Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 [Blu-ray]

This is the first of a two part animated translation of Frank Miller's classic work, The Dark Knight Returns. For fans of the original comic, the animation adopts most of the key concepts and visual motifs. It is also quite faithful to the plot and nuances. So if you are looking for a "faithful" adaptation this rises to expectations. If you are unfamiliar with that work, it can be a bit tricky. The fundamental part of the legend and myth of Batman are well known so the film makers and Frank Miller can be forgiven in not exploring the background except where it fits their fundamental themes about obsession and finding a meaning to one's life. The story of the rich young man who is scarred by crime as a child and who dedicates his life to fighting crime using his wealth and devoting his life to this end is generally well known. The book and film asks the basic question: what happens after a life time is spent fighting crime and now Batman is an old man? What has he got to show for his efforts? Is the world a better place? Has he made any difference other than to beat up a lot of thugs and crooks? The details about particular villains, key plot themes (like the Batcave, Batmobile, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd) and relationships (James Gordon, Selina Kyle)are assumed. If you are unclear as to who is Two-Face, Catwoman, and such, you can figure it out with careful viewing and listening to the context of the dialog but frankly that is like reading about the end of Hercules without knowing about the 12 Labors or Mysterious Island without 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and how it affected Captain Nemo. The production values are excellent with smooth animation and the action scenes are well done and faithful to the original comic. The voice acting is also excellent - not the same cast found in the superb Batman: The Animated Series but it is still very well done. S P O I L E R The comic and movie points out that one man, even when he is the Batman, can only do so much by himself. He must somehow change the world around him in some lasting way if he is to have any positive legacy. The obsession of Batman forces him to tie up loose ends in the present and the past. The present is manifest in the form of the Mutants, a gang based on raw power and brutality with no subtlety. The past is represented by Two-Face and the Joker. Two-Face, (once Harvey Dent, close friend of Bruce Wayne) forces Bruce to accept that there are some things his good efforts can't fix. The Joker is his classic foe - the irrational psychopath. Batman grasps and easily can deal with rational foes - their actions are predictable and motivations understandable. Counter measures can therefore be taken. The Joker doesn't fit and just wants to play and Batman is the ideal foil. The comic and movie leads us to conclude that Batman can do a lot to help stop rational crime but irrational behavior can't always be treated/cured and by definition may have no sane solution. The world is larger than just Gotham City and when national and international politics intrude, it brings Superman into conflict. Finally Batman accepts that he has not only grown old and can't fight on as he once did, he has to engage the greater world outside of Gotham. To make his life meaningful and leave changes that are lasting he'll have to take on the world's problems. For Batman fans, it leaves the irony that he becomes very similar to his legendary enemy, Ra's al-Ghul. His intentions are clearly better and he isn't willing to see the deaths of millions to achieve his ends, but the final scene of him creating a secret organization working towards his aims and goals while keeping to the shadow and training successful generations to take on the struggle cannot be an accident. Frank Miller must have meant this as a final point and does it nicely with the subtle parallelism with Ra's al-Ghul.

