There are some reviews panning the storyline and animation style. Understandable if the only Batman you really knew was the 90's Kevin Conroy version (which is excellent btw). While I know I'm not unique regarding this, my perspective of this film comes from growing up in the 80's on the Batman comic books. Batman in the mid 80's was still trying to shed the Adam West live action & the Superfriends animated image people had of the character. Then came the Crisis On Infinite Earths epic. It really made bad things possible to DC characters. Characters didn't always get a noble end. Then Frank Miller looked at the Batman character blowing in the wind without substance and said "No. THIS is what he is." and hence Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel.
WOW. The collective thud heard in 1986 were jaws dropping all over the world. The animation was dark, gritty, even depressing (a sharp contrast to the DC comics and animated cartoons of the day). It gave Batman his identity of the obsessive/borderline sociopath & force of nature whose self control of his violent tendencies hung by a thread. Batman may have debuted in 1939, but he was born in 1986. Yes, Batman is slower, meaner, and sometimes uses a gun. That's the beauty of it. Miller showed the high price his body had paid and the compromises he had to make since he was in his fifties. (The rifle - The fight with the Mutant leader in the mud pit to even the odds). That's why Batman at this age was so dangerous, he wasn't trying to be like he was before. He compensated for his age and injuries.
There are strange goings on in the film that couldn't be explained the way they were in the graphic novel:
Superman as a government agent? Yes, because in his inner monologue Superman discusses how he gave his silence and obedience to the government to avoid the slaughter of his comrades. That's why he has no choice but to come after Bruce!
Superman survives a nuclear blast by touching a flower??? Yes, because he tapped into the energy that all plants store from the sunlight to save himself.
Joker seemed off? Yes, because he had been catatonic, literally, for ten years since he had no Batman to focus on.
Green Arrow wants to kill Superman? Yes, because the book directly alludes to Superman being the one who tore his arm off.
The bottom line for me is that everything works here, especially with the retrospect of having read the graphic novel in the 80's. The animation looks like a literal page by page shot of what I saw 27 years ago. The 80's theme is kept alive too. Look at the sunglasses, the ladies' hair styles, even the car on the road that encounters the Batmobile. Even the music has a touch of 80's synthesizer with the powerful orchestral sounds so popular in the Dark Knight movie trilogy. The Reagan character was spot on how Miller portrayed him as well!
As for Peter Weller, yes, I was skeptical. But then I heard the line "These men are mine!" and the deadpanned response after he saved the two year old "I believe you." Sold! It was pitch perfect.
Whether you liked or panned this film, read the original graphic novel then watch the film again. I promise it will add a whole new perspective on a job well done!
WOW. The collective thud heard in 1986 were jaws dropping all over the world. The animation was dark, gritty, even depressing (a sharp contrast to the DC comics and animated cartoons of the day). It gave Batman his identity of the obsessive/borderline sociopath & force of nature whose self control of his violent tendencies hung by a thread. Batman may have debuted in 1939, but he was born in 1986. Yes, Batman is slower, meaner, and sometimes uses a gun. That's the beauty of it. Miller showed the high price his body had paid and the compromises he had to make since he was in his fifties. (The rifle - The fight with the Mutant leader in the mud pit to even the odds). That's why Batman at this age was so dangerous, he wasn't trying to be like he was before. He compensated for his age and injuries.
There are strange goings on in the film that couldn't be explained the way they were in the graphic novel:
Superman as a government agent? Yes, because in his inner monologue Superman discusses how he gave his silence and obedience to the government to avoid the slaughter of his comrades. That's why he has no choice but to come after Bruce!
Superman survives a nuclear blast by touching a flower??? Yes, because he tapped into the energy that all plants store from the sunlight to save himself.
Joker seemed off? Yes, because he had been catatonic, literally, for ten years since he had no Batman to focus on.
Green Arrow wants to kill Superman? Yes, because the book directly alludes to Superman being the one who tore his arm off.
The bottom line for me is that everything works here, especially with the retrospect of having read the graphic novel in the 80's. The animation looks like a literal page by page shot of what I saw 27 years ago. The 80's theme is kept alive too. Look at the sunglasses, the ladies' hair styles, even the car on the road that encounters the Batmobile. Even the music has a touch of 80's synthesizer with the powerful orchestral sounds so popular in the Dark Knight movie trilogy. The Reagan character was spot on how Miller portrayed him as well!
As for Peter Weller, yes, I was skeptical. But then I heard the line "These men are mine!" and the deadpanned response after he saved the two year old "I believe you." Sold! It was pitch perfect.
Whether you liked or panned this film, read the original graphic novel then watch the film again. I promise it will add a whole new perspective on a job well done!