Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012)

“You try to hold me back, but you’re weak. You know it in your soul. You’re nothing but a hollow shell. A rusty trap. The time has come” – Batman

Number of Times Seen – 1 (18 Sep 2016)

Brief Synopsis – After a ten year absence, Batman returns to help protect Gotham when an army of mutants show up and wreck havoc on the city.

My Take on it – One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about Batman is the way that they are able to tackle dark themes while still using a main character who is good, but with a dark side to him doing what he feels is the best way to stop crime.

This film gives us the opportunity to see what Gotham would turn into without Batman around for a decade.

This further shows how integral he is to the city which would spiral into chaos without his help keeping things calm.

This story takes place in an alternate world where it is a mixture of the 1980’s and the modern world which I found to be a great combination.

The fact that Batman AND his enemies return at the same time shows how much of a connection they have between each other as if one cannot exist without the other which is sort of a yin-yang relationship.

The final battle between Batman and the bad guys is really fun to watch because it shows us how dark, yet good he really is despite his age.

Batman is a great character because he is both the ultimate detective and also a vigilant crime fighter using both his brains and brawn in order to find and stop his enemies.

Bottom Line – Loved the dark themes here and we get to really see what a Gotham would be like without Batman.  The idea that things spiraled to a point where he is once again needed shows how much he truly meant to the city.  Really liked how this alternate world takes place during the 80’s, but still has many aspects of modern times.  The ability to show us some of Batman’s enemies resurfacing also shows the connections he has made over the years with his foes, proving that they are a form of yin-yang. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – For children’s marketing reasons, the scene where Commissioner Gordon is smoking a cigar in the graphic novel is replaced with nicotine gum. Commissioner Gordon actually explains this, stating, “My wife made me quit the cigars.”(From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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