Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1
Directed by Jay Oliva
- science fiction
- action
- animation
- mystery
The story
Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?
What it’s like
Hard-edged, hand-drawn animation with inked outlines, flat saturated colour and a dim, smoky palette: Gotham's streets sit in rain-slicked grey and oil-black night, broken up by sickly neon and the glare of news screens. The camera favours dramatic low angles and hard cuts, with long brooding pauses over a still face or an empty skyline, and the sound is mostly a heavy orchestral score swelling under gravelly voices and the thud of fists and engines. The mood is bleak, weary and cynical, a future-noir city where the old hero is past his prime and the world has grown harsher around him. Pacing is measured, with quieter scenes of a middle-aged man wrestling with regret and anger giving way to sudden, jolting bursts of action. Violence is frequent and fairly brutal, with punches, gunfire and bloody injuries shown on screen, plus some tense threat and cruelty, though rarely lingering gore. It suits a late-night viewing for fans of grim, adult superhero stories who enjoy brooding characters and a dystopian atmosphere more than lighthearted adventure.
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