[...] Over the past half decade or so, Bruce Timm and company have done an amazing job of creating these DTVs. Ranging from completely original stories to adaptions of popular story, so it was no surprise that The Dark Knight Returns was one of the most highly requested films for the group. With much joy, and a little reservation, we finally get The Dark Knight Returns. A story so dense that it becomes the first film adaption to warrant two separate DTVs! The Dark Knight Returns retains the style of the comic book fairly well. Which is both a blessing and a curse. The style loans itself to animation well as we've seen in both Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but it's also not a style I'm personally too keen on. Well that is a bit strong, I really don't care for the overly bulky Batman design that this book used. It's just not a style that makes sense, and not many characters actually retain it. It really stands out when Batman is interacting with the new Robin in this film. His hands are also as large as her body! My dislike for the art-style aside, the film does animate and look fantastic in motion. Some of the more memorable moments, and especially some of the fights, look extremely wonderful when animated. Some of the shots for shots from the comics feel a little forced in motion, but it was cool to see that they included all of the iconic moments (from the first half at least) while building around them. I'd be honest, I haven't read the actual source material in nearly a decade so when I tell you it follows the story pretty straight-forward, I'm only going off of what I remembered. I'm sure there was stuff cut, but I couldn't point you to exact moments or pieces of dialog off the top of my head. I have read enough Frank Miller stuff to know that almost all of Batman's internal monologues had been cut from the film. Though, as a rule, a character speaking in their head isn't as easy to convey in animation. It's really a comic book thing. The writing on the other hand is a bit of a mixed bag. Some of it, I will chalk up to the source material. Frank Miller is a lot of things, but the most elegant writer he is not. A lot of the dialogue comes off as a bit hokey or stilted not only in their delivery, but just how they are phrased. Granted, I'm sure some of it is a product of the era. Slang from the 80s probably hasn't carried over well nearly 30 years later! On the bright side, the voice cast they got for this film is top-notch. While I have already expressed my love for Kevin Conroy as Batman, Peter Weller (Robocop!) as an elderly Batman/Bruce Wayne though knocks the performance out of the park. He just works so well for me, and he has a voice that is kind of serious and gravely without coming off as a bit of parody (still love you Bale!). And it's not just Weller who shines in this cast, David Selby as Commissioner Gordon and Michael Jackson as Bruce's loyal butler, Alfred, are perhaps have some of the best parts in the movie for me. Alfred is his usual dry self, but he does it with such charm that it is endearing. Selby brings a nice warmth, but toughness to Gordon, who is now up there in age, but dealing with a more reformed Gotham. The rest of the cast does a decent job, but aren't giving as much screen-time to work with aside from Ariel Winter as Carrie Kelley, the new Robin. I think she does a great job in the role, but there's nothing in this film that makes me believe that she should have been Robin. The whole idea of Robin has always been a bit of a stretch since Batman deals with really bad people. When Carrie first dons the costume, which is just a Halloween costume, we see her come off a bit clumsy and reckless to the point where you fear she may get herself killed. The fact that she is able to take down the Mutant Leader, or at least distract him long enough for Batman to do his thing, seems a bit contrived from what little we had seen of her up until that point. Yes, much like any Robin, she eventually does get training from Batman, but she hadn't earned much up to that point! Which brings us to the final point, the actual story in the movie. If you've read the comic, you pretty much know all the beats. We're about a decade out from the last sighting of the Batman. Gotham is in relative peace aside from a new gang calling themselves The Mutants, and Bruce is dealing with his life beyond the cape. Slowly, the pieces of the peace start to fall aside as the return of an old foe, Two-Face, triggers some events that leads to the return of Batman. Batman does battle with the mutants, which eventually escalates to an all-out assault planned on Gotham City. That's pretty much the extent of the plot. A lot of the political undertones from the source material have been removed from the adaption, though you still get discussion on whether or not Batman is better or worst for society. Ultimately, it is an odd talking point since a lot of this is focused on Batman and you see how much good he does for Gotham, but it also does mean he tends to bring out the wack jobs... And that's where The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 leaves off, it is a very smartly done cliffhanger. You are given a really solid movie from start to finish. It has a complete plot, but it dangles a very juicy carrot in front of you so that you will check out Part 2 when it drops next year. Sadly, I wish they would have been able to time the two releases closer together!

