The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & Part 2
A two-part adaptation of the legendary comic
Since the new Batman movie (The Batman) is coming out this week, I thought I’d dive into this highly recommended pair of films as this week’s double feature.
The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & Part 2 are, as the names suggest, two parts of one complete tale. These two animated features are direct adaptations of the influential Frank Miller comic book from 1986. Miller’s comic book is considered one of the most influential works in the genre, and it’s easy to see why. Its more adult themes and take on the Batman world were ahead of their time. If you think about it, the comic predates the first Michael Keaton Batman film by three whole years. Wild.
It's not just a comic that people pay tribute to, either. Almost all of the contemporary Batman movies pay homage to it in one way or another. Some (mainly Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) lift entire scenes. Below are just some of the obvious “inspirations” that I caught on my first viewing:
Anyway, let’s dive in.
The Dark Knight Returns: Part 1 (2012)
Bruce Wayne is pushing sixty. He’s hung up the costume and been retired for a decade. Of course, this leaves a massive void in his life. The world has moved on from the Batman, and the streets of Gotham are under the clutches of The Mutants, a vicious street gang that commits thrill killings. The growing chaos cause Bruce to have a psychological break and return to the life of vigilantism that he had given up for years.
Before moving on, I think now is a good time to highlight how Bruce Wayne is presented in these movies. He’s voiced by Peter Weller, who lends gravitas to the role. His voice is deep, commanding, and battle worn. You can hear pain in his voice.
Even physically, Wayne/Batman is presented as this enormous figure. He takes up the entire frame, towering over most of the cast. His stature communicates how much of a physical beast, as well as a legend, the man is.
Of course, it isn’t long before Bruce dives back into the Batman costume and begins dealing justice along the way. After a stopping a spree of smaller street crimes, he eventually finds himself hot on the trail of Two Face. Some of the most interesting stuff in these movies is when we get a glimpse of what became of the others who shared Batman’s world. Two-Face, for example, wound up institutionalized before being treated and released. When Batman finally tracks him down, he learns that the two both have similar psychological scars.
That’s another thing that’s on Part 1’s mind. Lots of psychological, philosophical, and political analysis is thrown the audience’s way, typically in the form of news broadcasts. Is Batman a fascist monster, or a champion of the working man? Does he drive the villains of Gotham down a darker path, just by existing? Probably nothing you haven’t heard before, but it’s all done well. Lots of skewering of bougie leftist cliches, which this author found to be extremely refreshing. In one humorous news segment, a yuppie proudly declares
We have to strive to reintegrate the disenfranchised into society, not revel in their punishment. We have to show patience…
Immediately after, he tells the interviewer
Oh, no, I’d never live in the city!
Part 1 wraps up with Batman dealing a defeating blow to The Mutants gang. Of course, jumping back into the action makes quite a big splash, that awakens a few big players who show up in Part 2.
The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 (2013)
Part 2 is sprawling, epic film. In its brief runtime, it covers more material and plot than some television shows do in an entire run. It picks up the threads from Part 1, starting off with the remnants of The Mutants gang and the resurgence of (who else?) the Joker.
This time around, Joker is played by Michael Emerson. With the deluge of superhero and comic book movies coming our way, everyone is familiar with the Joker by now, in one flavor or another. The last decade had seen him as a terrorist (Ledger), incel/loner (Phoenix), and even memelord (Jared Leto), and that’s just on the big screen. For me, it’s tired territory and it takes a lot to make me take notice of a performance. Fortunately, Emerson brings something fresh to the role. He dials things down a bit and emits a kind of low boil, restrained menace, as well as a sexual edge to his interactions. I found a quick two-minute interview with him, and it sounds like he really got into the role.
The Joker takes up the first third to half of Part 2 and is probably my personal favorite segment of this whole double feature. It just encompasses all of the strengths of the story. He begins as a borderline vegetable in a mental institution and is seemingly awakened by Batman’s resurgence. A bleeding heart psychologist enables him to go on a vicious spree. His ultimate plot isn’t very comic book-y, in fact it’s essentially a mass shooting, which I found very chilling. Part 2 actually delivers a definitive conclusion to the Batman vs. Joker rivalry. When this portion of the movie wraps up, we again see that this battle has left Batman with wounds that will never heal.
The back portion of Part 2 is broader in scope. Batman’s return has caused big power players to take notice.
The White House calls on Superman (who essentially is a part of the military now) to control or kill Batman, which puts the two on a collision course. I’ll leave the details of the climactic showdown a mystery, in case you decide to jump in. Trust me, it’s worth it.
All the while, Cold War hostilities lead to a minor nuclear exchange that causes a blackout in Gotham. Batman proves himself by rallying people to make a difference, and single handedly restores order to the city. Really epic stuff.
Closing Thoughts
I think I’m guilty of writing off many animated projects as afterthoughts or sideshows to the main live action events. Maybe that’s snobbish of me. This double feature proved me wrong. There is top level writing and acting talent involved, and it’s evident that everyone took this project seriously. I would argue that these two films rival the impact of any Hollywood movie. This new Batman movie has a runtime just shy of three hours, and it’s been getting positive word of mouth. I hope it’s good, but I know when I come out, I’ll be weighing its quality against the masterpiece that is The Dark Knight Returns.