Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Animated - Part 1

[Rorschach2012]

IIRC, Green Arrow has a more prominent role in the GN

 

[BH/HHH]

I finally watched the film this weekend. I bought the Deluxe version three months ago. I hadn't watched the film and I waited until I got this version. Sadly I hadn't got the time to watch it properly, I have been kinda busy.

Anyways, this film was awesome! Really, it has been a long time since I the last time I read DKR. I forgot how brutal this tale is. The pacing was great, the time flew by. The absence of narration made the visual cues more powerful, the voice acting was great. Peter Weller landed his lines masterfully most of the time. The only time I didn't feel it powerful enough was with the speech with the S.O.B. I finally understood the Gordon's Vietnam speech on a thematic level. When I first read the novel, I didn't quite catch it, I guess my english wasn't very good back then.

Also, as a fan of Person of Interest, I was looking forward to hear Michael Emmerson as the Joker. Boy he was creepy! All of his scenes up to the Carnival where very unsettling. His lines before entering the Dave Endochrine show where truly scary. Alas his final showdown in the ironic Tunnel of Love was so raw, I never thought they could get away with that kind of graphic violence.

I think somehow, the treatment of Superman in the film was less harsh than in the novel. I guess it had to do a lot with Mark Valley's performance. The final battle was thrilling, more fleshed out than in the novel.

The 80's setting, the phenomenal score, even the cinematic sequences felt like something greater. I really need to make time to watch this again soon. This is perhaps the best effort in the DC Animated Movies line.

Agreed, I said the same thing almost in bold and was questioned about it, its quite clear to me the animated film gave us a less *****ey version of Superman. I think the main reason for me was we didn't have the VO that we had in the comics, some of the dialogue in the VO made him come across a complete t**t at times in the book. Same with Batman too.

 

[DChero]

Agreed, I said the same thing almost in bold and was questioned about it, its quite clear to me the animated film gave us a less *****ey version of Superman. I think the main reason for me was we didn't have the VO that we had in the comics, some of the dialogue in the VO made him come across a complete t**t at times in the book. Same with Batman too.

**Spoilers**

My issues with the novel/movies really stem from Frank Miller's dialogue/monologues. Aside him completely misinterpreting Superman as a character (tearing off Arrow's arm, playing super-puppet, hunting any members of the Justice League, etc), there were a lot of details that get pollute even Batman's character. In one scene has tries to save the "no kill" rule but mentioning rubber bullets being used on the mutants, then later on he hands someone a gun and tells them to kill themselves.

I will say that he created one of the best Jokers that I've ever seen. That the definitive Joker to me.

Overall, it's a fantastic story, it's just those details that really make it feel like an elseworld tale to me, as opposed to something that could have stayed in cannon.

 

[Drz]

It's a dark future, it should reflect on the characters. Superman rather being a puppet who saves millions of lives speaks more true to the character than him simply not being heroic, he eventually takes down this evil in TDKSA.

Look how sad Batman's future gets in the BTAS universe with Beyond.

 

[DChero]

It's a dark future, it should reflect on the characters. Superman rather being a puppet who saves millions of lives speaks more true to the character than him simply not being heroic, he eventually takes down this evil in TDKSA.

Look how sad Batman's future gets in the BTAS universe with Beyond.

I actually really liked where the story went with Beyond. Batman continues his mission but doesn't resort to killing. I think that they did a great job of showing that in the Prologue episode and he even retired once he realized that he would have to alter his rules to continue the fight.

Frank Miller wrote my favorite Batman book, Year One. That was just the perfect origin in my eyes, but for TDKR (and continuing through to DK2), he reminds me of David Goyer in that the overall stories that they write are fantastic, it's just dialogue and some individual portrayals that I disagree with.

 

[BlueLightning]

I must say. I prefer the Beyond thematics over TDKReturns. In Beyond, it is poignant the fact that he cannot continue being Batman. In this serialized context, he did everything he could. He upgraded his suit when he was being debilitated by age and wearing. And even then he could no longer keep going. The first episode of the series was an awesome setup.

In the end, he got his bittersweet ending. He became the "Alfred" to Terry's Batman, the father figure of a broken man like him who decided that he could be happy, that being Terry going to have a better life than Bruce's. That's one of the themes of the comics too, but with Dick Grayson instead of Terry. Bruce's influence on their lives made them better people.

 

[DChero]

I must say. I prefer the Beyond thematics over TDKReturns. In Beyond, it is poignant the fact that he cannot continue being Batman. In this serialized context, he did everything he could. He upgraded his suit when he was being debilitated by age and wearing. And even then he could no longer keep going. The first episode of the series was an awesome setup.

In the end, he got his bittersweet ending. He became the "Alfred" to Terry's Batman, the father figure of a broken man like him who decided that he could be happy, that being Terry going to have a better life than Bruce's. That's one of the themes of the comics too, but with Dick Grayson instead of Terry. Bruce's influence on their lives made them better people.

I agree with that. TDKR does a great job of showing how dangerous Batman is even when over the hill, but he stops essentially standing for what Batman was about. In Beyond, I feel like he stays in character and goes out a hero.

 

[Drz]

I actually really liked where the story went with Beyond. Batman continues his mission but doesn't resort to killing.

He gives up. Justice League is barely efficient, Superman's personal life has completely died. There's nothing heroic, until the American Government decides that cloning Bruce Wayne is the only thing that can happen.

That is bleak, the mass production of Batman and America's use of Bruce Wayne until the end of times.