If you are a Batman comic book fan, there is a good chance you read Frank Millers "The Dark Knight Returns", as it was a groundbreaking story of it's time. Bruce Timm (the creator of Batman: The Animated series) drew great inspirtation from this graphic novel, so it seemed obvious that he would adapt this story at some point. And now we finally have Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1. So, being a huge fan of this story, did years of waiting for an adaptation pay off? Fortunately, the answer is yes! Although I liked it, my problem with the Batman: Year 1 film was the information being cramed into 1 film. But, making Dark Knight Returns 2 parts was a smart move. Every inch of the graphic novels first half is explored in this film, and I couldn't have asked for more. So, the story of Dark Knight Returns is identical to the comic. If you are NOT familiar with the comic, this is the synopsis: Batman retired after the death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, and 10 years later, Gotham is worse than ever. A new gang (called the Mutants) is almost in total control of Gotham, and the City is just as bad as it was in Bruce Waynes early years. After the dissaperance of a reabilitated Harvey Dent, the time has come, and Bruce Wayne must become Batman again, and take the mutants down, along with the aid of a new Robin. However, the reaperance of Batman will come at a price, as his return will awaken old enemies (who we will see in Part 2). THE POSITIVES: -The animation is solid. Although the style isn't quite the same as the comic, the character designs are still almost identical to the source material. I was pleased with most of the animation. -The action was fantastic. Every peice of action from the comic is put on film, and then expanded upon. -The voice actors all do a good job. No one here is bad at all. Peter Weller isn't spectacular, but is still a good Batman. -Alot of credit here should be given to Jay Olivia, the director. What can I say, he is extremely faithful to the source material, and his editing and directing are brilliant. They picked the perfect scene for the ending, which is a great cliffhanger that got me VERY excited for Part 2. -The pacing is great. It's easy to follow along, I never got bored, and I didn't want it to end when it did. THE NEGATIVES: -Like I said, Peter Weller is a good Batman, and everyone else does a good job. However, lets not forget that they are all newcomers, and there are some lines of dialogue that seem, ackward, and other scenes where it sounds like they are reading their lines for the first time. But, there is room for improvement, so im glad they didn't do Part 1 and 2 at the same time. -Although the animation is great for most of the film, the opening seems bland. If you havn't seen the other DC animated films, you won't notice. But, if you have, then you probably know that they do a great job with their detail, and how they take their time with some scenes. However, with this film, some scenes just seem really bland, namely the opening. The animation improved over the course of the film, but the begining just didn't seem, finished. It was still great overall, but not in line with some of their other films at times. But again, there is room to improve in Part 2. -The only character who seemed to lack development is the new Robin, Carrie Kelley (yes, Robin IS a girl in this story, but a completely different character). But, I won't complain that much simply becaude she has just as much development as the comic. That was my only complaint about the comic, though. If there is one thing that I felt they could have expanded from comic to film, it would be her backstory. My complaints with the film are really just nitpicks though, I just had to list my problems (as few as they were). Overall, the Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is how you make a good, faithful adaptation. The only reason why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I need to be fair and judge both parts as one film. I need to wait for Part 2 to see if they did make a solid, true adaptation overall. But I have faith that they will :)

This is a Great movie: it tells a realistic interpretation of aging professionals past their prime, how changing times are hard to understand when you remember past events, and finding purpose when you lost what you love. This movie is a Masterpiece, and it is told in a similar fashion to the recently-released The Batman, with a dark noir, realistic fight scenes with excellent choreography, and grounded scenes of people fighting instead of overuse of gadgets and superpowers. This is definitely one of DC's Best films, at least for Batman, and it shows some long-standing themes such as psychiatric care versus the Mindset of the criminal. The Dark Knight Returns (Part 1) is excellent cinema, but it also shows a somber and sad theme about Batman, as a man: he never really moved on, he never remarried nor had kids, and he constantly has PTSD from the horrors he witnessed throughout his life, unable to cope with what he can, and cannot, do. Bruce Wayne never was able to move on because Batman Is Who He Really Is, and he's going to do it even if it kills him. As a master of skills myself, I respect that in spite of the world and his options, Bruce Wayne Is Batman, and he embodies his purpose. Admirable, and commendable, and he was making a difference for his time, and his people. Edit: Another Perfect DC movie! Quite remarkable. I give out "perfect" titles Rarely, and only to movies that have (almost) No Flaws, with an exception of 1 Mulligan (everybody gets 1 pass). I was watching this again and realized this movie is just amazing, and even some of the "flaws" such as all the news broadcasts looking the same or similar, but they really Are all the same, aren't they, in real life? And after the first fight and Batman leaves, you can see people in the background Watching Batman. Why watch him? They are looking for Guidance: who am I, what do I want, what is my purpose? The poor and depraved are the most susceptible to hopelessness and corruption, desperately needing approval from Someone, anyone, begging for Change that only comes from a gutter or a cup. This part 1 is nothing less than Perfection: especially the cinematography, backgrounds, and the story. This movie embodies Everything the Batman stands for: We MUST Believe that the System CAN Work. If We lose faith in ourselves, then there will be nothing left but crime Because people will live fast, and die hard, begging to feel something, for they will not go quietly. The criminals are just as much sorrow-full as Batman. If DC invested in the Best animation, meaning Blizzard, then DC would be the Best movies in the entire industry. Flashpoint Paradox and Under the Red Hood are also perfect and masterpieces.

