Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1

Plot synopsis:
=== Part 1 ===
 After the death of his protégé Jason Todd, billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne was forced to retire from his Batman persona. Ten years later, Gotham City is overrun with crime and terrorized by a gang known as the Mutants. The 55-year-old Wayne maintains a friendship with 70-year-old retiring Police Commissioner James Gordon, while the Joker (Batman's archenemy) has been catatonic in Arkham Asylum since Wayne's retirement. Arkham inmate and former district attorney Harvey Dent undergoes plastic surgery to repair his disfigured face. Although he is declared sane, he quickly goes into hiding following his release. Dent's disappearance, news stories of the crime epidemic throughout the city and the memory of his parents' deaths drive Wayne to become Batman once more. He combats serious crimes, rescuing 13-year-old Carrie Kelley, but now struggles with the physical limitations of age.
Public reaction to his return is divided. Dent's psychologist Bartholomew Wolper blames Batman for creating his own rogues gallery. Dent resurfaces, threatening to blow up a building unless he is paid a ransom. Batman defeats Dent's henchmen, learning that the bombs will explode even if the ransom is paid; he realizes that Dent intends to kill himself. Batman disables one bomb, and the other detonates harmlessly. He defeats Dent, who reveals that although his face was repaired he still thinks of himself as Two-Face. Kelley dresses as Robin and looks for Batman, who attacks a gathering of the Mutants with a tank-like Batmobile (incapacitating most of them). The Mutant leader challenges Batman to a duel. He accepts to prove to himself that he can win. The Mutant leader (who is in his prime) nearly kills Batman, but Kelley distracts him long enough for Batman to subdue him. The leader and many gang members are arrested. Injured, Batman returns to the Batcave with Kelley; he allows her to become his protégée in spite of protests from his butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Batman has Kelley disguise herself as a Mutant, and she lures the gang to a sewer outlet at the West River. At the Gotham City Police Department, the Mutant leader murders the mayor during negotiations. Commissioner Gordon deliberately releases the leader, providing an escape from the building, which leads to the sewer outlet. Before the amassed Mutants, Batman fights the leader in a mud pit; the mud slows the leader, removing his physical advantage, and Batman overpowers him. Seeing their leader's defeat, the Mutants divide into smaller gangs; one becomes the "Sons of Batman", a violent vigilante group. Batman's victory becomes public and the city's inhabitants are inspired to stand up against crime. Gordon retires after meeting his anti-Batman successor, Ellen Yindel. In Arkham, televised reports about Batman bring the Joker out of his catatonic state.
=== Part 2 ===
 Feigning remorse for his past, Joker convinces Wolper to take him on a talk show to tell his story; he makes plans for his escape with an old henchman, who supplies him with mind-controlling lipstick. Meanwhile, Superman, who works as a government operative in exchange for being allowed to covertly help people, is asked by the President to end Batman's vigilante activities. Framing these events is a growing hostility between the USA and the Soviet Union over possession of the island of Corto Maltese. As Batman's continued presence humiliates the national authorities, Yindel becomes commissioner and orders Batman's arrest, and Superman warns Batman that the government will not tolerate him much longer.
Joker makes his talk show appearance on David Endochrine's show as Batman fights with the GCPD on the studio roof; while they fight, Joker kills Wolper, gasses everyone in the studio to death and escapes. He finds Selina Kyle and uses one of her escorts and his lipstick to take control of a congressional representative, who calls for a nuclear strike on the Soviets before falling to his death. Batman's investigation leads him to Selina, whom he finds bound and dressed like Wonder Woman. Kelley notices cotton candy on the floor, and Batman deduces that Joker is at the fairgrounds. There Kelley accidentally kills Joker's henchman while Batman pursues the Joker, who indiscriminately guns down dozens of people. As Batman corners a wounded and partially blinded Joker, he admits to feeling responsible for every murder Joker has committed and intends to stop him permanently. In the ensuing fight, Joker stabs Batman repeatedly, and Batman breaks Joker's neck in front of witnesses.
