My Review of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns part 2

Rating Scale:

12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; might not watch it again but still happy I watched it for the first time
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made

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Hello again. Here is my review of part 2 of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. I have to admit that this film was... above average. While this film had a slightly darker tone than the first one, there were some issues that just bothered me. So with that being said, let’s get this over with:

1). Again, Peter Weller did a great job voicing Batman/Bruce Wayne. Throughout the movie, you can hear him go though stages of absolute pain, determination, bravery, defiance, and even leadership. One of which I will address later on.

2). Michael Emerson was actually good as The Joker. He was not as great as Mark Hamill or Troy Baker, but he still did a fairly good job voicing Batman’s archenemy. His psychopathic impulses, deception, and wicked murderous glee were actually terrifying to behold. Wow...

3). The soundtrack was average at best.

4). The story was a decent but not great follow-up to that of the first movie. It was a little hard to follow which I will address in a few moments. Although, this film took plenty of turns that would make you jump from your seat.

5). The Joker’s doctor was again irritating to listen to; he still blamed Batman for actually trying to stand up against violent crimes, yet he foolishly cuddled his enemies and looked upon them as... victims? Ughhh... he looked so proud and haughty when he made those statements. Bet he didn’t expect to be brutally killed by his own patient, eh? I was so relieved to see him killed off. The Joker loves Batman that much—ok, I’ll stop there lol.

6). The fight scene between him and Batman was really cool. It was disturbingly... bloody as well. Speaking of which, how is it that Batman got a bullet wound and he bled PROFUSELY along with multiple stab wounds? After Joker finished himself with a neck snap (thanks to Batman), he was running around while losing so much blood. He’s suffering blood loss!! How is he not dead?! Give me a reasonable answer besides, “Because he’s Batman!”. On a side note, Batman and Joker were fighting... in a love tunnel... (clears throat)... yeah... lol

7). Superman was... okay I guess. It was nice seeing him interact with Bruce though. Mark Valley did well voicing him.

8). The climax was really well-done. The best part of the whole thing was the Dark Knight uniting everyone in Gotham—the mutants, the sons of Batman, and the citizens—to cease the chaos, put out the fires, and restore peace in the city. I LOVED seeing that played out.

9). If I am really honest with myself, I felt as if this film suffered from two distracting subplots that do not fit together. First, you have the return of the Joker (not to be confused with the Batman Beyond movie) and the intense interaction between Superman and Batman. How do these two subplots fit together into one narrative? Are they trying to show us how hard Batman is bringing on himself despite his age? It felt like two movies merged into one. That’s how I currently feel about this film. Additionally, The Joker was killed off halfway in the film. So who was the main villain? Him or Superman? I can’t tell since the initial villain was killed off too early. The first part works for me because it did not focus too much on Harvey Dent; it focused more on Batman and the antagonists which were the mutants.

10). Lastly, the side characters such as Gordon and Robin. As for Alfred, it was sad seeing him die of a stroke after the destruction of Wayne Manor. I can’t even imagine what he was thinking during those last few moments. Oh yes, I remember: You see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are.—The Joker, The Dark Knight. Alfred was a great man.

So, I rate this second part a 6/10. I’m glad I watched it, but the issues I mentioned brought it slightly down for me. In conclusion, this two-parter was an “okay” adaptation in the Batman franchise. In light of the good and bad things both of them have, I rate this two-part series a solid 5/10. They are not awful, but they are not great either. If I were to rewatch either of them, it would definitely be the first part despite its flaws. What do you guys think?

Peace.

Comments

[Darth Wrex]

I would've thought a Two-part review would had the spilt in half