For many comic fans The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel is their Mona Lisa, their Citizen Kane, their Sgt. Pepper’s. To them, it’s the pinnacle of comic book storytelling, starring arguably the most popular superhero of all time: Batman. So DC Animation took a lot of care to get it right when they finally decided to tackle this opus, starting with splitting the tale into two parts, allowing the material room to breathe. I’m going to review the films as one cohesive story and not as individual parts because that’s the way it’s intended, right?
The Dark Knight Returns is a timeless epic, meant to be the start of the closing chapter of a retired and aging Bruce Wayne whom once again heeds Gotham’s call for help when an organized gang called “The Mutants” brings back chaos to The Dark Knight’s city. But the return of Batman to Gotham causes escalation, and soon dangerous names from the Caped Crusader’s past begin to resurface and wreak havoc.
The film is an impressive adaptation of the beloved Frank Miller source material, stunningly animated and lovingly adapted with one of the most refreshing voice casts of all the DC animated films. Almost all major elements of the graphic novel appear in the film in one form or another, some with more success than others – The “future slang” Miller created for this world comes across even more hokey than on paper when you actually hear it spoken, and the news segments are more about providing goofy exposition than dark subtext. But even though certain segments aren’t necessary, splitting the film in two allowed things like Harvey Dent’s return to provide some fantastic character moments for Bruce Wayne/Batman along with the added villain’s name recognition.
Peter Weller (Robocop) as Batman/Bruce Wayne is a stroke of genius and has made his mark as one of the best to ever voice the character. I wouldn’t want him voicing The Dark Knight in every incarnation but he is haunting, commanding and layered with a certain world-weary tiredness in his portrayal: in other words, perfect for this story. Ariel Winter (Modern Family) is serviceable, but a non-factor as Carrie Kelley/Robin, a role who seems to work better as a visual accompaniment than an actual fully developed character. Michael Emerson (Lost) is another inspired choice and brings a creepy calm take on The Joker (along with one of the highest body counts ever) and Mark Valley (Human Target) has the right amount of charm and earnest as Superman.
But The Dark Knight Returns certainly isn’t geared for children – it deals with some pretty heavy topics and is unexpectedly bloody, even knowing the source material. The Joker’s rampage in the latter half of the film had me squirming while the hand-to-hand combat scenes with Batman versus The Mutant Leader and later Superman are a sight to behold with their exceptional choreography and bone crunching brutality. There is a lot to digest mentally as well in this tale, as the story delves into the psychosis and duality of Bruce Wayne/Batman and how someone who lives on the edge for too long handles his last ride into the sunset.
The last half of the film gets decidedly more weird with the introductions of some obscure and oddly powered super villains that don’t seem to fit in the world the animated film was creating. That being said, it all builds to an emotional and epic showdown with Superman that feels intimately true to the heart of these characters and carries the proper emotional weight that has to come with a showdown of these proportions between two titans. I’m especially impressed with how Superman was written, because it’s easy to make him a dick in these kinds of stories and while he does play the antagonist to an extent, he’s still a good guy who cares for Bruce and has the best of intentions – even if they don’t gel with those of Batman – making their final confrontation feel sadly inevitable.
The Dark Knight Returns is an absolute must-see for fans of The Bat and is really just a gorgeous film that deserves a spot in most Bluray movie libraries for visuals alone, yet is as complex and intriguing as any of the animated films recognized by The Academy.