Content that he made Batman lose control and that he will be branded a murderer, the Joker finishes twisting his neck, killing himself. The GCPD arrive and Batman, bleeding profusely, fights his way to Kelley and escapes. After Superman deflects a Soviet nuclear missile, he is hit with the blast and badly injured; the detonation creates an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out all electrical equipment in the United States and causes a nuclear winter. As the city descends into chaos, Batman, Kelley and Gordon rally the Sons of Batman and the citizens of Gotham to restore order, and Yindel accepts that Batman has become too powerful to take down. While the rest of the powerless U.S. is overrun with crime, Gotham becomes the safest city in America, embarrassing the President's administration and prompting them to send Superman to finally stop Batman. Batman and Superman agree to meet in Crime Alley.
Wearing a powerful exoframe and supported by Kelley and former superhero Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), Batman fights Superman, using various tactics to make the fight even. When Superman gains the advantage, Queen hits him with an arrow made with synthetic Kryptonite, severely weakening him. Batman defeats Superman, and claims that he intentionally made the Kryptonite weak, to defeat Superman without killing him. Batman then apparently dies of a heart attack, while Wayne Manor self-destructs, and Alfred dies of a stroke. In the aftermath, the world learns that Bruce was Batman; all of his secrets are destroyed with the manor and his finances disappear. As Superman leaves Wayne's funeral, he gives Kelley a knowing wink after hearing a faint heartbeat coming from Bruce's coffin. In underground caves, Bruce is revealed to have faked his death and makes preparations to continue his mission more discreetly, allied with Kelley, Queen, and his followers.

Tags: dark, realism, flashback

Review:
So influential was Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" that it inspired Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan when they were crafting their live action Batman movies, as well as the 1990s Batman animated series (which gave birth to an entire universe of DC animated shows).
But if the mutant leader's extreme acts can rouse Batman to return to vigilantism, so too can Batman's actions rouse criminals to return to their old ways (as one character claims in the story).The characters are brought to life by a fine voice cast who nail their roles perfectly.
The only downside is that despite wanting to show a dichotomy between Batman and Bruce Wayne, Weller uses the same tone of voice throughout the whole movie; Compared to previous voice actors, like Kevin Conroy, who used different speech patterns and tones for Wayne and Batman.A lot of deep themes about the nature of heroism vs vigilantism abound in this tale, all of which were in the original comic but just expanded upon in the animation medium.
The movie shocked me how good it was made, the animation, the acting (even though batman isn't voiced by Kevin Conroy), even the sound is simply great.
Any fans out there will be glad to know this is part one of a series and when you watch it, you'll see how the story drives you straight into the cliff hanger , all the elements are there ,even as we get to understand that Batman/Bruce Wayne has aged significantly it doesn't slow down the action, after all "Old Heroes never die , they just get Darker".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!.
No one does it better than the Bat at any age he is still the same, too smart for those who what to get on his bad side.This part1 is so good I can't wait to see the rest; I hope veterans like the joker will be there to make it all crazy like.Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a two-part animated superhero film, an adaptation of the four-issue story arc The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, printed in 1986.This animation is nowhere near the movies (i.e. story wise), and it focuses on the future, wrong choice of words it is about the future, Bruce Wayne is 55 and the bat has not been seen for 10 years.The story arc curved around the bat after retirement.
Imagine one day you look out the window only to see Bill Gates in his underwear and a cape on your roofwould you say Bill still got all his screws nicely tight?) I don't know what I liked better is it watching Bat being Bat again in his old age, or the bad guys not knowing in time to skip town when they found out he was out of retirement (you can't blame them though, some didn't know who he was).Well, the directing of this wonderful flick was done by Jay Oliva, who worked as a storyboard artist on Man of Steel, Batman: Year One and Batman: Under the Red Hood.The animation was well drawn, far better sorry, far far far better than what we saw in Superman vs.
the Elite.The only downside to this wonderful movie is the news casting; it was boring and looked too much like child's play I hope you are not still reading this, because I expect by now that you have hit the stores to go grab your copy of The Dark Knight Returns Part 1.www.lagsreviews.com.
"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1" is by far the best DC animated film since "Batman: Under the Red Hood", the storyline stays true to the Frank Miller comic book limited series.
It follows a dark & gritty telling of a 55 year old Bruce Wayne coming out of a 10 year retirement from being Batman, because Gotham City's crime rate is worse than ever, criminals now run free & the city is constantly under attack by a massive gang known as the mutants.
