Another faithful animated comic book adaptation has arrived, and I continue to be only mildly impressed by what the DC animators have cranked out. I’ve mentioned this in the last few reviews of these animated DVDs, but nobody seems to be trying very hard. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is very ordinary. The animation style is the same as they’ve always used. The voice actors are mediocre at best, with a few clunkers. The adaptation is almost faithful to the word, and the few minor changes don’t really add anything new or interesting to the show. This DVD is basically just the same people cranking out the same product they’ve always been.

But that’s not to say we shouldn’t be eternally grateful that we now have a fully animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, one of the greatest Batman stories ever written.

Movie rating: 4/5: Good.

Don’t let my nitpicking keep you away from a good adaptation of the classic Frank Miller comic. The animation is top notch, the action is very good and, like I said, the cartoon is an almost exact replication of the comic. And considering that comic book fans tend not to like change, that’s probably for the best. Could you imagine the firestorm if DC Animation had rewritten parts of this story? Sometimes minor changes to the story works, like with the Watchmen movie, but sometimes it could be terrible, like all other planned adaptations of Watchmen.

That The Dark Knight Returns has been stretched into two films is unfortunate, but for the best, considering the lengthy tale. Once both parts are out, I’m hoping it’s a better experience overall. But Part 1 has its own stories, so we’re not lacking for content by only getting the first half of the comic on film.

Though we are missing out on what could have been a powerful artistic interpretation. Anyone who has read the original comic knows that The Dark Knight Returns has a very unique and hectic art style. It’s a little jarring and confusing at first, but quickly grows on you in the reading. The animation in the new DVD is the same kind of animation DC has been cranking out since Batman: The Animated Series nearly 20 years ago, which is a shame. While it’s solid animation and looks great, it loses that unique, emotional feel that came from the original art.

Same with the voice acting. Peter Weller is a terrible Batman. The producers may have been super excited to get Robocop to do the voice, but he stinks. Weller’s performance is flat and emotionless, in a story that calls for Batman to be full of rage and power. It’s a complete failure.

Was Kevin Conroy busy that week and couldn’t do the voice? Join me after the jump for more.

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