Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1

First part of the animated adaptation of Frank Miller's classic comic book miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns. The comic was highly influential on the direction of superhero comics over the last 30 years. It tells the story of how Bruce Wayne returning to being Batman after a ten year absence and how the world has changed without him. This first part deals with Batman return to battle a gang known as the Mutants that is terrorizing Gotham, as well as the release of Harvey Dent (aka Two Face) from Arkham Asylum.

For the most part, it's faithful to the comic so no complaints there. The animation is decent but I can't help being disappointed it isn't more stylized. There was an episode of the 1990s Batman cartoon that featured different stories told by kids about Batman. One of them was an homage to The Dark Knight Returns. The animation in that tried, despite its television limitations, to match the style of the Frank Miller/Klaus Janson artwork from the comic. I think this would have been better served had it also tried to match that art. Instead it's fine for what it is but it isn't particularly impressive or stylish. Christopher Drake's music is very nice and at times evokes a John Carpenter vibe that I liked. The voice work is solid but I miss Kevin Conroy's Batman.

It's hard to capture what made the comic work, particularly because so much of what worked was due to the time in which it came out. Translating it faithfully word for word or picture for picture doesn't necessarily mean you can make it click the same way it did in another medium made at another time. The sad reality is this story has been copied and ripped off in various mediums since its release. Batman as a character is now firmly established in the public consciousness as the grim & gritty Dark Knight, whereas at the time the source story was first released it was cutting edge stuff. So the impact is lessened is what I'm saying. That's not the fault of the people who worked hard on this; it's just that too much time has passed and this just can't have the same impact it would have had it been made 25 or 30 years ago. It's still a fun watch, particularly for comic fans, but it will likely leave some viewers wondering what the fuss is all about. Best seen as a whole with part 2.