The most brutal and complex Batman story isn’t a part of the Nolan, Burton, and definitely not Schumacher, universes. It’s in a Direct to Video animated series that will have you praying that Ben Affleck’s Batman will be able to hold a candle to the source material that he was based on.
In honor of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I have been watching any and all of the Batman and Justice League animated films and TV series that were released in the last 15 years. I am ashamed to say this but I have missed plenty since “Batman Beyond”, a series that I revisit every few years. This take on Batman may, very well, be added to my staple list when it comes to great DC animated features because of the original ideas within the series and the mystery that is the Dark Knight.
“Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1” is the story of a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne that retired his cowl several years prior. Gotham City is taken over by a new breed of criminals and after a surge in homicides and various criminal activity, Bruce decides to dust off his cape and fight crime once again. But how will Batman’s methods be received in this new Era of Gotham where, by some, Batman is known as just an urban legend?
The voice acting and animation is impressive. The moment when I heard the age appropriate Peter Weller speak for Bruce Wayne, I immediately was able to accept him as a 55-year-old Batman with a dark past and an even darker future. The chemistry between all of the voice actors is present in every scene whether a conversation was being held between Bruce and the Commissioner or Batman and a criminal. Not one scene felt awkward or lacked the proper emotional weight or tone that any particular part required. The art is well drawn and beautifully coated in the natural obscurity of Gotham City.
From the moment Bruce Wayne comes onto the screen, we are immediately shown how an aging Bruce Wayne behaves and the struggles that an older Batman would run into while defending Gotham. For example, Bruce Wayne is still the conceited billionaire, he just has a harder edge and underlying darkness skating the surface. When he meets with the commissioner to celebrate Gordon’s retirement, it is almost as if he has lost the ability to put on a mask of jovialness for the sake of company. Bruce Wayne has gotten to the point that he doesn’t give a damn about holding up the alter ego that is a playboy billionaire. It is almost as if, not being able to dip into his true nature of Batman has started him down a road to depression and bitterness. In the same scene, Gordon tries to reminisce about their past but the moment Gordon brings up Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, Bruce cuts the evening short and leaves the Commissioner in the lounge alone to celebrate his retirement.
The Batman in “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1” is comparable to the Arkham Asylum Batman, 30 years older with a pension for violence. While he still maintains his code of no guns, this Batman has no problem with causing his criminals relentless pain (whether psychological or physical) if the end justifies the means. In one scene, he interrogates a criminal about what he knows regarding the mutant threat by hanging him off the side of a building. Batman learns who has been supplying the mutants with combat weapons and decides to pay the Gotham Army Base a visit. There, he visits a high ranking General who admits to selling weapons to the mutants in order to save his wife. Batman disarms him, lectures him, before placing the gun on his desk before uttering chilling words. “Nice way to end your career general.” Needless to say, Batman did not make it too far before he heard the sound of the General committing suicide.
Even though he can be brutal in his delivery of punches and barbs, what I do admire about the series is that the crime fighting takes its toll on Batman. After his first night out in years, he is met with a sore back, aching muscles, and a clear indication that he is not in the right shape for this type of work. In the middle of battle, he was out of breath and clearly exhausted but perseverance is what saw him through the pain. Since Batman is aware of his aging body, he tests himself by engaging in various fights that he may not walk away in order to know if he is making the right decision to dawn the cowl again. At one point, Alfred informs him that his opponent is in his prime and will clearly crush him but Batman decides o fight the mutant one on one anyway because he must know if he still has it.
While Batman is struggling with being an older Batman, the public is debating whether the Batman is the right hero to protect Gotham City. Throughout the movie, you can hear citizens saying things like Batman has no regard for civil rights, or that his presence causes people to break into psychotic episodes. You will also hear people saying that Batman is the spirit of the everyman rising against injustices within Gotham City and that he is a hero that is very much needed in this time of duress. The epitome of this duality can be seen between two cops. One police officer is old enough to remember Batman in his prime. When he sees Batman chasing after a criminal, he immediately backs off and tells his younger partner that the vigilante can handle it. The younger partner doesn’t listen and tries to arrest Batman despite the fact that he benefited from the caped crusader’s help.
The only negative that I can bring up is the new robin, a girl named Carrie Kelley. She is likable but what causes me not to fully embrace her is her rash behavior. She is the first Robin, in my opinion, that acts like a young child instead of an adolescent who has seen tragedy which compels them to want to help protect Gotham. Carrie is the daughter of two social activists who spend their days lazing around and getting high on pot. After seeing the bat signal, she decides to dawn a cape and go out crime fighting. My issue is that she has absolutely no prior training which became evident when she first snuck out of her apartment via the fire escape and immediately almost fell to her death. I was absolutely terrified that her green nature would, somehow, jeopardize the life of my favorite superhero but at the end of the day, her rash nature assisted Batman when he desperately needed it.
I also did not appreciate how Batman immediately took a liking to Ms. Kelley when he is still clearly sensitive about the previous people who donned the Robin costume. They also did not adequately explain how Carrie Kelly went from being clumsy and not being able to handle herself sufficiently to being able to bandage Batman on the fly with MacGyver-level skills. I wish they could have shown her learning curve and made her interest in wanting to protect Gotham lie outside of Batman but I guess they wanted to show that Batman can inspire good in the citizens as well.
From the beginning to the end of the first part of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, viewers are brought on a journey that takes them into a deep analysis of what type of man Bruce Wayne is, what kind of hero Batman is, and if an older Batman is actually needed. The official rating is appropriately rated PG-13 and I would recommend this film to any fans of Batman, Action, and Drama.
Rating: Energy Optimized (4/5)
