Kate Kane, armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.
“Batwoman” begins with Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) diving into a frozen lake and retrieving a mysterious key. Upon attempting to submerge, she loses her exit. Next, she begins punching through the ice, the scene then cuts to a vivid flashback. It shows Kate and her sister trapped in the backseat of a car precariously hanging off an overpass. Her parents are dead from the impact and before the car falls, Batman arrives but he’s only able to save Kate. Cut back to the present, Kate emerges through the ice and is met by an indigenous mentor that critiques her poor performance.
The story flashes forward to an official Gotham City press conference. The mayor announces the decommissioning of the Bat Signal. Since Batman hasn’t been seen for over three years, the city has been falling into chaos. Kate’s father is a security consultant and a cousin of Bruce Wayne. Her father is played by the solid Scottish actor Dougray Scott who I always think deserves better roles.
Kate begins to investigate the disappearance of her super-relative by breaking into Wayne Enterprise Tower. TV has proven it can supersede the dramatic heft and action choreography of Hollywood’s biggest productions but “Batwoman” just can’t keep up. When Kate is “climbing” up the side of the building, it’s so obvious that wires are carrying her. The stunts in this series feel very awkward rather than thrilling. After breaking in, a young man stops her and the two engage in a cheesy brawl with overly dramatic music blasting at an attempt for excitement. After exchanging some fisticuffs, she ties him up and he introduces himself as Luke Fox. No doubt a relative of Batman’s “Q,” the innovator Lucius Fox. It’s admirable to attempt to connect universes but the forced young generation feels like a cheap spinoff series from the ’90s. I’m not sure who’s to blame but the cinematography is jarring. There’s a discombobulated mix of Nolan starkness and a superficial sheen that makes every character and location appear staged and flat.
I safely could say Batman is one of my favorite superheroes. I love witnessing the noir cases being solved by “the world’s greatest detective” and the rogue’s gallery of memorable villains. I’ve been rewatching the 1992 animated series “The Batman” and it’s truly an impressive piece of art that captures the most interesting stories in the Gotham-Verse. With the exception of Nolan and Burton’s films, it’s wild to see a cartoon bring a level of depth that’s lacking in almost every other outing. I always enjoyed the character of Batgirl but she sadly only had nuanced storylines in the animated series.
In one clever move, the creators progressively wrote Kate as a gay woman and superhero. It’s way past time that more marginalized people were portrayed as heroic protagonists. Ruby Rose happens to be openly gay which is a relief due to most Hollywood roles being cast by straight actors. That being said, “Batwoman” misses the mark by adding too many characters and casting MSNBC crank Rachel Maddow in a role for some ungodly reason.
Unfortunately, Rose had an awful injury due to a stunt that went wrong. During filming, she fell and had to undergo extensive surgery on her back. After that traumatic mishap, she made a statement explaining she would no longer be donning the cape. As a fan of the Gotham-Verse, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for the upcoming Robert Pattison installment, that is if they can safely wrap filming.
Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD August 18th from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
