The Dark Knight Returns Part 1

Having read the amazingly-epicly-awesome graphic novel, I gave this a watch. Thank-you DC for splitting this into a 2-part series. Should be worth our while!



The Good

I am a huge Batman fan - if you've been following my twitter (@TeenageVFX), you'd be aware of that. That being the case, I adore the Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy and believe that it is one of the greatest Batman adaptations ever, let alone the fact that they're movies. The reason why I love it so much is because it captures the true essence of the Batman persona rather than going along with the usual 'Batman is SO BADASS!' thing. After all, underneath that mask, Batman is Bruce Wayne. He is only human. Most adaptations I've come across struggle to understand that concept and end up taking themselves too seriously. 

The Comish!

So how does that relate to The Dark Knight Returns animated feature, you may ask? The answer is simple: Christopher Nolan based the 3rd and final film, The Dark Knight Rises, partially on the critically acclaimed graphic novel. You can see loads of similarities between the novel and the movie. Some of the dialogues are straight from the novel - which is great! Keep in mind that if you can adapt to an exceptional level, people don't care about the source. The animated feature sets out to prove this wrong. 

Nananananana Batman!

The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is movie true to it's heart. It features an older - 55 yrs old I believe...correct me if I'm wrong though! :) - Bruce Wayne trying to come to terms with his inner demons and desires to get back to the crime fighting life he once loved. The cape he vowed to don in order to rid his city of evil. He's old, battered, and worn out. You see it. You feel it as he battles through hordes of oncoming members of the 'Mutant' gang - a new generation of criminals taking over Gotham. They may be the most sadistic you've ever been introduced to! 

The Bad

Fortunately, I wasn't able to find a minus for The Dark Knight Returns Part 1. Hey, don't blame my never-ending Batman nostalgia for this. I gave it a replay the second time around being a bit more critical and it was still kick-ass! So what're you waiting for? Go and watch it!