 

[batman1]

Love it!!

 

[BlueLightning]

He gives up. Justice League is barely efficient, Superman's personal life has completely died. There's nothing heroic, until the American Government decides that cloning Bruce Wayne is the only thing that can happen.

That is bleak, the mass production of Batman and America's use of Bruce Wayne until the end of times.

Well he gives up because he can't keep going.

As far as we know, the Justice League Unlimited was still on duty until Beyond times. We don't really know to which extent Superman personal life has been affected, and still we don't get the clarification that perhaps it was the Starro influence that severed some ties. The Batman Beyond project was Amanda Waller's brainchild made by her own convictions and that project went south.

At the end, that didn't have anything to do with Bruce's decisions. Gotham was left in a tolerable state. I don't think that Commissioner Barbara Gordon was incompetent at her job. The only remnants of the old Gotham knavery was the little gangs like the Jokerz (which really was only the minor echoes of the last laughs of a deceased maniac). When the time came for the need of a new Batman, Terry was up for the job.

 

[DChero]

He gives up. Justice League is barely efficient, Superman's personal life has completely died. There's nothing heroic, until the American Government decides that cloning Bruce Wayne is the only thing that can happen.

That is bleak, the mass production of Batman and America's use of Bruce Wayne until the end of times.

Well he gives up because he can't keep going.

As far as we know, the Justice League Unlimited was still on duty until Beyond times. We don't really know to which extent Superman personal life has been affected, and still we don't get the clarification that perhaps it was the Starro influence that severed some ties. The Batman Beyond project was Amanda Waller's brainchild made by her own convictions and that project went south.

At the end, that didn't have anything to do with Bruce's decisions. Gotham was left in a tolerable state. I don't think that Commissioner Barbara Gordon was incompetent at her job. The only remnants of the old Gotham knavery was the little gangs like the Jokerz (which really was only the minor echoes of the last laughs of a deceased maniac). When the time came for the need of a new Batman, Terry was up for the job.

This did seem to come at a point in which the next generation was taking over, so there could have been a time in which there really wasn't much, if any, Justice League coverage. I choose to believe that Starro was controlling Superman for several years, which could have been a huge reason for the Beyond project.

 

[luis4u]

The score is amazing wow [YT]fU83fjQyz70[/YT]

 

[flickchick85]

^^^Indeed. My favorite aspect of the adaptation, tbh.

 

[luis4u]

^^^Indeed. My favorite aspect of the adaptation, tbh.

agreed. Even throw all superman was an okay movie his superman theme was amazing [YT]EphFQelYhp8[/YT]

[YT]Acvaf1IemPo[/YT]

 

[flickchick85]

Yep, All-Star is my favorite score Drake has done. And honestly, I know its blasphemous to even suggest, but it's right up there with Williams' to me as a defining Superman theme. It would be nice if they'd release the whole score.

I just wish the All-Star Superman film had gotten the 2-parter treatment that TDKR got so that it wouldn't have had to butcher the source material. Oh well, that graphic novel (my favorite of all-time) was never all that conducive to the movie format, anyway.

 

[luis4u]

Yep, All-Star is my favorite score Drake has done. And honestly, I know its blasphemous to even suggest, but it's right up there with Williams' to me as a defining Superman theme. It would be nice if they'd release the whole score.

I just wish the All-Star Superman film had gotten the 2-parter treatment that TDKR got so that it wouldn't have had to butcher the source material. Oh well, that graphic novel (my favorite of all-time) was never all that conducive to the movie format, anyway.

One think I loved it. Especially the change they made to Luthor's ending.

 

[flickchick85]

Yeah, I'll admit that was a nice touch.

 

[Sawyer]

Yep, All-Star is my favorite score Drake has done. And honestly, I know its blasphemous to even suggest, but it's right up there with Williams' to me as a defining Superman theme. It would be nice if they'd release the whole score.

I just wish the All-Star Superman film had gotten the 2-parter treatment that TDKR got so that it wouldn't have had to butcher the source material. Oh well, that graphic novel (my favorite of all-time) was never all that conducive to the movie format, anyway.

Yeah, I don't think it could be properly done. There's an overall through-line throughout that series, but it's also very episodic. Not really the same kind of storytelling that TDKR had.

 

[Drz]

“The Dark Knight series is all from Batman’s point of view. But if you look at Dark Knight 2, you’ll see a Superman who’s much calmer than the one in the first Dark Knight. Batman and Superman are dead opposites. I love Superman. Do I love Batman more? They’re not people. They’re only lines on paper.”
– Frank Miller, in a Q&A with Playboy, on whether there’s any truth to the belief that he hates Superman

 

[gohei_]

I am listening to the soundtrack on youtube right now and I gotta say this guy is really talented, it's pretty awesome.

 

[Naked Shia]

i bought the deluxe edition on bluray, and I like how it flows as a 2 hours movie.

 

[The Joker]

I was considering getting that, but then I like how it's broke up into two chapters, like how the GN does the story in chapters.

 

[Naked Shia]

I can understand that. I'm lazy though, son ot having to change disc is awesome.

 

[BH/HHH]

Just downloaded These Men Are Mine, my favourite piece of music from the score it's very similar to Chariots of Pumpkins from Halloween III by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth. Infact when a Kevin Smith interviewed Christoper Drake on Fatman on Batman they talked about that been an inspiration.

 

[Two-Face]

I own the book but is it worth getting the film? I have film & the book of Year One I prefer the book than the film though.