This movie is based off the Frank Miller novel of the same name, where Batman comes out of a long ten year retirement only to return into a Gotham City over ridden by a madness with a bloodthirsty gang known as The Mutants. However, the world is more cynical and cut-throat than most DC Comic Book stories. Half the people are glad that there is once again a Dark Knight lurking in the shadows to strike fear into the hearts of criminals, while the other half consider him as a fascist that is a criminal of not just breaking 'n' entering and batter, but also the civil rights of the very criminals he hunts. He must also fight an even more deranged and even suicidal Two-Face that has now started scratching both sides of his infamous coins, and he must also fight the Mutant leader, a strong brute monster of a man with razor sharp teeth in the prime of his youth, while the Dark Knight is now probably in his late 50's or early 60's. There is a lot going on in this movie, but it is all perfectly pace; not too fast or not too slow. I think that is why they broke it down into two parts so that they can avoid repeating the mistake of "Superman: All-Star". The adventure and story is gritty, gothic, and dark, everything you'd expect from a story about the Cape Crusader. So if you're looking for a DC Comic Book animated movie that is not at all targeted to kids, this is for you! The animation is flawless and spectacular, and with the high-definition of blu-ray it looks incredible, even if it is indeed animation. Even though there aren't any big names that I recognize in this, all the voice acting is fantastic nonetheless. And throughout the movie there are little Easter Eggs throughout the movie that you may only recognize if you're an avid DC Comic reader. Needless to say, I think this is Warner Bros. DC Animation's finest work that can only be topped by Part Two that about immediately follows the timeline of this movie. I definitely recommend buying this movie! I can't help but watch it over and over again, it's that good, and that hardly ever happens with me! So stop reading these reviews and BUY IT NOW! I'm dead serious!

Faithful to the source I'm mainly writing this review in order to regain some of the product's footing after a slew of one star reviews given by people who seem to have somehow confused this film with Christopher Nolan's, "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES." It just so happens that this movie is fantastic in its own right and deserves the accolades given by the more knowledgeable viewers. Many of the negative reviews I've read have mentioned that they were "duped" or "ripped off" by Amazon for releasing this stellar animated feature from Warner Brothers. Ok, I understand that they have the same distributor and you might not be the biggest fan of Gotham's most famous vigilante, but surely you would have read the product description, yeah? I mean unless you've been living under a rock the size of Uluru, you would've at least glanced the box art and realised that that was indeed not Christian Bale on the cover juxtaposed with an incendiary bat symbol from one of the most ubiquitous movie posters of the last decade. You of course noticed that Peter Weller was not the actor you expected to see fighting Bane (who's not credited on this blu ray) alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and that you'd never heard of a director named Jay Oliva. Right? However, if you used your super sleuthing skills to come to the conclusion that a film titled "THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS" is just that and no more, then you're in for a treat. The movie itself is a great adaptation of a very special graphic novel by the talented Frank Miller. It holds true to the theme of the original 80s manuscript and lends itself to cinematic interpretation. Unlike a lot of "graphic novels" that are actually collections of a comic book's natural and lengthy story cycle, Miller's story was originally intended to be a singular story with a strong and narrow focus. This helps avoid the pitfalls that other comic-based stories tend to have, where it's just one guest appearance/mindless action romp/plot jump after another. This picture is a honed and self-motivating piece that attempts to explain how Bruce Wayne is more Batman than Bruce Wayne. It's a great theme to run with and I think it pulls it off. I might have liked to see at least a hint of Batman's internal monologue as it was portrayed in the book, but I'm aware that film is a different animal to literature and some hard decisions had to be made. If you are a person who has dabbled in Warner Brother's other DC universe animated outings, then I would put this above the much-loved BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD (which I too enjoyed, if that gives you any reference) and even BATMAN: YEAR ONE (another Miller-penned gem). If you came to see THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, I think you'll be delighted with the quality of animation and respect that this release has given to its source material. If you're here to see THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, you might want to learn how to read.