The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 is not the best of the animated Batman films (Mask of the Phantasm overall and Under the Red Hood in recent years), but I still found it terrific and see no problem with any Batman or superhero fans enjoying it.
First part of the animated adaptation of Frank Miller's classic comic book miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns.
This animated movie - the first part that adapts the first volume of the Dark Knight Returns (or, I guess it was four parts, so the first two parts) - is about as good as this comic can get.
It's an animated movie, but it is able to bring the comic to life with just enough of that Frank Miller grit and action while still being somewhat, kinda, sorta, appealing for younger audiences (the original series was probably more for adults than kids despite it being Bats).It's still got a lot of that meat-headed Frank Miller action, but the animation is fantastic, the voice-work is spot-on, and it actually kinda benefits from taking away the narration that is what Batman has in the comic book (some of that was classic, a few points that got a bit much).
This may seem obvious considering the post-modernist violent setting, however the violence did go further than I thought they were going to take it (BUT THIS IS NOT A BAD THING)!Dynamics between characters are also very well written for animation and you can appreciate the subtle nuances between relationships as well as hear dialogue that reflects a character arch throughout the story.The voice acting may feel just a little bit stiff here and there, and some of the features in the comics appear to be somewhat left out or brushed over quickly, however this is a different format to a comic so the artist should be allowed to trim some of the fat off in order to make the film feel like a cohesive narrative.Overall, this piece feels like a lot of effort from DC has been put in to both reward the fans and pay homage to Frank Millers contribution to their wonderful icon.
This is one hell of a Batman movie.Whether or not you've read the original work by Frank Miller, which it faithfully brings to life, this film keeps you enthralled.
It is a thrilling, dark flight through the the final days of the most iconic hero of our time, brought to the screen with stunning, sharp animation, wonderful pacing, and great acting throughout.For those of you who HAVE read the original books, have no fear - I can't imagine a more thorough and faithful reproduction of Frank Miller's classic tale.
The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 quite simply is one of the greatest comic book films of all time.We begin with watching Bruce Wayne drag race his life away.
Drake has done numerous takes on the Dark Knight, but I've always felt like his score for these two parts perfectly encapsulates this particular graphic novel more so than any of his other scores.Peter Weller voices Batman, among the many talented voice actors here.
I love everything about this film & story.+Voice talent, particularly Peter Weller+Psychological side+Haunting score+Weaves in Batman's best characters effortlessly+Final fight scene10/10.
With strong voice performances, powerful drama and clean, iconic imagery, TDKR:P1 often feels like you're watching Frank Miller's seminal graphic novel in motion.If you think direct-to-video automatically means cut-rate, you're wrong.
well i have to say this the dark knight returns part 1 is amazing just as amazing as the dark knight rises this movie doesn't feature any of the other voice actors instead robocop peter Weller is now batman and hes just excellent and there's ariel Weller as Carrie Kelly robin the story is about Batman's retirement for 10 years after all the adventures hes had in the comics and the mutants a new criminal gang has taken over Gotham.this is basically frank milliars masterpiece as an animated movie its super violent which made this freacking awesome and the fights and action this is DC comics best DC animated original movie trust me you will love this including the second part which i will review 10/10.
Of course one of my "batman fan" mates on facebook started this rant about how Nolan films were a master piece and better than some animated piece of **** that no one had ever heard of or would give a damn.Anyone whose even remotely interested in the Batman mythos outside of LORD NOLANS trilogy knows what Frank Millers Dark Knight Returns is about.
"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2" gets released next year and basically is going to be nothing more but a continuation of all of the events in this movie.
I've seen virtually every Batman animated and live action film in existence and can confidently say this is the best adaptation that is out there.It's basically telling the story that Batman v Superman so desperately wanted to tell.It stars a jaded, cynical, and retired Bruce Wayne who yearns to get back into his crime fighting days.
It was great to watch Peter Weller as Batman/Bruce Wayne !!..Story was also excellent !!..I am a big fan of Jay Oliva !!.
Some scenes will make you wonder how much of Bruce Wayne still exists, as opposed to a host for the Dark Knight himself.What the film also nails is the public perception of Batman, which I'm always a fan of when it comes to superhero stories.
Side note - some of the most bad-ass Batman lines ever.Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is a refreshing take on the character and a great translation of the graphic novel that is not only adapted but expanded on.
