Batman Gotham by Gaslight 4K (2018) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX

In an age of mystery and superstition, how would the people of Gotham react to a weird creature of the night, a bat-garbed vigilante feared by the guilty and the innocent alike? The very first Elseworlds tale re-imagines the Dark Knight detective in Victorian times and puts him against the infamous murderer Jack the Ripper.

Batman Gotham by Gaslight 4K (2018) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX Review
Everything I said about Batman and Harley Quinn in 4K applies equally to Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight; so I'll repeat it here. Watching this 4K disc, you might be pardoned for thinking that you made a mistake and inserted the standard Blu-ray instead. There is no visible uptick in detail, which is hardly surprising given the minimalist style of the animation. (Contrast the busy style of LEGO Batman, where 4K/HDR adds texture and brings out minutia crammed into the overstuffed frame.) Gotham by Gaslight's 4K image is a yet another demonstration that increased resolution doesn't automatically improve an image. There has to be something to resolve.

Nor does HDR encoding provide a meaningful benefit. The palette is essentially the same as the standard Blu-ray's, and while colors may be a bit more refined, the HDR encoding isn't a revisionist take that adds "pop" where there wasn't any before. The same brighter colors that stood out against the muted backgrounds stand out just as much—and no more—on both formats. The nocturnal shadows in which Jack the Ripper stalks his victims and Batman prowls the rooftops are just as dark, with maybe a hint of greater contrast here and there. The flames of the film's fiery conclusion are just as bright, but no brighter.

As with Harley Quinn, about the only noteworthy difference that I could see between the UHD image and the Blu-ray was the absence of even slight banding on the former. Here again, whether this is due to the difference in format or to superior authoring of the UHD disc is something I can't judge. If you're someone who's distracted by even the slightest instance of banding, then I guess the UHD is worth the extra cash. Otherwise, it's a waste of money.

As a stand alone movie, this is a fun ride. It is beautiful, chock full of Easter Eggs, actual historical references, and has a good pace. Unfortunately, they chose to make some rather bizarre changes to the original story that I just can't quite stomach. If they hadn't messed with such pertinent aspects of the story, this would have gotten close to a ten. It is metal, truly R and that makes it very awesome. But, if you are a fan of the original source materials, be prepared to walk away a bit disappointed.