Just like the elder Gotham cop tells the rookie, you're in for a show! Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Rises" was and still is one of the best Batman stories ever told...period. To see it very faithfully adapted for DC's animated movies is great. Plus, they are trying to condense this story into the usual 65-70 minutes they do normally for their recent movies; they are making it longer to fully tell this tale the way it should be told. Granted, I feel they could've just produced a long 2 hour animated movie in one package instead of making us wait. But in a way that's half the fun...leave them wanting, even begging, for more! Which is what this story did in the first place when it came out. This story almost single handedly turned Batman into DC's number one superhero. Which I think is cool even being an overall Superman fan. Speaking of the Man of Steel... Superman kind of becomes the bad guy in this story. He's still technically on the side of right but he's a pawn, a puppet to be used at the beck and call of the government...which Supes allowed to happen! Batman's presence is seen as a black hole on the "law & order" of the times in this story. Superman is called in to stop him, and seems to agree why! Before this story, Supes and Bats were always portrayed as close friends. Miller turned that notion upside down and inside out. He made a good point showing that while both heroes stand up against evil; their views on how to do it are completely different. I'm happy to see this story come to life and see the action. The only thing better would be a live action version. Ultimately this is no doubt going to be one of the gems in the DC Animated Movie crown. I'd even like to see them do the sequel, "The Dark Knight Strikes Again", even though that story wasn't as good but it is the conclusion to the story. Overall, great work DC...Keep `em coming!

Really three 1/2 stars... May swing up or down once we have the whole movie (parts 1 AND 2) to judge. So... BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS PART 1... Very satisfied in some regards, a bit bummed and underwhelmed in others. Strongest when it's focusing on Cary Kelly/Robin (despite one painfully bad bit of voice acting) and when dealing with the mutants. As with any film adaptation of a book I love, the question I have to ask myself isn't so much "Is it as good as the book?" (these things must be judged on their own merits and all that) but rather "If I didn't know the source material, would I still even get it?" Leaning towards: If you want a solidly fun, badass Batman movie, you got it... These yearly animated Batman features have been a joy, and this is a welcome addition. But if you're not familiar with Frank Miller's graphic novel, you'd be forgiven for not understanding why this is considered one of the BEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD. As such, last year's BATMAN: YEAR ONE was way more satisfying, I dare say a cut above two out of three of Nolan's movies in many respects. This one, though, loses a LOT of impact and meaning for lack of Batman and Gordon's voice-over narration... Some visual sequences, for lack of it, became cases of "Why are we even lingering on this/why is this even here?" or (such as in flashback to parents' murder) "Haven't we seen this in EVERY OTHER screen Batman? What's this depiction add?" Inexplicable abridgments left the Two-Face subplot feeling almost superfluous... Harvey and his history are barely established enough for us to care that he falls straight back into crime, and there's zero suspense about whether or not he will. The more button-pushing controversial aspects are softened around the edges, but still very much present and not nearly as watered/dumbed down as I'd feared. Peter Weller has a fine Batman voice, except a bit too "zen old wise man," not enough "Psycho-Bats" edge. Some key smaller scenes are rearranged a bit, in a ways that actually work really well. So does the split into two movies, actually. The fight with the mutant leader makes a fitting build-up/action-climax. Moving a certain cameo to the tale-end cliffhanger was a stroke of genius. Left me far more psyched for Part Two than I might otherwise have been... a reminder that this is, after all (much like Kill Bill) only the first half, and we won't truly have it in perspective 'til we're able to watch both halves. In the context of DC's animated Batman films so far, this felt weirdly as though it was trying to be more of a piece with UNDER THE READ HOOD than YEAR ONE, which isn't necessarily bad, just... weird (the Christopher Drake score - which realizes it's own tuneful Batman theme, despite still trying way too hard to sound like Zimmer/Shore in places - is a big tipoff).

leeros el comic "The dark knight returns" y luego ver esta maravilla perfectamente adaptada, la única pega que mark hamill ya no dobla al Joker y se nota

Muy buena adaptación del cómic de Frank Miller, gran animación que mantiene el espiritu y la historia original. Buenos extras y un precio interesante.

