It's pretty, I will give it that, but I don't feel it translates Frank Miller's story well. The backdrop of the Cold War feels forced, all the more for how it decides to depict Superman as a tool of the United States, merrily killing commies. The Joker could be just about any homicidal maniac here almost, while Batman feels thuggish. Frank Miller's version of Batman was never my favorite, but it was an interesting vision of how far things could spin out of control. This film misses it all. I read a wonderful article a while ago about why the Joker and the Batman need each other, how they are antithetical: Batman strives to uphold his morals, even in the face of all the Joker's horrors. The Joker seeks to break Batman down and force him to break his code. In this movie, I'd say the Joker wins, especially in a scene where Batman spits in the dead Joker's face before booby-trapping his body and using explosives on the police.