This film based on the famous comic of Frank Miller is a must watch.After 10 years of Bruce Wayne not being Batman the world needs him.
So this movie has a great point of view of politics where there are people who don't think they need a batman; is done to perfection of different sides not deciding what to think,but what I think Gotham needs a DARK KNIGHT.
Batman has long since disappeared since his crime-fighting days but now at the age of 55, Bruce Wayne dons the cape and cowl to return to the streets of Gotham City to take on old enemy, Harvey "Two-Face" Dent for what should be the last time.
Meanwhile the maniacal gang of hoodlums known as, The Mutants plague the streets of the towering metropolis with an impending confrontation with their vicious, sadistic leader on the cards.The latest in a fairly long list of animated adaptations or interpretations of the Batman mythos to be brought to the screen, The Dark Knight Returns was based on the four part 1986 graphic novel by the now legendary, Frank Miller.
And if this full length version, (it was originally released in two chapters on two individual DVD releases) is anything to go by he needn't had done so as from from what I gather it remains irrevocably faithful to it's source material.It focus's on how Bruce Wayne (voiced by; Peter Weller best known for his iconic role in 1980's sci-fi action hit, Robocop) who has long since retired after the untimely demise of Jason Todd, the second Robin., making him feel compelled to return to a life of vigilantism.
The Dark Knight Returns was great adventure and more going with those original stories or comics.Animation was great nicely put together 3d and 2d, not really noticed if you weren't modeller.The basic thing that batman gets old and all ..
Whereas Christopher Nolan was adapting for his own personal take on the character, this film takes a shot for shot interpretation from the graphic novel by Frank Miller.Batman is brutal and punishing to his foes, to the point where we almost feel sympathy for them, but not quite.
So even though writers say they won't, it's unavoidable that comics will be catered, at least a little bit, for kids.The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 doesn't seem to take itself completely seriously, it goes dark, but at the same time it seems to wink at the audience, saying: "Don't worry, it's just a comic book film." The sophistication is sometimes lost, a character like Batman can believably exist in the real world, but not this one.
The animation was smooth,the voice acting superb and the dialog on par with Christopher Nolan's legendary trilogy.I'd recommend all Batman fans (whether or not you've read the comics) to watch this movie,Although there are a few flaws.The movie seems more like a stand-alone than a two-part series as not many questions are left to answer or mysteries to solve when it comes to an end,also the addition of Carrie Kelly(Robin) is a little unnecessary as she doesn't play a very important role,her character was created just to keep true to the comic version.Overall it's an amazing movie with some kick-ass fight sequences and acrobatics!!
Bruce is now living in a much harsher world than the one he knew back in his early thirties; now he's a man approaching sixty and Gotham City desperately needs its hero to return from the shadows and fight against the crime plaguing Gotham once again.The first part of DC's only animated two-parter-to-date is a good start that leads to the meaty conclusion of the story in Part Two, which in turn has influenced media outside The Dark Knight Returns comic, like The Dark Knight Rises and *ahem* Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The story is well known to every average DC comic guy, Bruce after years o been in the retirement he returns to his role of protector of Gotham ,when the crime has gone out of control!Simple, strong and pretty good that story show one important thing about the Cape Crusader, he doesn't create crime ,crime creates him and for that I will quote the new district attorney from Batman: The Animated series when she saw why the criminals in Gotham did what they did "As far as I can see ,you would going to exist in to the life of crime in one form or another", in short Batman didn't create his rogues gallery rather he was forced in action by them!
He's driven to suit up once again to take on the homicidal maniacs and show the citizens of Gotham City that they need not live in fear any longer."Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1" is the best animated feature film DC and Warner Premiere have released.
This is proof that staying true to the story can be done within the time frame allotted for live action movies.Go buy "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller, and compare it to this film, before you become willing to listen to anything less than 10/10.
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.
Here are my thoughts of the movie.'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1" is a 2D animated film that follows the story of a now aging, 55 year old retired Bruce Wayne who must once more put on the mask and cape but also BECOME the Batman to take out a new gang who has shown their face into Gotham City: The Mutants.There is simply so much to love about this movie.
The Dark Knight Returns: Part 1 has many wonderful moments, some good voice work, and some amazing animation.