WB/DC's Direct-to-DVD Animated Film "BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS" is an Adaptation of Frank Miller's comic published in 1986.
Summary (Without Spoilers): Bruce Wayne is now 55 years old & 10 years have passed since the retirement of Batman. With the rise of a new nemesis called the Mutant Gang, the city descends deep into chaos and the Dark Knight is forced to wear his cape again. Despite his age clearly showing, Batman still takes the fight to injustice with the help of a new Robin in the form a teenage girl named Carrie Kelly. While 70 year old Commissioner Gordon is being replaced with an Anti-Batman minded Ellen Yindel. Things get worse as two of Batman's Greatest Villains, Two Face & the Joker who have been keeping quite with a plastic surgery and in a catatonic state respectively break out of Arkham Asylum with the public blaming Batman for their returns. The government feels Batman has gotten out of hand with his Do-whatever-to-do-what-is-right policy and sends his former ally, Superman to take him down once and for all. The film also features Selina Kyle who is no longer Catwoman and Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) who plays a short but vital part to tie up this Masterpiece.
My Views: This is one of the darkest portrayals of the Batman universe and it makes me wonder how the hell did they get away from an R rating. Never has been an animated movie been so thrilling and so serious for me like these. The whole story and some of the fight scenes are just epic. While face-offs with Harvey Dent & the Mutant Leader in Part 1 was great, battles with the Joker & Superman in Part 2 takes animation movies to a whole new level. Some might be disappointed not to hear Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill's familiar voices, I'd say the chosen actors to play the older counterparts was a right decision. Some subplots might be mildly uninteresting, but that is irrelevant when most of the package is stuffed with such greatness.
All this ties up perfectly as a well paced, superbly written, beautifully animated and savagely action packed movie with many surprises. The Dark Knight Returns reaffirms the fact that the Legend of the Dark Knight will continue to amaze us in unprecedented ways and be part and parcel of us fans forever.
Final Verdict : 10/10
