Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, not to be confused with the live action film The Dark Knight, is a two part animated straight to DVD release by DC Comics and Warner Home Video based on the classic graphic novels by Frank Miller. In this story a fifty-five year old retired Bruce Wayne is called back into action by Gotham City plunging into chaos as a result of a new and deadly gang and their brutal mutant leader. In Part two of the films we see that his return is not met exclusively with positive reaction however, as many are understandably against a self-regulated masked vigilante being such a key aspect in the cities safety, including a newly appointed police commissioner and even the United States president.
These films are excellently animated with a stunning use of angles and lighting being clearly considered of the utmost importance in the drawing of every single frame. The movement of the characters and objects very fluid and at no point appears to be preformed half- heartedly. However, the title character of Batman/Bruce Wayne himself does often seem out of place when standing next to other characters because of how he is drawn as too large and almost gorilla like at times.
The voice acting by every single member of the chosen cast is excellent with each member, even Conan O'Brian, never once feeling out of place. Peter Weller in particular does an amazing job bringing proportional weight to the voice of a largely figured Batman/Bruce Wayne.
The cast of characters is very strong; especially with the second part bringing in some additional iconic characters as a surprise. The first half introduces a new villain and although some argue that it should have been a more recognizable character others would argue that the fresh face brought forth an element of unpredictability and was excitingly different and effective.
The overarching topic of discussion within the movie's narrative is if the extreme cases that make a character like Batman a possibility justify the presence of said character or not. Is there a point where a vigilante can be, or should be, above the law or government? For the most part these films do a tremendous job of showing both sides of this argument, although it does lose something in its clear bias in favour of the hero's perspective throughout.
From a personal perspective I view this film, both of its parts together, as the ultimate superhero movie despite its occasional faults. It isn't held back in what he can do and say because of its intended audience being adults, although I wish they had gone more in depth about the ideological debate and that it had not definitively chosen its side preemptively. I would recommend this film to anybody interested in superheroes that are old enough to withstand some of the more graphic scenes within.
These films are excellently animated with a stunning use of angles and lighting being clearly considered of the utmost importance in the drawing of every single frame. The movement of the characters and objects very fluid and at no point appears to be preformed half- heartedly. However, the title character of Batman/Bruce Wayne himself does often seem out of place when standing next to other characters because of how he is drawn as too large and almost gorilla like at times.
The voice acting by every single member of the chosen cast is excellent with each member, even Conan O'Brian, never once feeling out of place. Peter Weller in particular does an amazing job bringing proportional weight to the voice of a largely figured Batman/Bruce Wayne.
The cast of characters is very strong; especially with the second part bringing in some additional iconic characters as a surprise. The first half introduces a new villain and although some argue that it should have been a more recognizable character others would argue that the fresh face brought forth an element of unpredictability and was excitingly different and effective.
The overarching topic of discussion within the movie's narrative is if the extreme cases that make a character like Batman a possibility justify the presence of said character or not. Is there a point where a vigilante can be, or should be, above the law or government? For the most part these films do a tremendous job of showing both sides of this argument, although it does lose something in its clear bias in favour of the hero's perspective throughout.
From a personal perspective I view this film, both of its parts together, as the ultimate superhero movie despite its occasional faults. It isn't held back in what he can do and say because of its intended audience being adults, although I wish they had gone more in depth about the ideological debate and that it had not definitively chosen its side preemptively. I would recommend this film to anybody interested in superheroes that are old enough to withstand some of the more graphic scenes within.