Mit "Der Dunkle Ritter kehrt zurück" schuf Frank Miller einen echten Meilenstein in der Welt der Batman- Comics. Wahrscheinlich generell im Comic-Genre. Es ist einfach eine interessante Geschichte einer interessanten Figur. Psychologisch ausgefeilt und schlüssig. Man spürt förmlich das Dilemma, in dem Bruce Wayne sich verirrt hat, als er sich dazu entschied, als "Symbol" Verbrechen zu bekämpfen. Nun brauchte die Stadt dieses Symbol eben nicht mehr. Aber Bruce Wayne läßt es einfach nicht los. Frank Miller verleiht der Titelfigur fast schon krankhafte, schizophrene Züge. Und Mr. Wayne scheint geheilt, als er wieder sein Kostüm anzieht und wieder nachts durch die Straßen schwingt, weil er in dem Auftauchen der Mutanten und in deren Bekämpfung eine neue Aufgabe sieht. Hier gerät Bruce Wayne allerdings an seine Grenzen, die ihn nur allzu menschlich- und auch zu einer tragischen Figur machen. Er hat nichts verlernt, dennoch hat er mit seinem Alter zu kämpfen. Allerdings auch mit seinem Alter-Ego. Fast scheint es, wie ein innerer Zwang, wieder Batman zu sein. Auf mehreren Seiten, flammt die innere "Fledermaus" immer wieder auf. Und es ist förmlich zu spüren: Ahhh- bald ist es soweit. Man mag glauben, ein einfacher Taschendieb würde ausreichen, dass Bruce Wayne wieder das innere Tier in ihm endlich rauslassen kann. Und er läßt dieses innere Tier raus- brutaler, kompromissloser und grimmiger als je zuvor. Ich denke, es ist wohl der Albtraum eines Jeden von uns, dass wir im Rentenalter nichts mit unserer Zeit anzufangen wissen- und genau dieses passiert hier mit Bruce Wayne. Statt sich zur Ruhe zu setzen und seinen Reichtum zu genießen, verfällt er wieder in seinen Zwang, den Tod seiner Eltern zu rächen. Zugegeben- die Filmversion gibt dieses Spiel mit dem inneren Dämon nur bedingt wieder. Aber es ist permanent zu spüren, was nicht zuletzt der verdienst der tollen Musik ist. Der Zeichenstil ist sehr an die Comicvorlage angelehnt. Die FSK- Freigabe ab 12 finde ich gerechtfertigt, da auch viel Brutalität im Spiel ist und diese nicht nur angedeutet sondern auch teilweise gezeigt wird. Also nichts für Kinder. Wer hier zugreift bekommt einen tollen Animationsfilm, der sich nahezu 1:1 an die Vorlage hält.

Article absolument parfait..! le bluray + le dvd (+ dvd bonus dans certains cas), et le tout pour à peine une dizaine d'Euros..! l'histoire est tout bonnement génial et montre un Batman Vieillissant face a de nouveaux criminels..! le coffret est en métal et donne son effet.. 1ère partie d'une superbe histoire au doublage excellent, je recommande chaudement à tous les fans de Comics..! surtout de DC..! livraison très rapide (premium) et très bien emballé, RAS..! merci.

