Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)

Olivia has crafted a masterpiece with the second half of this epic. While never forgetting that he was in service to the story, Oliva clarified muddy plot points and streamlined Miller's work while remaining true to the sequence of the story STEP FOR STEP. The voice acting was superb, with Weller's weary, resonant baritone serving well in the place of iconic Kevin Conroy.

This two-part feature has become my benchmark for animated interpretation of graphic novels, and has my highest recommendation.

Part 2 steps it up, From brutal rendetions Batman's crushing punches, Jokers an omnisexual, truly homicidal killing nightmare to Superman's immense power yet patriotic imbecilic servitude this is the finest adult animation DC has ever produced . Be warned this is violent and bloody with the Joker scenes being painted red with chilling death scenes. The Superman Batman throw down is truly epic and cinematic with a movie quality score. Peter Weller does a fantastic job capturing the hyper intelligent, brooding, serious and pragmatic older man Batman who's burning rage cannot be quenched from his traumatic childhood scarrring.

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I really enjoyed part 2. I couldn't wait to check it out when I saw the initial trailer for it. Hopefully others will enjoy this as much as I did. This will definitely have you wanting more. I will pick up the best buy release when it hit the stores for the joker figurine that comes with it. Very dark, the way batman should be seen. Loved it.

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I wanted to like this and the previous Part 1. Really, I did. I've been re-reading the graphic novel every few years since it came out in 1986, and I hear the dialogue in my head as I get to each panel. When DC released the direct-to-video version, I had high hopes for how they'd translate it to the screen, and looked forward to seeing it animated.

It's not bad, certainly. They did a fair job, but there were two gaping holes in my opinion. First, the creators of the movies did away with the internal monologue that was the real treat. What set TDKR apart from the rest of the comics at the time was the inside look at what's going on in Bruce Wayne/Batman's head. You followed along with his thought process as he looked at the world as it had become, and it was the combination of the story being told (which was fairly well represented in the movie) with the monologue that provided the glue that held it together. His running internal commentary as he chases the Joker through the Tunnel of Love. His internal commentary as he beat the snot out of Superman. The creators have taken some of that internal monologue and turned it into dialogue, but it's just not the same. I expected to hear the monologue as part of the soundtrack to the action, and the lack of that monologue reduced the film to merely an animated version of the action on the panels, not what the story was about.

Secondly, I'm afraid I've been spoiled by other voice actors. Ever since Batman: TAS came out, I hear Kevin Conroy's voice in my head when I read something thought or said by the character. It was certainly interesting to hear Peter Weller's voice bring some Robocop-like nuances to the role, but Weller's voice fell short. This was especially apparent in the scenes where Batman rode into Gotham during the blackout to restore order. I expected a deep, resonant, commanding voice to issue forth and captivate the Sons of the Batman...and instead Weller's voice couldn't provide that, and sounded high and flat. He might have coasted when delivering conversational dialogue, but not when it needed weight, strength, and command for that scene. To add insult to injury, Batman is supposed to be about 55, right? Kevin Conroy would have been 56 when this was recorded. Think about how great that could have sounded. I don't hold the creators to blame, as I'm sure they have to diversify the voice talent across the direct-to-video releases, but someone should have earmarked Conroy for this story.

Two nits. First, the pacing seemed off. Perhaps it's because I read it the graphic novel for years at my own pace, and inserted my own sense of timing, but I felt that Part 2, in particular, was rushed. Some scenes felt like they were picking up too quickly without the sense that enough time had passed. I might have been able to write this complaint off if the movie was released as a single disc, but if you're going to ask me to pay twice for two movies, the least you can do is pace it. Not that I'm bitter.

The second nit: the death of the Joker.....they changed how it happened, and again, missed out on representing an important part of the Batman character, still not able to take a life at the very end. It was a wasted opportunity, and I don't see why they couldn't include that. It's as if the subtlety was lost on the writer....although this point wasn't that subtle.

I'll give the creators some credit, though. The design and animation was fairly respectful to the original graphic novel art, with some updates, so I felt like I was watching a fair adaptation of the graphic novel. Also, getting Conan O'Brien to voice the talk show host David Endochrine? Amusing, appropriate, and ironic, all at the same time. Well done.

In the end, I'll give it only 3 stars. I was happy to see them include it in their slate of direct-to-DVD movies, and it was an interesting movie to watch, but I think I'll get more enjoyment out of the TAS episodes they bundled with the package than a repeat watching of the movie. Fortunately, I still have the original graphic novel to re-read.

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I loved part one but part two is even better, I didn't think it would even be possible but this film pulled it off. I've read the source material several times and always wished I could see the biggest fight of all played out on the screen. This film doesn't disappoint in the slightest, Peter Weller once again nails it as batman. The comic book was written in the 80s and this shows in key scenes, Reagan is president and the soviets are still around terrorizing the rest of the world, so keep that in mind as you watch this. The dark knight returns is the comic book that's responsible for the batman we have today, it brings a gritty and angry batman to the forefront. The fight is actually better than I always imagined it would be, and as far as I'm concerned the question of who would win was answered with this movie. I've watched both parts multiple times now and it never stops being cool, definitely worth checking out.

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