And what better way to introduce this new wave of hope and optimism by reviewing a fine bit of media courtesy of our good friends at the University of Sussex Sci-Fi & Horror Society?
But t'was not a film that we saw this time, or at least one in the commonly accepted sense, but rather a 2-part animated mini-series based on the legendary 1986 graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Denny O'Neil and Lynn Varley.
The Dark Knight Returns comic book cover: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Returns
Batman the Dark Knight Returns part 1 cover: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2313197/mediaviewer/rm2876679936?ref_=tt_ov_i
Batman the Dark Knight Returns part 2 cover: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2166834/mediaviewer/rm1483283200?ref_=tt_ov_i
To put a long story short, this well-regarded bit of comic book history envisions a much older Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) coming out of retirement after over a decade away from crimefighting to find the fictional city of Gotham being besieged from all quarters and alleys by all manner of curs and vagabonds. Through the use of tactics that are considerably more aggressive and violent than those used by the Caped Crusader in his previous couple of decades of lore and adventuring, Batman tackles a city-wide gang called The Mutants. But as this conflict with the dirt of Gothams' society reveals the full extent of Batman's motives and methods, he comes into conflict with the new commissioner of the Gotham City police department as well as his old mate Superman. Will Batman cling to his position as a hero of the people and the old-fashioned way of tackling crime or bow down to the establishment and their methods?
I'll refrain from describing the synopsis of the film any more than this for fear of spoiling the story for anyone wanting to watch both parts of Batman the Dark Knight Returns. But, I will say that the main draw of both the book and the miniseries is how it narratively presents a well-established and widely known character in a way that they hadn't been presented in close to a similar fashion since the 1940s. Between the 1950s and mid-1980s, Batman as a character generally became less violent and aggressive as compared to his classic comic adventures in the 1930s and 40s. There are a wide number of factors that could form some interesting theories as to why this happened such as the rise of the 'peace and love' movement in the late-1960s and the outcry in American popular media against events such as other violent comic stories and the Vietnam War amongst other similar incidents. There is a general consensus in the analysis of 1980s pop culture in the west that there was a, somewhat brief but nonetheless impactful, rejection of this widespread message in western media in many, albeit not all quarters. Hence, when watching films like Cobra (1986 starring Sylvester Stallone) or Death Wish 2 (1982 starring Charles Bronson), you're likely to see either some hard-ass rule-breaker or old and weary battle-scarred warrior taking on the 'weirdos' and 'freaks' who had been seen to have infiltrated US or UK society during the 1960s and 70s. There is an element of this in both parts of Batman the Dark Knight Returns but what makes this reflective theme of tackling social hardships more interesting is that it is presented in this case with a character at the forefront who had spent about 20-25 years going against this trend somewhat before the original graphic novel came out.
So is the story of the miniseries, adapted from the book, any good in a qualitative sense? Generally speaking, I think this is one of the most seminal comic books of all time and both parts of the mini series, released in 2012 and 2013 respectively, adapt from it in a respectful and broadly competent and satisfying manner. The original story of the graphic novel was already an interesting draw from the offset and after that, is well-written throughout. However, if there is one criticism that you could levy at the miniseries is that the graphic novel it is inspired by is perhaps one of the most of-its-time comics made in a long, long time. This isn't much of an issue really, but, it does mean that some of the messages from the original comic could've maybe done with being adapted to stay relevant when the social issues facing western pop-culture had changed a lot by 2012-13. But, to turn back around yet again, it might also be a great testament to this story's long-standing quality and reputation that even in 2012, still resonates just a little bit.
Although not all of the of-its-time stuff in the miniseries should be taken this seriously such as the absolutely baffling scene where Batman does battle with an MP-40 sub-machinegun-wielding criminal henchwoman with muscles to rival Batman's and wearing nothing but combat boots, grey combat trousers and swastika-shaped nipple pasties.
...
Oh you think I'm joking?
image link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2166834/mediaviewer/rm2631477248?context=default&ref_=tt_pv_md_4
I know I have some tastes that I might not share with everyone I know or might ever come to know but I think that even in the context of the 1980s this is still bizarre. But alas, wherever there is something that can be marginally sexualised on the internet there is some loony bin doing just that. I can't say I'm all that surprised though, after all, the original Dark Knight Returns graphic novel was released not even 45 years after the 2nd World War (1939-45) had ended so this could perhaps be explained by the cultural hangover from that conflict. This would also explain the populist position that Batman takes on further into the 2-part miniseries and how, while netting him and the people of Gotham short-term benefits, is perhaps not the healthiest approach to solving all of the city's issues in the long run. Then again, Batman is more capable at tackling much of the criminals even this late into his career than a largely bumbling local government. Therefore, I guess how moral his populist takeover of the people's opinions and minds through action later on is down to an individual's own perspective.
But still...that scene with the Nazi henchwoman will never leave my mind. No matter how much vodka and/or coffee I drink.
I guess that is in no small part down to the art and design of the two-part feature which, like the graphic novel is superb. Batman is large and blocky in his design in stark contrast to many of the slim and agile characters around him giving this contrast of Batman being set in his old, stoic ways as a new way of taking on the evils of the world outpaces him. Even without this insight, the art is just generally good and isn't too noisy or overdesigned but neither is it too simplistic. Its not the best I've ever seen in a feature like this but its damn solid and does its job really well. As does the colour scheme and direction of the film which generally takes a dark hue as much of Batman's activities are undertaken at night. This gives Batman the impression of some brooding, dark and contemplative vengeful demon of the night which coincidentally was just how his character in the comics was starting to become around the time of when the graphic novel originally came out.
So, before we conclude this cavalcade of Batman being awesome we should go onto what I feel is the strongest part of the miniseries. For me, there is no doubt that it has to be the voice-acting. Maybe its a bit of bias from Robocop (1987) being my favourite film but I have to say that Peter Weller is my joint 1st place favourite incarnation of the character alongside the one in Batman the Animated Series (1992-1995) voiced by Kevin Conroy. Other solid voice-acting performances throughout the feature come from Ariel Winter who plays a young Batman fangirl called Carrie Kellly who takes up the mantle of the next Robin and Michael Emerson who has a small part as Batman's most iconic villain; The Joker. Emerson's portrayal of the character isn't my favourite. But, to be fair, that is in part because the design for the character in this mini-series doesn't really fit the way that he speaks. Emerson's portrayal, as short as it is, takes an interesting approach to the clown of crime by portraying him as more of a slimy schemer than some insane whirlwind of madness with Joker's theme of insanity bubbling more under the surface of his character here. Everyone does a commendable job though and even the weaker performances are still decent enough and do an above average job at portraying their characters.
So after all is said and done, would I recommend both parts of Batman the Dark Knight Returns? If you want something that takes a bit more liberties and risks with its interpretation of the source material it might be a better idea to look elsewhere. However, the original graphic novel has a feel to it that screams out for a animated adaptation and while the two-part mini-series really doesn't change much, its still very entertaining. Yes, the source material might be a bit too of-its-time for some people but this doesn't weigh the overall project down in terms of its intrinsic quality in my opinion. Even this many years after pen was put to paper to introduce this idea of Batman being a weary but still tough hard old bugger to the mythos of his series, the graphic novel still holds water and its animated adaptation will surely do the same for a while yet.
Acting/Voice-acting: 9/10
Direction & Art-direction: 7.75/10
Soundtrack: 5/10
Action & animation: 7.15/10
Plot, writing & narrative: 6/10
Personal enjoyment: 8.5/10
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