The Dark Knight Returns part 2
201376 minutes
rated PG-13
Available January 29th from WHV on all the usual home-viewing outlets.
by Scott Mendelson
Note: My review of The Dark Knight Returns part 1 can be found HERE.
One of the dangers of being too literal of an adaptation is that you start to realize, when seen in a different format, what doesn't quite hold up. Such is the case with the second part of The Dark Knight Returns, which dramatizes the third and fourth books in the 1986 graphic novel. At least in animated form, it is clear that Mr. Miller bit off just a bit more than he could chew, with a final chapter that expands the playing field far beyond Gotham's borders. It doesn't quite work, taking us out of the intended story and using it as a way for Miller to discuss a broader commentary on 1980s American foreign policy (the original story was of course written in the mid-80's). Nonetheless, those wanting a faithful adaptation of the iconic comic book will get their money's worth. As a filmed adaptation, it is stymied only by a curious bit of miscasting and material that just-plain doesn't work as well on the screen as it did on the page.