自分も北米版(BD+DVD combopack)で見た口ですが、不当に作品の評価を下げている方がいるので本作の魅力をもっと広めるためにレビューします。(作品を見ないでレビュー書いた人のこと) といいつつまずは北米版から。 北米版BDで驚いたのが、パッケージには記載がないのに日本語メニューと日本語字幕が付いていたこと(特典映像全てにも字幕付き)。普通、北米版のアメコミ原作アニメには日本語音声も字幕も付きません。本来流通するはずがない品物が混じったとかではなく、各国仕様版が1枚のBDに入っているのでしょう。今回は日本語版も発売されますし。でも、パッケージには記載がないんですよねー。音声は英語のみでした。あと、同梱のDVDは日本語字幕はありませんが、BDにはない「The Dark Knight Rises」や新作のバスケ映画などの予告編が入ってました。ただし、日本語版との違いはこの予告編のみと思われますので、北米版の方が価値が高い、というわけでもなく、マニアの方でない限りは日本語版で十分です。 本編の内容ですが、華美を避けて重量感のあるアクションが展開する見応えのあるもの。バットタンク(モービルでもタンブラーでもない、最早タンクだ)でミュータント団と派手に対決する場面や、ミュータント団のリーダーとの血まみれ肉弾戦は気分を高揚させてくれます。ほかの方のレビューにもあるように、バットマンのモノローグがカットされたことでスピーディな流れになっていますが、代わりに(原作を知らない方には)意味が通じにくい場面も一部あるのは難点。決してアメコミ初心者向けとは言い難いものの、原作コミック「バットマン:ダークナイト」も併せて読むと理解が深まると思います。 Part1も十分面白い作品ですが、Part2はアメコミを知らないほとんどの日本人が驚愕するような相手との対決が待っているはずです。知らない方にはネタバレになるのでここでは言及しませんが、今のところ実写ではあり得ない対決でしょう。北米版は2013年の冬にPart2が発売だそうですが、今から楽しみです。(でも、その対決相手ってPar2の予告編であっさり出てきたりして） 実写版でしかバットマンを知らない方は、本作品と実写版を見比べてみるのも楽しみの１つでしょう。 ※追記 2012/11/10 北米版のPart2 は 2013/01/29 が発売日のようなので、日本語版のPart2 は3月か4月頃と思われます。 -> 今更このレビューを見ている人はいないと思うけど、7月発売だそうで。 日本語音声を追加するわけではないのに、この時間差は何？ この夏公開されるスーパーマンの新劇場版にでも合わせているのでしょうか。 早く続きを見たい人は、日本語字幕が収録されている北米版を買うのがおすすめです。 ここから後は全部蛇足。 蛇足その１。 本作のキャラクターデザインは原作の雰囲気を出すため、ゴツイ顔つきになっていますが、すべてのアメコミアニメがこうではありません。「Young Justice」や「Justice League:DOOM」といった、日本製のアニメの影響を受けたと思われるような親しみやすい絵柄の作品もあります。 蛇足その２。 本作品の原作「ダークナイト・リターンズ」の影響をもろに受けたといわれるコミックに「バットマン:デス・イン・ザ・ファミリー」があります。このコミックがベースになった(本当は少し違うけど)アニメに、「Batman: Under The Red Hood」という作品があり、日本語字幕などはついていませんが、１つのアクションが次のアクションを呼ぶといった流れるようなアクション・シーンや物語は「ダークナイト リターンズ」とはまた別の魅力があり、こちらもお勧めです。 蛇足その３。 「ダークナイト リターンズ Part2」には、オリバー・クインというキャラクターが(多分)登場しますが、彼を主人公にした実写アクション・ドラマ「Arrow」が制作されていて、現在 DC Comics のサイトから予告動画と本編の一部が見られます。当然英語なのですが、見た限り面白そうな内容で、こちらも日本語版が出てほしい作品。また、同作をベースにコミック版の出版が予定されているみたいです。 ※追記 2012/11/10 DC Comics のサイトでは、既に「The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2」の予告編も配信されているので視聴時にはご注意を。 また、「Arrow」の予告編を見ると、敵キャラクターの中には本来バットマンの敵であるデッドショットも登場しています。 蛇足その４。(これで終わりだから、もう少しお付き合いを) 本作品の特典映像は約110分ありますが、同じレーベルのアニメ作品では平気で3時間とか4時間の特典がついていることがあります。それに比べると少し特典がさびしい感じ。一部は以前別の作品にも収録されていたし。あと、北米版だと電子コミックの翻訳がかなり酷いもので、日本語の意味が通じていませんでした。日本語版BDだと直っているといいのですが。 実は本編の字幕も一部違和感があったりして・・・。