With Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice just under a week away, I thought that I’d bust out a review of the story that Zack Snyder is about to pull apart like a cherry-picking ADD-riddled child in a sundae factory: The Dark Knight Returns.
Based on one of the most critically acclaimed comic book series of all-time by none other than comic book legend Frank Miller during the peak of his power, we find Bruce Wayne donning the cape and cowl one last time (providing you don’t include the lackluster follow-ups) as he brings order to Gotham, unites the gangs, kills the Joker and pisses off the American government to the point that Batman and Superman have the most epic throw-down to end all epic throw-downs. But how does this two-part animated movie live up to one of the most beloved graphic novels of all time?
Pretty well actually. The designs both mimics Miller’s style and improves on it visually for the animated medium, whilst the writers have done a brilliant job of fitting in all the necessary elements that make up this complex story along with managing to tell a story that was quite often being narrated by the Dark Knight himself throughout the graphic novel. The writers managed to take some of the most iconic lines from the series and incorporate them into the dialogue between the characters despite being written inside inset boxes within the comic pages.
The DC Animation Studio have consistently produced high-quality animations built from some of DC Comics greatest stories, just look at All-Star Superman and Batman: Under The Red Hood. However, often the short running times has meant that the narratives have been cut short or simplified to the point that as a fan, you can feel a bit short-changed. One of the smartest things the creators of this film did was splitting it into two parts. Doing so has afforded them the opportunity to fully realise all the aspects that made this such a memorable comic book run. Any other way would have been a disservice to the fans and the source material.
The fights are beautifully choreographed and carry weight. From Batman versus the Mutant Leader, to Batman versus The Joker, to Batman versus Superman, you feel every punch, you cringe at every cut and you smile when you see Batman swing a wrecking ball into Superman’s face. One of the most important things that make each of these fights worth the 152 minutes of your life is the fact that the films take the time to establish the gravity of the situations by providing context and real stakes. Even if you’ve read the graphic novel right the way through to the end, you can’t always be sure if Batman is going to survive each onslaught.
Although I’m sure some fans were hoping for veteran voice-actor Kevin Conroy to reprise the role of the Dark Knight, I’m confident that almost all of them would be happy with the delivery of so many iconic lines from the original Robocop, Peter Weller. His gravelly voice just adds such gravitas to each line he spits out as he teaches a young Carrie Kelly or remind Clark that he will always be the one man who beat him. The rest of the voice cast is stellar, admittedly I wasn’t originally sold on Michael Emerson’s effeminate take on The Joker, but it really grew on me and made him all the more sinister come their final battle in the Tunnel Of Love.
Director Jay Olivia, the man behind Justice League: War, Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, and Batman: Assault On Arkham does an amazing job of adapting the 224 page tome and does not scrimp on the violence or any of the brutality that made the original graphic novel such a dark and brooding masterpiece. The series is lovingly adapted as closely to the original as humanly possible, which is great for a comic book fan, but does make some of the original references feel very dated today. However that is honestly the closest thing I have to criticism for this adaptation.
Overall, this is one for every Batman fan who has ever picked up a comic. The characters, fight choreography and detail that has gone in to this adaptation honestly makes me believe that this stellar two-parter will be better than Zack Snyder’s attempt to shoe-horn in as many Dark Knight Returns references as possible, despite failing to have the proper ground work to do such a story justice. Although in less than a week, we will know for sure.
The Dark Knight Returns gets Four and Three Quarter Stars out of Five (or Four and Three Quarter cherry-picking Zack Snyders getting slapped upside the head by Frank Mother-F*cking Miller)
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