The Age of Commercialism

Instant Favorite.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Blistering performances.

I thought this movie was just good but nothing special. 7.4/10

'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part II (2013)' acts more as a sequel to the first film, rather than a straight continuation, but still recreates Frank Miller's acclaimed graphic novel with a striking accuracy, in terms of tone, story and style. The piece follows a similar formula as its predecessor, presenting its bleak world with a brutal and brooding Batman operating on the fringes of the law. It focuses even more on the morality of vigilantism and the consequences it has on society, especially in a city as vulnerable as Gotham, while also exploring the idea that the Dark Knight creates the very evils he seeks to destroy. There are some interesting ideas explored here. The underlying themes are mature and nuanced, woven into the world at every opportunity. These also manifest themselves in the unexpected, often counter-intuitive but ultimately fascinating ways in which certain comic-book characters appear. Again, the handling of the source-material, including the wider Batman universe, is deft and demonstrative of a deeper understanding of the lore. All of this plays into the darker narrative presented, which very much plays into fears of the past that might soon become fears of the present. This isn't due to some prophetic ability, though, it is simply due to Miller's own widely known sensibilities, which seep into the piece in some less subtle ways such as a couple of 'on-the-nose' nipple-tassels. This time, the presented 'universe' isn't quite as cohesive, either. There are some elements that stand-out as being somewhat outlandish compared to the world established in the prior film and, indeed, at the start of this one (possible superpowers notwithstanding). It's in these moments, which aren't ever explained, that the otherwise incredible immersion is broken. Not that this is a major issue, but it is distracting and the plot leans fairly heavily on these elements. As does it on a structure that means it peaks about half-way through. This leads to a feeling that it's fairly unfocused, too, because the story doesn't head in its natural direction - not immediately or for its natural reason, at least - after this peak. Still, the events are always entertaining and there is a consistent, even somewhat surprising, level of emotional attachment to the characters, even those to the side. There is a constant level of excitement in the action sequences and some satisfaction in the blunt brutality of their conclusions, too. The movie picks the pace up again with a great, action-packed finale and ends on a down-played but fitting final beat. On the whole, I wouldn't say it's necessarily better than the first part, though it is difficult to rank them as they feel quite different. It certainly stands alongside it and is a fitting film for such an iconic character, one that serves him better than many of the live-action attempts. 7/10

I don't know why, but with expectations set VERY high after the cliffhanger from Part 1., I was left after the movie ended with mixed feelings about it. It is a good movie, but I would've liked more of the Joker. Michael Emerson really nailed his scenes starting off as a subtle psycho which managed to make his way onto national TV and slowly return to an all out maniac which leads to some of the most disturbing scenes including the character I have ever seen. As I stated about Part 1., I liked how a major issue discussed in the movies is how controversial Batman actually is in his batle against crime. It continues in Part 2. and extends into great confrontations between the complete state of chaos which Gotham is in. That and the Joker were the best aspects of Part 2. in my opinion. And then we have the Cold War subplot and Superman. I never liked Superman, and his role as the defender of the governement only adds to that. The Cold War theme felt like it was crammed in, and will inevitably not have the same impact on the screen as it would have had 30 years ago. Distracting you can call it. Despite that, Part 2. had a great intensity to it compared to Part 1. even though I preferred the more dramatic side. I think Part 2's first half is fantastic and the second half is just enjoyable. To sum up, I like The Dark Knight Returns and I recommend it to Batman fans and fans of the source material, but I think it could have been stronger if some scenes were shortened in Part 2. so it was possible to make it into one movie with a theatrical release it truly deserved to be.

It's not very often that I'm stunned to silence, but it happened here. If you liked "Part 1", you will adore "Part 2". More action, more brutality, more respect for the title character, more everything. How did they get this to 75 minutes? It felt like watching a 3 hour movie! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! From Joker going on a psychotic killing spree, to Bruce having the ultimate showdown with "The Government's Errand Boy", this movie is Grade A awesome. If you are even a molecule of a Batman fan, you owe it to yourself to see this. This could easily be a replacement for almost any AAA superhero action movie today, in fact, I think I'd prefer this to movies like "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Batman vs Superman".