't exactly be in for a smooth and polished 90-minute ride, so temper your expectations accordingly.

WB has surprisingly stuck to their guns by continuing to offer these DCAU films in two different options: standard-issue Blu-ray and this 4K combo pack. While it's not a standout UHD title, the 4K's beefier encoding and HDR10 enhancement easily beat its 1080p counterpart. Both feature identical sound mixes, bonus features, and cover artwork.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: This review's screenshots were sourced from the included Blu-ray disc. For my thoughts on that disc's transfer, as well as 20 more images from the film, please read my separate Blu-ray review.

That review linked above also offers a cursory overview of the image that this 2160p, HDR10-enhanced transfer was built on, one that by design is darker and more muted than most recent DCAU productions. This is a unique-looking film whose largely Earth-toned palette and unmistakable character designs give it an appearance like few other Batman animated films. Yet the Blu-ray's shortcomings -- namely, questionable video encoding partially due to a cheap single-layered disc -- have at lease been partially alleviated right up front, as the 4K disc runs at a much higher bitrate and contains very few compression artifacts. Also improved is its overall color rendering, especially during the second half when Doom explores more fantastical territory, though even its more muted and darker moments are served noticeably better by high dynamic range. This isn't exactly a night-and-day improvement, though, as the film's particular aesthetic and mostly flat character designs don't make it a consistent front-runner for what often makes UHD such an appealing alternative to Blu-ray. But the benefits are clearly there; even with just a half-star difference in their proportional ratings, the improvements should be fairly obvious on a medium to large-sized display.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While its DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track scores similar marks, Doom's sound design isn't particularly engaging or even all that smooth. It has a bit of a patchwork quality that, at most, gets the job done but won't be mistaken for a truly cinematic big-screen effort. Even so, it's more than good enough for DTV and serves up crisp dialogue, decent discrete placement, and occasionally impressive use of the surrounds. LFE levels vary, however: most moments land with the necessary amount of weight, but a few others -- including explosives detonating during the opening sequence -- are decidedly less impactful. Still, this seems to be more of a baked-in issue than a fault of the Blu-ray encoding, so it's harder to find real fault with what's a mostly pleasing yet objectively kind of average audio mix.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and select extras.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with illustrative cover art, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. All bonus features listed below can be found on the Blu-ray only.

• Audio Commentary - A casual but lively and informative full-length commentary track featuring producer/co-director Sam Liu, screenwriter Jase Ricci, DC creative director Mike Carlin, and producer Jim Krieg. A few bits and pieces are repeated in the next extra, but it's a solid track worth listening to when the movie's over.

• Batman: Shadows of Gotham (13:12) - A shorter installment of WB's usual well-produced behind-the-scenes featurettes, this new piece talks about the main feature's Lovecraftian themes and characters with comments from screenwriter Jase Ricci, producer/co-director Sam Liu, voice director Wes Gleason, and others.

• Previews - Two promotional featurettes recycled from earlier DCAU Blu-rays.

• Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (8:29) - Available on Blu-ray and 4K.
• Superman: Red Son (11:21) - Available on Blu-ray and 4K.

• From the DC Vault - Two vintage episodes from the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, available separately on Blu-ray as part of the complete series. Presented in HD with Dolby Digital audio.

• The Demon's Quest: Part One (22:18)
• The Demon's Quest: Part Two (22:14)

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

WB's The Doom That Came to Gotham, based on a limited comic series co-written by Mike Mignola, feels like it has enough interesting ingredients to work: a unique backdrop, supernatural twists, and even a few refreshing takes on well-established DC characters. But the end result is only fitfully successful, with somewhat sloppy pacing and a story that all but demands its viewers be fairly familiar with the source material. That's not to say it's anything close to a failed effort -- I mean, it's still better than February's underwhelming Legion of Super-Heroes -- but it still could've used more spit and polish to truly stand out in the franchise's crowded back catalogue. WB's 4K combo pack beats the separate Blu-ray with solid UHD visuals, but there are better Batman adventures out there to discover.