Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012)

Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?

Director:

Jay Oliva

Writers:

Bob Kane (character created by: Batman), Frank Miller (comic book)

Stars:

Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, David Selby

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Weller	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice)
Ariel Winter	...	Robin / Carrie Kelley (voice)
David Selby	...	Commissioner Gordon (voice)
Wade Williams	...	Harvey Dent (voice)
Carlos Alazraqui	...	Hernando (voice)
Dee Bradley Baker	...	Don (voice)
Paget Brewster	...	Lana Lang (voice)
Maria Canals-Barrera	...	Ellen Yindel (voice) (as Maria Canals)
Cathy Cavadini	...	Joanie (voice) (as Catherine Cavadini)
Townsend Coleman	...	Morrie (voice)
Grey Griffin	...	Anchor Carla (voice) (as Grey DeLisle)
Richard Doyle	...	The Mayor (voice)
Greg Eagles	...	Mackie (voice)
Michael Emerson	...	Joker (voice)
Michael Jackson	...	Alfred Pennyworth (voice)

Storyline

Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?

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Plot Keywords:

batman | the joker character | lana lang character | bruce wayne character | batman character | 

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Taglines:

The last fight begins.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Premiere,DC Entertainment,Warner Bros. Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min 148 min (Deluxe Edition)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was not the first time Wade Williams had done a role for projects relating to DC Comics. There are subtle references to Jason Todd returning as The Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), where Williams portrays Black Mask in that film. He had voiced Mantis/Supreme Chairman in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008), titled "Cry Freedom Fighters!" and Deegan in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011). Most recently, he played the Warden at Blackgate Prison when Selena Kyle was being jailed in The Dark Knight Rises (2012); this was most likely owing to the fact that he played Brad Bellick in Prison Break (2005). Here, he voiced seemingly reformed criminal Harvey Dent/Two-Face in a reversal of roles to both his parts in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Prison Break (2005).

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Quotes

Veteran Cop: Damn, that sucker can move.
Rookie Cop: What the hell is that?
Veteran Cop: Can't exactly look right now, kid.
Rookie Cop: Up there. Freaking weird.
Veteran Cop: You gonna tell me or - Holy...
Rookie Cop: You're slowing down?
Veteran Cop: Yeah. We're in for a show, kid.

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Alternate Versions

A version was released on October 8, 2013 entitled 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Deluxe Edition'. This version combines both parts into a single 148 minute movie. however it cuts out the newscast part from the opening scene of Part 2.

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Connections

Version of Nightwing: The Darkest Knight (2015)

User Reviews

You're Never Finished With Me

Before I watched this animated feature and its second part, 'The Dark Knight Returns - Part 2', I had considered animated features based on the 'Batman' mythos to be quite a cosy way of filling an otherwise empty evening. They had their own level of violence that, at times, could be a little too graphic, but they were still a guilty pleasure of mine.

'The Dark Knight Returns - Part 1' changed quite a bit of that. As a 'Batman' feature, it is quite intense, in a similar vein to the 2011 adaptation of Frank Miller's 'Batman: Year One' -- only more so.

From the beginning, it is clear that we are in a different time, sat in with a Bruce Wayne and a Gotham City that are not quite right. Make no mistake, they are still the characters made familiar to us over time but, as they say, 'this is not your father's Batman'.

Parents should be warned that most of the DC Animated Original Films are not aimed at young children (even adults may find them a little distasteful in parts), and this one is no exception. Blood, gore, suicide pacts and 'surgery' in a mud pool ensue. This is a very violent, post-modern Gotham, not too unlike Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Trilogy', and younger children are better directed towards either Adam West or, if animated, then 'Batman: The Animated Series' and its successors.

With that aside, this is a very engaging animated film that shares a lot in common with Frank Miller's original source illustrated novel. Some scenes are switched around, redacted or, in some cases, even enhanced, making this quite an interesting watch for general Batman fans and fans of this specific comic book. As an aside, the comic book behind this feature was part of the inspiration behind Tim Burton's original 'Batman' film in 1989.

Peter 'Robocop' Weller provides the voice of a very beleaguered Batman/Bruce Wayne, whilst Michael Jackson (not to be confused with the late Prince of Pop) provides the voice of his faithful, yet ageing valet, Alfred Pennyworth. Screen stalwart, David Selby also lends his voice to the similarly past-his-prime Commissioner Gordon, whilst Wade Williams (who previously voiced Black Mask in the 2010 feature, 'Batman: Under The Red Hood') provides a fresh and surprising look at Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent. But the major scene-stealing performances here are from Ariel Winter as Carrie Kelley, who those unfamiliar with the story may be shocked to find allying herself with Batman, and from Gary Anthony Williams as The Mutant Leader - a more dangerous Killer Croc-style villain who is the mastermind behind many of the events at this stage of the story.

Christopher Drake who, by this time, had provided the musical score (either in whole or in part) to several Batman features since the 2008 release of 'Batman: Gotham Knight', infuses the proceedings with an incredibly edge-of-the-seat and sometimes moving and haunting series of compositions. A word to the wise, however: even though some commentators have accused Drake of lifting some of Hans Zimmer's ideas for his score to 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012), this is, in fact, 1980s-style music. It holds a retrospective quality that, perhaps, Mr. Zimmer also wanted to infuse in his score owing to the fact that that film's inspiration was drawn heavily from Frank Miller's comic book 'The Dark Knight Returns'. At the end of the day, Batman is not exactly synonymous with 1980s-style music, so both composers reached a satisfactory quality in their respective scores without allowing their work to sound like a who's-who of artists of the 1980s.

Many of the same creative talents behind 'Batman: The Animated Series', such as Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano, return to adapt a tale that helps to put the 'dark' in 'Dark Knight', making The Batman an incredibly scary and disturbing character once again!